Ronnie O'Sullivan expressed his gratitude to his supporters after returning to his ruthless best at the Masters at Wembley Arena today although he refused to speak to the media following his 6-1 victory over Ali Carter.
The 'Rocket' completed his second-round clash with former practice partner Carter, known as the 'Tiptree potter', but then refused to attend his mandatory post-match press conference.
The two-time Masters winner quit midway through his last-16 clash with Scot Stephen Hendry at the Maplin UK Championship last month provoking criticism from fans, the media, commentators and fellow players.
He subsequently issued a statement expressing his unhappiness at the response to his shock departure.
But having turned down the written press, O'Sullivan then had a change of heart and decided to do a recorded BBC interview with Steve Davis to express his gratitude to his army of fans for their support following his unprecedented York exit.
"I'm fine. Today was just amazing," said O'Sullivan, who still has the threat of disciplinary action hanging over him for his walkout."Ever since it happened I've had fantastic support from everyone. My fans, everyone watching in the snooker world, it's just been fantastic.
"I want to thank everyone who has showed their support, for me and Ali, and for the game. I wasn't sure what response I was going to get from people today. You know, all's good."