Shaun Murphy is bidding for a big season off the back of a below par one last term and the 2005 World Champion is determined to hit the ground running next week when he travels to Eastern China for the Shanghai Masters...
Shaun, thanks for speaking to us. How do you reflect on last season, where despite some high points, things didn't really get going?
“This time last year I won the Championship League, which made it four finals out of five tournaments and I’d won three of them. However, after the highs of the season before, it never really took off. I had some little bursts of form here and there. That seems to be the way now. When I do lose, nine times out of ten, I feel like somebody has played really well. It seems like I’ve been saying this for 20 years, but the standard across the board has been getting stronger every season. As a top player you could lose every match. If someone plays really well and you don’t play quite as well, it becomes a much more even game. There were quite a few of those last season. I did have some bigger matches. The game against O’Sullivan at the Masters was a really big one. I really fancied my chances that week, but ran into an unstoppable player. He beat me 6-2, but in the two frames I won I had century breaks. It is a tough school, but one of the keys about being a snooker player is you dust yourself off and keep going. We aren’t done yet and I’m looking forward to a good season."
You lost out in a fiery encounter with Stephen Maguire at the Crucible. Both of you were celebrating shots and showing your emotions at the table. Do you think that sort of action is more captivating and engaging for fans?
“Absolutely. That is something I intend to bring more of for the rest of my career. I want to engage with the fans more and show what it means to us. I think one of our weak areas as players is fan interaction. I think it is time we gave something more back. I spoke to a few people who said that was the match of the tournament. That is a nice accolade to have. I thought it was a match played in a great spirit. We are both fighters. We have been fighting each other since we were children. I’m sure that will continue until we retire. I thought it was a really good standard and we put on a great show. As entertainers and performers we did our part. In sport there is always a winner and a loser. Stephen was the winner that day, but the roadshow of snooker continues.
“I do think we have to do a little bit more, as players, to sell ourselves and the game. We are in a world where people have so much choice, we have to give them a reason to watch us. With my WPBSA Players hat on, I think the players have to do a little bit more. We all have access to things like Instagram and Facebook. We could do more to interact with our own fanbases and the sport’s wider fanbase. I’m trying to do that. My partner Jo took over my social media recently during my tour of North America. She is far better at that than me, but it is vitally important. Fans have to get to know you. I think we are guilty in snooker of keeping that partition up a bit longer than other sports. When you turn on the tennis, you are rooting for your favourite player because you know them a little bit more about them."
One of the moments of last season was your 147 at the Shoot Out. Did you think anyone would ever achieve that feat and how do you think it stacks up against Ronnie O'Sullivan's five minute and eight second maxium at the Crucible in 1997?
“The 147 wasn’t even on anyone’s radar really. Centuries are few and far between, there have only been a few of those. Nobody thought there would be a 147 and nobody was more surprised than me. Maybe the guy who shouted out not to bottle it on the blue was more surprised!
“Ronnie's maximum was just incredible. To do it under that pressure at the Crucible. It is like comparing oranges and apples. I think he has even said that he probably couldn’t do that now in five minutes and eight seconds. That stands alone, but if mine is the second best then I’m happy to take that.
How did your tour of North America go?
“We weren’t sure if we were going to be playing in front of empty rooms or if tickets had been sold. We had a couple of days in New York, went to Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle and then LA. Who would have thought that snooker would have taken me to LA? Everywhere we went was a sell out. The clubs were varying in size but everywhere was full. It was fabulous. As a game and being invested in the tour, we have definitely taken snooker to places where there is less interest. I was shocked with how much interest there was and how many times I got recognised on the street. I didn’t expect that. Wherever we were, people were approaching me in the street. Snooker is alive and well in North America. If we can build on that and harness that interest, who knows where we might be four or five years down the line. If we have an event there in a few years it will be lovely to be able to have been a part of growing that interest.
How much are you looking forward to next week's Shanghai Masters?
“I’m looking forward to getting on the plane on Friday and heading out to Shanghai. It is a tournament I love and a city which I really like. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in. As you get to my age, you start looking at the things you haven’t achieved. I’ve done an awful lot in my career, but there are still things I want to tick off. Winning the Shanghai Masters is one of them. Every time I turn up I’m trying to win and next week will be no different. I have the best 16 players in the world standing in my way so it won’t be easy. Even after a disappointing season last year, I am confident and upbeat. If I play my best on any given day I know I can beat anybody.
During last season you worked on an experiment of creating different cues for different playing conditions and even took two of them out into the arena for a match. Do you intend to continue with that project this season?
“From a technical point of view I am definitely correct, with my theories on different cues in different conditions and how they perform. That is scientifically proven. Whether or not I’ll choose to use it remains to be seen. They travel with me and are always with me when I play. They will definitely be in Shanghai. Whether I use them or not is another thing. They probably won’t ever get used in the UK or Europe because the conditions don’t call for it. In China or Thailand, it is exactly where you need that type of thing. I tried it in Belfast for two frames against Chris Wakelin. I was widely criticised for it, but that probably isn’t the best place to try that kind of thing. Every revolution starts somewhere. In 20 years time when everyone is using multiple cues they will ask who did it first and maybe won’t think I’m so nuts then!”