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Shaun Murphy previously explained that 'verbal abuse' from Ronnie O'Sullivan when he was only 12 years old ignited a three-decade rivalry with the Rocket. The duo have known each other since the 1990s, with O'Sullivan being part of snooker's iconic 'Class of 92' alongside John Higgins and Mark Williams.

Murphy, 43, turned professional towards the end of that decade, but an incident during their formative years shaped his perception of O'Sullivan, who has since established himself as the greatest player ever to pick up a cue.

Speaking with journalist David Hendon for his publication Pots of Gold: A History of Snooker, Murphy previously discussed a rift they had when he was just 12 years old.

"We fell out when I was young," he said. "Ronnie verbally abused me when I was 12 and I never forgave him. I vividly remember it.

"I still have immense respect for his levels of play as a snooker player. I watch in awe at the things he's able to do, because I know how hard it is. His ability as a player is completely unmatched."

Murphy declined to provide further details, though has maintained a fractious relationship with O'Sullivan in the years since.

While his admiration for the Rocket's excellence at the table remains unchanged, he believes snooker authorities have granted him special treatment owing to his box office draw, even suggesting O'Sullivan has 'damaged' the sport.

"He's the biggest needle-mover in the sport, the biggest we've ever seen," Murphy continued.

"That brings you some forgiveness. When the golden goose lays the golden egg, you get treated differently.

"There's no question over the years that various chairmen have treated him more leniently over his offences because of the attention he brings to snooker, and commercially that's probably correct.

"But one of the reasons I idolised Steve Davis so much was I was brought up in a world where being the greatest meant a lot more than how good you were at playing snooker.

"Unfortunately, for all of the good things Ronnie has done in terms of his snooker ability, I think he's done an equal amount of, if not more, damage to the sport from an ambassadorial point of view.

"I think it's such a shame that he hasn't done for snooker in his ambassadorial position, the things that people he says he looks up to - like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic - have done, that he hasn't taken a leaf out of their book and treated the sport that's given him so much the same level of respect.

"If he had used his platform for good, he could have single-handedly dragged snooker into a different stratosphere in terms of popularity. He could have made us much more mainstream."