Latest news with #ShaunMurphy
The Sun
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Stupid game' – Ex-world champ Shaun Murphy slams snooker and reveals why tennis and golf stars have it much easier
SHAUN MURPHY has slammed his own sport of snooker as "stupid", trying to explain just how difficult it is to be a top cueist. Murphy, 42, has already reached the top of the game when he won the World Championship back in 2005, but he still reckons it's one of the hardest sports in the world to master. 4 The Magician hasn't won a World Championship since, but is still a 12-time ranking title winner and currently sits 14th in the world rankings while balancing playing with punditry. He returned to the winners' circle with a huge win at The Masters this year, putting himself back in the conversation as one of the sport's top players. But despite seemingly being one of the most talented potters around, Murphy reckons snooker is about as hard as it gets in sport - claiming that sports like golf and tennis are much easier. He told the Onefourseven Podcast: "You don't have to go very far to be totally gone in snooker. You only have to just not quite be perfectly tuned in to be completely off. "There was a great piece actually shown later in the Championship on the BBC from a guy who is a wellness coach and a mindfulness coach. 'And he was talking about how in snooker, when you do struggle… obviously there are fine motor skills involved in being a snooker player with the touch and feel and those little touch shots and little traces of sidespin. 'You're not using your big muscles, you're using those fine motor muscles like the finger tips and stuff. It's very hard to retain that touch and feel when you're twitching all over the place, to put it mildly. 'If a tennis player or a golfer is feeling nervous, they can move the big muscles and they can hit the ball with force and they can get that pent up anxiety out a little bit. 4 4 'We can't really do that and you end up making a mistake and you overhit this little ball. You overhit it by an inch and it's all over. "It's quite a hard game really when you think about it. It's a stupid game, snooker - a totally stupid game and it's also very difficult.' 'Not fit for purpose' - Barry Hearn slams Crucible with World Snooker Championship tipped to 'travel around world' Despite those comments, Murphy has managed to pull off the perfect frame from time to time - notching 10 maximums throughout his career. He's always been vocal in suggesting that snooker is the hardest of the bunch, and even claims to have managed a 147, a nine-darter and a hole-in-one. Murphy even took part in Paddy Power's Perfect Challenge that saw two darts players, two snooker players and two golfers attempt the pinnacle of their respective sports in one day. During that challenge Murphy called darts world No.1 Luke Humphries "a comedian" for suggesting that a 147 is easier than a nine-darter. Murphy came out on top as the only player to successfully achieve their feat, making a 147 with less than 15 minutes remaining of the challenge. 4
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Snooker star reveals players wanted new world champion Zhao Xintong BANNED from the Crucible after match fixing scandal
Snooker's top stars wanted new world champion Zhao Xintong banned from the Crucible this year, one of the sport's best players has revealed. Xintong made history at the start of this week when he became the first world champion from Asia at the age of 28, beating Welshman Mark Williams 18-12 in the final having also seen off Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last four. That's despite him still being banned from playing in his homeland of China due to a match fixing scandal that Xintong was involved in. Zhao, as his supporters have been keen to point out, did not directly throw a match, unlike the other nine Chinese stars sanctioned in 2023 following a major corruption investigation. However, the Cyclone was party to another player fixing and placed illegal bets on games, earning him a 20-month suspension which only lifted last September. And former world champion Shaun Murphy, who also played in the competition, has spoken out on his rival's win, raising questions over how the star was allowed to compete in the first place. 'Asking the question, how can a player who is still banned by their own governing body be seen and be deemed to be in good standing?' Murphy said on the OneFourSeven podcast. 'And therefore be allowed to enter WPBSA events such as Q Tour – that was a question that was asked about 10 months ago, before the start of the season that's just ended. 'It seemed fairly black and white to most of us that he wasn't in good standing with his national governing body. 'There are lots of other players that this has and does, and will apply to. You can't just go around joining federations and tournaments as you see fit. 'You have to be in good standing. The question we all asked was, how can a player who is still banned be deemed to be in good standing? 'I'm yet to hear a satisfactory answer from anyone at WPBSA Towers or the tour, so I don't know the answer.' Zhao, who competed as an amateur after qualifying for the Tour by attending the amateur Q Tour, was just the third qualifier to triumph at the Crucible, after Terry Griffiths and Murphy. Amazingly, Zhao's victory over three-time world champion Williams was his 47th in 49 matches since he returned to the table at a low-key Q Tour event in Bulgaria less than eight months ago. His second Triple Crown title, after the UK Championship in 2021, also elevates him to 11 in the world rankings and sees him bank £500,000.
