Ronnie O'Sullivan's father phoned Ali Carter during cancer treatment: 'No hate, but there's nothing left'

Ali Carter was in the hardest period of his life when the phone rang. On the other end of the line was Ronnie O'Sullivan Sr., father of snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan. He did not call to talk about billiards or old finals. He called to ask whether Carter was okay. Carter told the story on the Talking Snooker podcast, and it quickly became a major talking point in British snooker media. Carter was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2026 and lung cancer in 2026. He underwent chemotherapy and returned to top-level competition in October 2026. Against that background, the phone call from Ronnie O'Sullivan Sr. carried unusual emotional weight. Carter described the relationship with Ronnie O'Sullivan today as “no hate, no nothing.” He did not promise a warm reconciliation. He simply confirmed that a rivalry lasting three decades had cooled into a state of neutral distance. The pair first connected in 2026, when Carter won the Benson & Hedges Championship with O'Sullivan reportedly helping him in practice. They later met in the World Championship finals of 2026 and 2026, with O'Sullivan winning both. In 2026, Carter beat O'Sullivan 13-9 in the second round at the Crucible, a match remembered for a shoulder brush and heated words. Carter felt O'Sullivan was trying to dominate the arena through table-craft, a form of psychological pace-setting rather than pure potting skill. Carter refused to be bullied. In January 2026, O'Sullivan beat Carter in an acrimonious Masters final. Later, Carter won 5-3 against O'Sullivan at the German Masters and also took the English Open title in Brentwood. At 47, Carter remains a ranking-event winner with seven career titles. The phone call from O'Sullivan Sr. did not rewrite the rivalry's history, but it revealed a more human layer beneath one of snooker's most talked-about relationships.