Shaun Murphy, a world-class player in snooker, is well-known for his straight cue action and long potting. He has achieved over 400 century breaks in his career, including the second maximum break in the Championship League in 2014.
Murphy was number three in world rankings at the start 2008/2009 season. However, he fell to number seven for the 2010/2011 season. He won the Players Tour Championship that year and finished his career Triple Crown. Murphy was considered a big underdog so Murphy's win was unexpected. In 2012, he reached the finals of the UK Championship. He was eventually defeated by Judd Trump.
Murphy is a skilled player who has won many firsts during his career. These include his first 147 break and his first ranking title. He also made his first appearance in the World Snooker Championship.
He started his career in 1998 on the Challenge Tour. Also known as the UK Tour. Tony, his father was a professional golfer. He was bullied at school as a teen. Although he attended homeschooling classes, he didn't see his mom until a year later. Elaine, his wife of one year, was his first love. They were married in June 2006. Despite family reservations, the couple got married in 2014.
In his career, Shaun has won over PS3 million in prize money. He has won seven tournaments not ranking. He has also been a part of eight ranking tournaments reaching the quarterfinals two times.
He was ranked fourth in the world at the beginning of the 2004/2005 season. He won the Brugge Open as well as the Welsh Open. He was also diagnosed with Savant Syndrome.
He won the World Championship in 2005. He was awarded the BBC Sportsman of the YEAR award the following year. After that, he became a surgical resident at the San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital in California.
When Murphy was a young boy, he had difficulty communicating with other people. Murphy's social skills may have been affected by this. Although he has had many complicated relationships with women, he is able to resolve these issues. He even proposed to Elaine at an Irish restaurant during one of his matches.
Ray Reardon taught him how to play basketball when he had just turned 15. After Ray Reardon, he worked for Steve Prest until 2006. For the 2007/2008 season, he was coached by Willie Thorne. Throughout that season, he won the Challenge Tour's third and fourth events.
Murphy won the Wuxi Classic, China. After that, Murphy entered the elite top 16. The inaugural Northern Ireland Trophy was his next appearance. Despite having only five frames of qualifying, he reached the quarterfinals to beat teenager Luca Brecel.
He went on winning the German Masters, Ruhr Championships, and the inaugural Northern Ireland Trophy. For the 2008/2009 season, he remained at number three. He reached the semi-finals at the UK Championship and Shanghai Masters during the same season.