The Sun
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Shaun Murphy reveals snooker stars wanted Zhao Xintong BANNED from World Champs and is yet to get ‘satisfactory answer'
SNOOKER stars were left baffled as to why Zhao Xintong was allowed to play at the World Championship. The Chinese star, 28, won the title for the first time at the Crucible this year, but remains banned in China. 2 2 Zhao previously admitted being party to another player fixing two matches while betting on matches himself. That saw him handed a 30-month global ban which was later reduced to 20. However, the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA) chose to stick with the original 30-month ban, meaning he will not be able to return to playing in his homeland until July. And 2005 champion Shaun Murphy revealed he asked why Zhao was allowed to compete. The 42-year-old told OneFourSeven Snooker Podcast: "This point was made to anyone in World Snooker and the WPBSA who would listen at the time. "Asking the question, how can a player who is still banned by their own governing body be seen and be deemed to be in good standing? "And therefore be allowed to enter WPBSA events such as Q Tour – that was a question that was asked about ten months ago, before the start of the season that's just ended. "It seemed fairly black and white to most of us that he wasn't in good standing with his national governing body. "There are lots of other players that this has and does, and will apply to. You can't just go around joining federations and tournaments as you see fit. "You have to be in good standing. The question we all asked was, how can a player who is still banned be deemed to be in good standing? "I'm yet to hear a satisfactory answer from anyone at WPBSA Towers or the tour, so I don't know the answer." Zhao's ban meant that he was forced to qualify for World Snooker via the amateur Q Tour and compete as an amateur at the Crucible. But he showed that he was far from an ordinary 'amateur' with his demolition of Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-final, which saw the Rocket whitewashed in the morning session. He then went on to defeat Mark Williams 18-12 in the final.
Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ronnie O'Sullivan showed true colours as Stephen Hendry shut down Kyren Wilson
Snooker was engulfed in a big debate around this time last year, but one of the sport's biggest names refused to be drawn into the argument after the World Championship The World Snooker Championship was embroiled in controversy a year ago over pocket sizes, but Ronnie O'Sullivan steered clear of the debate. The snooker legend made it to the semi-finals this year but dismissed any suggestion that smaller pockets contributed to his quarter-final defeat in 2024. Last year's champ Kyren Wilson, after clinching the title with an 18-14 victory over Jak Jones at the Crucible, sparked debate by claiming the pockets had been changed. Snooker greats Shaun Murphy and Stephen Hendry chimed in, but O'Sullivan shrugged off the suggestion with his usual nonchalance. Following his triumph, Wilson shared his pocket sizes theory. "I do think so. I must admit, when it's gone to one-table I don't think it was as tight as the two tables," he told the Snooker Club podcast. "Maybe it was because of the new cloth for the semis, so it's going to slide in more. Then for the final they change the cushion cloth so it slides in more as well. "I remember playing John [Higgins] last year, and he played a black down the cushion, and he was walking [to his next shot]. There's no way that would go in this year so they're definitely tighter than last year, 100 per cent. And obviously I've won it, so they're mega tight!" However, seven-time champion O'Sullivan dismissed claims that the pockets had shrunk, insisting it should not have affected the sport's best players. "They seem all right to me," a typically nonchalant O'Sullivan said. "If you hit them sweet, they go in; if you don't, they don't go in. Simple as. That's always been my motto. The tighter the better, really. It makes you more accurate." Snooker legend Stephen Hendry echoed O'Sullivan's sentiments, downplaying the pocket size debate. "There's been a lot of talk about the tight pockets. I'm not out there playing, the players are playing - so you've got to trust their opinions," he admitted. "But what happened to all the so-called best players in the world [who were knocked out early]? Ronnie [O'Sullivan], Judd [Trump], Mark Williams, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Mark Allen - the new world No. 1. I'm sure I'll get a backlash from the players saying the tables were tight, but I say what I see." On the other hand, reigning Masters champ Shaun Murphy supported Wilson's view, stating: "The pockets are much smaller. These new batch of Star tables we've been using all season, they are more difficult. I don't know who made the decision to make the pockets smaller but they probably should have consulted with the players first." This year, defending champion Wilson was knocked out in the first round, with Zhao Xintong going on to take his crown. Zhao notably triumphed over O'Sullivan with a 17-7 win in their semi-final clash last week. After his defeat to Zhao, O'Sullivan was surprisingly unfazed. "I wasn't that bothered to be fair to you. I wasn't surprised, I've been playing like that a lot in practice," he told SportsBoom. "It's just hard to get my head around it. I can't even fix it, that's the problem. I know I said I'd like to give it two years, but if I'm gonna play like it, it's pretty pointless. It's not good." While the snooker legend expressed doubts about his own future in the game, he only had praise for his victorious opponent, ahead of Zhao's final win against Mark Williams. "I think it would be amazing. I think if he did win he would be a megastar," O'Sullivan explained. "He's still very big in China as it is. But if he becomes world champion it would just be amazing for snooker and for his life as well. "He can definitely get over the line. I think he'll have more of a test [in the final]. That will be a proper test for him. He played great. You have to give credit where it's due. We've got a really nice relationship. I'm always trying to help him if I can."
