Snooker great Stephen Hendry saw a different side to Shaun Murphy at the Masters and is excited about the prospect of a ‘nasty’ Magician.
Murphy steamrolled the competition to pick up a second Paul Hunter Trophy, 10 years on from his first win, delighting the Alexandra Palace crowd with a 10-7 victory over reigning world champion Kyren Wilson.
Aside from his strong play, Hendry was impressed with Murphy’s demeanour in north London. He previously slammed the new champion as someone who was “too nice” to his opponents, but noticed a welcomed change in the 42-year-old.
“Shaun said at the UK Championship that he was too nice,” Hendry explained on the BBC. “He certainly looks an angrier snooker player out there, a more determined snooker player.
“Shaun was guilty in the past, I thought, of posing a little bit. He’d be looking about smiling, I always thought he needed a bit of nastiness.
“A mean Shaun Murphy could be a dangerous proposition. I’ve looked at Shaun sitting in his chair and he’s very rarely taken his eye off the table. Normally he’d be looking all over the place.
“He’d still win matches, don’t get me wrong, but there’s definitely been a change. He should be focusing on the win and nothing else.”
Hendry tore into Murphy at the Wuhan Open when he applauded his opponent, Xiao Guodong, and racked up three century breaks in a dominant 5-1 victory.
Murphy was largely commended for his gracious reaction, but seven-time world champion and perennial winner Hendry could not believe what he was watching and slated Murphy for going so far as to clap for Guodong.
Speaking on the Snooker Club podcast, Hendry said: “What is Shaun doing? Shaun was staying at the same hotel as me in Wuhan. We had a drink one night and I love Shaun but sitting there applauding your opponent? That cannot be the way forward.
“Listen, he’s different and he’s great for the game. He’s an unbelievable ambassador. He’s doing all his stuff on Instagram, he’s giving people debriefs when he wins or loses. It’s all good.
“I’ve tapped my knee when someone’s made a great break before sat in the chair. But to actually applaud like you’re in the theatre or something? It will always be a gripe with me. The game’s changed.”
Murphy, however, doubled down on his decision to applaud the Chinese potter as he hit back at Hendry’s criticism on social media.
He took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to write: “Appreciating my opponent’s play. What a horrible person I am.”