Professional snooker player Shaun Murphy has called on his fellow competitors to stop complaining about tournament conditions and instead follow the example set by the legendary Ronnie O'Sullivan.
The Debate Over Playing Conditions
The 2025 season has seen numerous top players voice their dissatisfaction with the standard of playing surfaces and equipment. High-profile names like Judd Trump and Mark Selby have been particularly vocal, with Trump claiming conditions "aren't anywhere near as good as they used to be."
A significant point of contention has been the inconsistency of pocket sizes across different events, with some tables presenting a considerably easier challenge than others. Australian player Neil Robertson revealed on social media platform X that he had prioritised addressing this very issue upon joining the WPBSA Players Board.
"Top of my list when joining the players board was to bang my fist until the China pockets got fixed because the previous 2 years they were so big it was unacceptable," Robertson wrote. He confirmed that recent tournaments in Wuhan and Xi'an now feature "way tighter and just about perfect" pockets.
Murphy's Plea for Adaptation
While acknowledging the variations in conditions, Shaun Murphy believes players are focusing on the wrong thing. In an interview with Metro, 'The Magician' suggested that the sport's elite should look to the mindset of Ronnie 'The Rocket' O'Sullivan.
"I think a lot of players really should take more of a leaf out of Ronnie O'Sullivan's book where that's concerned," Murphy stated. "I've never really heard him moan about conditions."
Murphy was quick to clarify that O'Sullivan has criticised tables in the past, but emphasised that adapting to different playing surfaces is a fundamental skill of the game. He described the expectation for tournament tables to mimic a player's personal practice table as a "fool's errand" and an "epidemic in snooker."
"Part of snooker is learning how to get the ball around on that table, on that day," Murphy explained. "That's part of the sport and it always has been and it always will be. I've got to be more skilful to be able to produce the same level."
O'Sullivan's Pragmatic Approach
The advice from Murphy aligns with the public stance of O'Sullivan himself. The 49-year-old snooker icon, who is set to begin his UK Championship campaign in York, has competed in China and Saudi Arabia this season.
O'Sullivan conceded that conditions have been "tough", specifically mentioning the tables in Xi'an and Nanjing, while praising those in Shanghai and Saudi Arabia. However, his overarching philosophy echoes Murphy's sentiment.
"It's definitely better for the better player if they [pockets] are a little bit tighter," O'Sullivan noted. "But... it's the same for both players at the end of the day."
In response to the ongoing discussion, the World Snooker Tour (WST) released a statement in October, pointing to the high number of century breaks and 147s as evidence that "conditions have never been better across the tour." They acknowledged the challenge of maintaining perfect conditions globally, especially in humid climates, and affirmed their commitment to working with partners and players to achieve the best possible standards.