Wales Online
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Shaun Murphy clears up awkward Dennis Taylor moment as he admits 'I didn't understand'
Shaun Murphy clears up awkward Dennis Taylor moment as he admits 'I didn't understand' Shaun Murphy has opened up on his awkward exchange with BBC commentator Dennis Taylor during the World Snooker Championship final at the weekend Shaun Murphy has opened up on the tense moment with Dennis Taylor (Image: George Wood, Getty Images ) Shaun Murphy has confessed to being baffled by BBC commentator Dennis Taylor's remarks about Zhao Xintong during the World Championship. A particularly uncomfortable exchange between the snooker star and the broadcaster became something of a viral sensation following the weekend's final. Murphy, who was on co-commentary, quickly shot down Taylor after he suggested that he had friends who had never seen Zhao play and were shocked by his talent. 'They must be fairly new to the game then, Dennis, because we're watching a former UK champion here,' Murphy responded. Taylor hit back: "They don't live in the UK, Shaun, that's what I was saying." The clip of the conversation, in which the exchange was followed by a long silence from both men, was widely circulated on social media. Murphy has since disclosed that he discussed the comments with Taylor off-air, but remains perplexed by their meaning. The 42-year-old highlighted that the UK Championship, along with other tournaments won by Zhao, are viewed globally, reports the Express. "I still don't understand what the thing was. I don't know. Sometimes you wonder whether some of these things are lost in translation a little bit, between generations. I don't know if it was just a little throwaway funny line that Dennis thought he was saying," Murphy said on the OneFourSeven Snooker Podcast. Article continues below Shaun Murphy remains confused by Dennis Taylor's (pictured) comments about Zhao Xintong (Image: Getty ) "I don't know if it just got missed, but I didn't really understand what he meant. I did say that to him off-mic between frames because he [brought it up]. "I said, 'Sorry, I didn't really understand what you were trying to say. Xintong won the German Masters and the UK Championship [three] and [four] years ago'. The UK Championship, this isn't 1984, it gets watched in almost every single country around the world. "Last year, we had over a billion eyeballs on snooker throughout the season. A sixth or a seventh of the planet watched snooker at some stage last season. These might just be things that Dennis isn't aware of, and other people of his vintage, they're not aware of... I don't know. But I just didn't really understand, I didn't get it." Shaun Murphy endured an awkward moment with Taylor live on air (Image: Getty ) He continued: "I remember before I got involved in broadcasting, you'd hear certain people on certain channels making mistakes and saying things that were just incorrect. The one that gets me is when a commentator says, 'Oh, I haven't seen much of this player, I don't really know anything about this player'. And they wear it like a badge of honour. Article continues below "They say it as if it's a good thing. It's not a good thing because it makes it look like you're turning up, taking your wages and then leaving. You're not putting any effort in. I've pulled up a couple of my co-commentators in the past because it's not a good look. Even if you haven't seen this player, don't say it. Don't tell the world that you can't be bothered to do your job. "That wasn't the thing with Dennis. I still don't understand how that blew up as big as it did. There was a little ruffle of a laugh that went round The Crucible, which is why I went quiet. "Dennis is a friend of mine, it's no axe to grind with Dennis. Dennis and I, we haven't fallen out. There was no exchange of words. I think it was meant to be funny, but wasn't funny. It's not the first time Dennis has told a joke that wasn't funny."
