Shaun Murphy Reveals How He’s Unlocked the Best Snooker of His Career

One of this season’s standout performers, Shaun Murphy, continued his brilliant run of form last night as he produced a stunning fightback against legendary Scot John Higgins to reach the quarterfinals of the 2025 UK Championship.

From 4-1 down, the match looked destined to slip away from him, but Murphy, the 2025 Masters champion, dug deep to overturn the deficit and win 6-5 in an absorbing tactical contest that had snooker purists savouring every moment.

Despite lacking the huge breaks often associated with both players, the match turned into a gripping strategic duel. And when many expected Higgins to cruise home from such a commanding position, Murphy once again showed why he’s been one of the standout players on tour this season: mentally stronger, calmer under pressure, and determined to forge a new chapter at this stage of his career.

After the win, a visibly emotional Murphy underlined its significance.

"I don't want to be too blasé about it, but that's one of the best wins of my life. Where we were, the stage we were on, the event we're in, and of course, the man who's in the other corner,” he told SportsBoom.co.uk. 

"How many times has John Higgins lost from 4-1 ahead in the best of 11? Not many.”

A Career Revived

Before his triumphant Masters campaign last season, many wondered whether Murphy’s days of winning Triple Crown titles were behind him. 

His previous major success had been the 2015 Masters, and his lone UK Championship triumph came all the way back in 2008.

But at 43, Murphy insists he is playing the best snooker of his life. With mentor Peter Ebdon and his fiancée, musician Jo Rochell, guiding positive changes in his preparation and lifestyle, he is thriving both on and off the table.

"I think right now I'm playing the best snooker of my life. I think there have been moments where I've raised the roof, but consistently this year I've been playing really, really well."

"I know it's a bit of a thing to say, but it has been true. When I've lost, it's been to someone who's played out of their boots."

"It's been a year of celebration, but also a year of frustration because you've just had to keep persevering. And I think what I've been good at this year is not giving up and going missing for a few days between events.”

"After an event, we've been home, do the washing and straight back on the practise table, which I've not always been great at.”

"I've hit more balls this year than I probably have since I was 10 or 11 years of age. I've gone back to that passionate, original love for practise, hour after hour."

"Jo's [his fiancée] had to do everything at home. We've just got a puppy and it's just a nightmare. But I've had to do the practise and it's working.”

Balancing Act: Player and Pundit

Away from competition, Murphy has become a familiar voice on the BBC’s Triple Crown coverage. His dual role as an active player and pundit has, at times, drawn criticism, with some questioning whether the extra workload limits his preparation and recovery.

The most notable flashpoint came at the 2024 Masters, when he worked on the BBC’s coverage of the late-finishing Mark Selby vs Mark Allen quarterfinal, leaving him fewer than 13 hours to rest before a semi-final showdown with Ronnie O’Sullivan.

But while punditry may have once been viewed as a distraction, Murphy now believes it has enriched his game rather than hindered it.

Learning From the Greats

Long regarded as one of snooker’s most attacking players, Murphy showed a new side to his game against Higgins, opting for safety in moments where he’d once gone for broke. That shift, he says, is rooted in the hours spent analysing top players while behind the microphone.

"I actually think it's where doing all my punditry has helped me.”

"I've watched as well as playing a lot and practising a lot. I've watched so much snooker, and I've watched so many great players get to the line and manoeuvre their way through situations differently to how I would've done it."

"That I think despite me trying, some of it's gone in and I'm stood there now at the table thinking, what would John Higgins do here? He would probably do this, so let's do that. And it’s working,” he concluded.