Shaun Murphy expects World Snooker Championship ‘tear up’ with Ronnie O’Sullivan, Neil Robertson and Judd Trump

Shaun Murphy is ready for an “old-fashioned tear up” as he feels the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Neil Robertson and Judd Trump will bring their A games to the World Championship.

O’Sullivan arrived at The Crucible for his tournament opener against Pang Junxu on Saturday as the defending champion, but he has had a low-key season with no ranking titles to his name.

Trump won the Masters earlier in the year but has looked well short of his best, while Robertson has struggled – with illness hitting him hard at key stages of the campaign.

In contrast, Murphy has had a superb season and arrived in Sheffield with wins at the Players Championship and Tour Championship on his CV.

While Murphy is happy to be the form player, he feels it would be foolish to read too much into current well-being and thinks Robertson, Trump and O’Sullivan will be firing on all cylinders.

“People are talking about the real favourites, the Ronnies, the Trumps, the Robertsons, they have gone missing this season,” Murphy told Eurosport. “They will be good this tournament, don’t you worry, they will have been working hard to make sure they bring their A game to Sheffield.

“A few of us others have brought it too and I think we will have a good, old-fashioned tear up.

“I will be giving it everything and if I play like I have been the last few weeks, it will take some performance to stop me.”

Murphy’s win at the Players Championship snapped a three-year trophy drought, and it came as no surprise to the 2005 world champion.

“I feel completely different to any year, as the snooker I have been playing in the last few weeks is the best I have been playing in my life,” Murphy said. “I said it had been coming, and I have been proved right. It has been coming all season.

“I have been working so hard away from the tournaments. I am thrilled to win the Players, thrilled to win the Tour, and I am going to give it everything I’ve got this week.”

Murphy takes on Si Jiahui in the opening round, and it could be a spicy affair as Murphy was critical of the Chinese player being allowed to compete in events as an amateur after he crashed out at the hands of Si at the 2021 UK Championship.

“He played like a man who does not have a care in the world, because he does not have a care in the world,” Murphy said. “It is not fair, it is not right. I am not picking on him as a young man, he deserved his victory. Amateurs should not be allowed in professional tournaments, the end.”

Murphy apologised a short while later, and hopes there is no bad blood.

“I said what I said all those months ago, I was bang out of order,” Murphy said. “I admitted that soon after, apologised, tried to take it back – you can’t.

“I hope we haven’t fallen out. There is a big language barrier, my Mandarin is pretty poor.

“We will shake hands as professionals and go at it, and may the best man win.”

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