Ronnie O'Sullivan sparked jeers from some snooker fans when joking about not feeling a buzz from the iconic Masters crowd.
The Rocket, targeting his eighth Masters title this week, got off to a flying start by blitzing Belgian star Luca Brecel in a 6-1 first round rout on Monday.
O'Sullivan thrives in the showpiece settings and the prestigious Triple Crown event at the packed-out Alexandra Palace is one of the sport's finest stages.
But the world no.1 has bewildered many in snooker circles over the years with the dubious narrative that he is ambivalent towards the sport.
And he briefly played the pantomime villain in his post-match interview after trouncing world no.10 Brecel, jesting about feeling a lack of adrenaline from the bumper crowd in North London.
When asked if he received a buzz during his walk-on, O'Sullivan joked: "No not really."
"No, I'm only joking," he quickly clarified, backtracking with a wry smile after some jeers and laughs from the audience. "Obviously it's an amazing feeling. Two thousand people expecting you to play well. It's nerve-wracking."
O'Sullivan has spent three decades cementing himself as the greatest snooker player ever and is still the man to beat on the baize.
But while he has so often claimed he is indifferent about his results, he has moved to dismiss any notion that he does not care about snooker by insisting he maintains a competitive edge at the table.
“At my age, and this stage of my career, I’m enjoying every moment and I think a lot of the time I’ve got a really good perspective on life and the game,” O’Sullivan added.
“I might say I don’t care but actually there’s a very good competitor there. And when I say I don’t care, I mean I’ve got life in perspective.
“Snooker is not the be-all and end-all. I love it, I enjoy it and I love competing, but I also enjoy my life as well and it’s just getting that balance right.
“And I don’t want to be defined by snooker or disappointed if I don’t do well at snooker. I think I’ve enjoyed the last 10-12 years of my snooker more than I ever have, I wish I had done it years ago.”
