Shaun Murphy is a world-class snooker player who is known for his long potting and straight cue action. He has achieved over 400 century breaks in his career, including the second maximum break in the Championship League in 2014.
Murphy was ranked three in the world for the 2008/2009 season. He dropped to number seven in the 2010/2011 season. He won the Players Tour Championship that year and finished his career Triple Crown. Murphy was considered a huge underdog at the time, and it was a surprising win. In 2012, Murphy reached the final of UK Championship. But he was beaten by the eventual winner Judd Trump.
Murphy is considered a talented player. He has also achieved many firsts throughout his career. His first 147 break was his first, as well as his first ranking title and appearance at the World Snooker Championship.
He began his career with the Challenge Tour, also called the UK Tour, back in 1998. Tony, Tony's father, was an avid golfer. He was bullied when he was a teenager. He went to homeschooling classes but didn't see his mother until he was 19. 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.
Shaun has won more than PS3,000,000 in prize money during his career. He has won seven tournaments not ranking. He has also played in eight ranking tournaments and reached the quarterfinals of two.
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 had already been diagnosed with Savant Syndrome. It is a condition in autism that a person with autism exhibits superior skills.
In 2005, he won his first World Championship. 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.
Murphy had trouble communicating with his peers as a young boy. Murphy may have had a poor social life because of this. While he has had a few difficult relationships, he has also been able solve them. Elaine, his girlfriend from one of his matches, was even proposing to him in a restaurant in Ireland.
Ray Reardon mentored him at 15 years of age. He continued to work with Steve Prest up until 2006. For the 2007/2008 season, he was coached by Willie Thorne. 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 the tournament's shortest qualifying rounds of just five frames, he reached his quarterfinals and defeated teenage Luca Brecel.
He won the German Masters, Ruhr Championship and the inaugural Northern Ireland Trophy. He was ranked third for the entire 2008/2009 year. He reached the semis of the UK Championship and Shanghai Masters in the same season.