Shaun Murphy burst onto the World Snooker scene in 2005, when becoming the lowest ranked player to ever be crowned world champion. Fully deserving of his nickname of “The Magician”, Murphy really has been magic at times, hitting the snooker news headlines with a total of nine ranking titles, including the UK Championship, Players Championship, and World Grand Prix in addition to that famous success at The Crucible. Things however haven’t been quite so rosy of late, with the most recent of those titles coming back in 2020 at the Welsh Open.
Following a 2021/22 campaign which saw the Harlow native advance beyond the second round in only two events, snooker fans looking to use the Best Free Bets for the latest tournaments, may have been turning their attention elsewhere.
There have however been legitimate excuses for that prolonged dip in form, including recurring back and neck issues, and the unfortunate breakdown of his marriage – factors which would likely have a negative effect on any professional sportsman. A fact recognised by Murphy himself who stated, “I’ve had a lot of things going on in my life which contributed to the worst season of my career last season.”
Against that backdrop, the last thing Murphy likely needed was to become the focus of the online trolls. In the image-obsessed modern era of social media, it was somewhat unsurprisingly Murphy’s weight which drew the attention of the keyboard warriors, leading to a string of personal attacks. Murphy himself was somewhat circumspect about the abuse. His assessment being, “I get that as a high-profile sportsman you expect to get some stick on social media and face criticism, but some of the personal attacks are really cruel.”
Far from being the straw that broke the camel’s back, Murphy appears to be made from far sterner stuff than that. It does after all take something of an iron will to reach the top in any professional sport. Whilst some may have slunk away from all of these challenges, Murphy has opted to face them head-on – including his self-confessed issues with his weight.
When deciding to reduce your waistline, treatment doesn’t come much more drastic than irreversible gastric sleeve surgery – a procedure which Murphy has undergone since the most recent World Championships, partly inspired by one of the greats of the game, as recounted by Murphy:
“I was listening to Steve Davis in the commentary box at this year’s World Championship and something struck a chord with me. He wasn’t aiming his comment at me, but he said there was no secret the fitter players, those that had looked after themselves, were dominating.”
So far, the surgery seems to be having the desired effect. With his stomach capacity reduced by a hefty 80%, Murphy now seems to be firmly on top of his weight issues, to the extent that he has already lost an impressive four stone. With a clear desire to enjoy a fruitful final third of his career, combined with his undoubted talent, and new slimline figure, don’t be surprised to see “The Magician” taking centre stage once more.