Here's what Shaun had to say:
Where do you rank the Masters event on the calendar in
comparison to the rest of the calendar?
For me The Masters was always the third major behind the UK's
and the World Championship. But now with the increase in prize money and the
upcoming switch to a money list, I think it's now the second biggest event of
our calendar.
How hard are you working to try and win The Masters this
time around and complete the Triple Crown, and how do you rate your chances?
Completing my triple crown of BBC events will be top of my
priority list until I achieve it so I've been working really hard on my game
over the festive period to try to make sure I get to Ally Pally in good form.
You have Ding Junhui in the first round this year, who since winning The Masters in 2011, hasn’t won a Masters match in 2 years since, how are you looking to approach this match knowing what Ding is capable of, and what are you expecting on the day?
Well as you rightly say, Ding has already won this
tournament before and so doesn't have anything to prove there. Mid way through
this season he was looking unbeatable and our game in Shanghai was a high
quality match. Of course in snooker all I can focus on is my one game and
that's what I'll be doing down there.
Where does the Ally Pally sit for you as a Masters snooker venue, and is the feeling shared by the other players?
I'm pretty sure that anyone that played at the old
Conference Centre would say that it was the best venue of them all, but the
Ally Pally is definitely a close second and 100% better than the Wembley Arena
we played in for a few years. Although it was pretty cool knowing that Kylie
had used the same dressing rooms the week before!
Neil Robertson has been your Masters nemesis the past 2 years, and after being the first overseas player to complete the Triple Crown in December, do you think he’ll be the man to beat again this year?
Neil along with Mark Selby have now in my opinion made
themselves so consistent that I think they are always the ones to beat
nowadays. Mark in particular has found a way of being able to win when he's not
at his best and as Steve Davis once said, that's what sport is all about.
The Masters is one of the tournaments these days with a longer format, do you prefer the long format and would you like to see more tournaments for the elite players with the longer format?
It's a funny sign of the times when we start calling best of
11's a long format as it isn't really. I just think now that most of the tour
have adapted to all the match lengths and just get on with it. I think in
general people like the fact that they will definitely have a result at the end
of play. Nothing frustrates me more when watching sport than not having a
result.
The shoot-out follows the Masters in late January, what do
you make of that event and is it nice to see some of these types of events on
the calendar?
I really like the Shoot Out. It's a completely different
event than any other we see on tour all year and it's refreshing. I do think
though that for Snooker to thrive in todays world like a few other sports are
doing, certain things have to change and some of the things we see at the Shoot
Out need to filter through into "normal" snooker. Certainly a lot of
purists won't like it, but the paying public are the ones that part with their
cash to come and watch us and I think what they want, they should get.
The German Masters at the Tempodrome in Berlin in early
February is another event you have a nice record in, how nice would it be to
win an event in a venue you rate so highly and do the surroundings inspire you
to do well?
Well it's an event very close to my heart as I was lucky
enough to be involved in the promotion of snooker through the mid naughties in
places like Germany and other European countries that are now taking snooker to
heart and it's really nice to see these events doing so well. I've played many
exhibition events in the Tempodrome and have always had great support in
Germany that I'm very thankful for, so for them more than me I'd like to have a
good run there one day and who knows maybe one day lift the title.
Also in early February is the final EPTC event in Gdynia, and with you currently sat in the 24th and final qualifying spot, how desperate are you to have a good run in Poland to make it back to the PTC Finals for the first time since you won it, and would you consider entering the final APTC if you don’t qualify via the European Order of Merit?
Yeah qualifying for the Tour finals is definitely something
I'm trying to do but as always, all I can do is my best and not worry too much
about other results and other players. If I play well enough I'm sure I'll get
through. If not then entering the final APTC is something I'll definitely be
looking at as like I say, getting to the tour finals is a real goal of mine. To
win it in year one and then not go back for two years has been hard but I'm
trying my best to get there this year.
A hectic January/February period culminates in the Welsh Open, where you have lost in Round 1 in 3 of the last 4 seasons, so how much will you be trying to put that right?
The Welsh Open has not been one of my strongest events
that's for sure. I think I got to the final in '06 but since then it's been a
tough event for me. Not really sure why but I'll be going this year trying my
best as always and trying to put in a good performance and see what happens.
While not playing poorly in the first half of the season,
you have been on a pretty poor run of form. So, what aspects of your game in
particular are you working on to try and have a better second half of the
season and what are your goals for this period?
It's been a really weird season for me so far. I've worked
so hard on my game and myself away from the table and so far haven't seen any
rewards for it. But I know that if you do the right things for long enough,
then eventually you get the rewards for your hard work.
What is your view on the Championship League event as a whole, and do you think that it can provide good match practice for the big events?
When it first started I think a few of the lads saw it as a
bit of a knockabout but it's definitely more than that now. For me especially
I'm going to use it as an opportunity to try out some of the things I've been
working on and hopefully play myself into some good form just before The
Masters, so I think it's a great event.
Do you think that tournaments like The Masters really set
the men from the boys in terms of the general standard of play, but also the
guys that work hard over the Christmas break with the ones that don’t?
I think if The Masters was in the first week of January then
you'd really get a taste for who had been playing over Christmas and those that
hadn't. With it starting on the 12th and the Championship league being played
before it too I think most players will arrive ready for action. It is after
all the second biggest event in our game so not being prepared would be a bit
silly really.
A lot of people have been commenting on your recent weight
loss, and want to know how much you’ve lost, and what made you decide to start
losing weight, so could you enlighten the fans?
I just got to a point in my life where I wanted to be
better, in all areas. My diet's always been terrible and so I spoke with some
close friends about it and they put together a really good health eating plan
for me which I've followed and since starting on August 12th last year I've
lost nearly three stone. They told me that weight loss is 80% diet and 20%
exercise, something I'd not thought about before and they were right. Anyone
who wants to know more about it can contact me on Twitter @magician147 or
through my website www.shaunmurphy.net
Just to finish off, as we enter the new year what was your
favourite moment of 2013, and what are your hopes for 2014?
I actually always look back at my Massé attempt against Ding
in Shanghai as one of my funniest moments of 2013, it certainly couldn't have
gone any worse could it? As for 2014 I'm going to continue working on my game
and getting better and fitter and I'll see where that takes me. Obviously I'm
trying to win every event I play in but that hasn't happened
yet.............................yet.
Thanks to Shaun once again for giving some good views and insight on a range of things there. I'd like to wish him and the rest of the players good luck for The Masters, and I for one hope to see Murphy back in the winners enclosure very soon.
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