Shaun Murphy has 'horrific' World Championship prospect very much on his mind

02/20/2025 08:28 AM

Shaun Murphy is very well aware that he could face World Championship qualifying this year, but will do everything he can to avoid that ‘horrific’ prospect.

The Magician produced one of the performances of the season to win the Masters in January, beating Gary Wilson, Neil Robertson, Mark Allen and Kyren Wilson on his way to the Alexandra Palace title.

The Masters is non-ranking, though, and the 42-year-old needs to pick up some ranking points in the coming weeks to avoid a tumble down the rankings.

Murphy is currently number eight in the world, but as the rankings work on a two-year system, his brilliant back-to-back titles at the Players and Tour Championship in 2023 will be coming off his ranking soon.

He is projected to be down at number 20 going into the Crucible, outside of the top 16 and needing to go to the dreaded qualifiers as a result.

The 2005 world champ has time to put things right, with the World Open and Grand Prix coming up before the Players and (probably) the Tour Championship, but he knows he needs to get results and the looming prospect of the qualifiers is in his thoughts.

‘It’s very much on my mind, very much so, I’m very aware of it,’ Murphy told Metro.

‘I’m not panicking about it. I think I’ll win enough matches between now and then to be in the 16, my game’s in good shape, but it’s not a certainty. It’s not going to just happen and fix itself. I am going to have to win some matches to make it happen.

‘I’m keeping an eye on it, I’m watching how players are doing ahead of me who I’ve got to catch. Ultimately I’ve just got to pot the balls and let those things take care of themselves.’

Murphy’s 2005 World Championship win came as a qualifier, so it might not be the worst omen if he was to face qualification again 20 years on, but he would still rather avoid it.

‘It would be horrific to win the Masters and then have to go to the qualifiers for the World Championship. That said, the last time I went to the qualifiers for the World Championship I won the tournament,’ he said. ‘Perhaps it’s not as daunting as it might sound, but I would much rather sit and watch Judgement Day from home than have to go and qualify.

‘Hopefully we’ll have that all sewn up, there’s plenty of snooker to play between now and then.’

Murphy has not had to qualify since 2005, but he has been to watch Judgement Day and that was enough to convince him he wants absolutely nothing to do with it.

‘I have been to it, I went a couple of years ago and watched Matt Selt play Thepchaiya,’ he recalled.

‘It’s so close to the Crucible but yet so far, it’s totally, totally different. Full of anxiety and stress. I don’t want to go anywhere near it.’

The Masters champion will be back in action at the World Open against either Sanderson Lam or a local wildcard player in Yushan, China.

A good run there could end his World Championship fears, with £175,000 on offer to the winner on Saturday 1 March.