Stephen Hendry feels Shaun Murphy should have more than one World Championship title to his name, but has been ‘like snooker’s Andy Murray’ as he competes in an era full of brilliant players.
Murphy landed a second Masters title on Sunday, completing a brilliant week at Alexandra Palace by beating Kyren Wilson in the final.
The Magician now has four Triple Crown titles on his CV, with one World, one UK Championship and two Masters triumphs, but Hendry feels he has the talent to have more.
The problem for the 42-year-old, according to the Scot, has been the immense competition he has faced over the last 20 years.
‘He’s been in a period of players…he’s kind of like snooker’s Andy Murray,’ Hendry said on the Snooker Club podcast.
‘In a period where he’s been around Mark Selby, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Judd Trump, Mark Williams, all these players.
‘It was always going to be difficult to win more than one in that era. But he should have, he’s good enough to me, he should have won more than one, that’s how good he is.’
The Magician has 12 ranking titles in his collection, alongside his two Masters wins and triumphs in the likes of Champion of Champions and the Premier League.
Hendry thinks it should have been more, though, given just how highly he rates the talent of the 2005 world champion.
‘His talent…he arguably should have won a lot more with his talent,’ said the seven-time world champion. ‘He’s up there with the top three of all-time in terms of the talent to play snooker, his technique, all the shots he can play.
‘There’s very few better. But it’s always been that thing: Does he have the concentration? Does he have the focus? Is he nasty enough?’
Murphy has teamed up with 2002 world champion Peter Ebdon this season and Hendry feels the man known as The Force may have answered those questions for him.
‘He was a different player last week,’ said Hendry. ‘I think working with Peter Ebdon has focussed him. It was complete focus, even when he was in his chair he never took his eyes off the table, it was all serious.
‘A lot of the time he looks around, his mind wanders, you can physically see his body language change, he’s too relaxed. But I thought he was on it all week, it was very impressive.’
Murphy is back in action next week in Berlin at the German Masters, facing Liam Graham in his opening game on Monday night at the Tempodrom.
He will go there full of confidence that he can achieve more success, hailing his work with Ebdon for boosting his belief.
‘The partnership with Peter Ebdon, the first thing that he has helped me rediscover was my self-belief and that I can actually do this,’ he said. ‘Three events in and we’re winners. Unbelievable.’
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