Shaun Murphy took aim at tournament organisers of the Champion of Champions over the scheduling of the event, frustrated to be playing first on Monday having been competing in China on Thursday.
The Magician was in the opening match of the Champion of Champions at 1pm on Monday against Lei Peifan, losing 4-1 to the reigning Scottish Open champion in Leicester.
He was last playing his quarter-final of the International Championship against John Higgins on Thursday in Nanjing.
The 43-year-old says he was informed he was playing on Monday only on his way home from Nanjing and only told he was playing at 1pm on the morning of the match.
The reigning Masters champ was left fuming after the clash with Lei, hitting out at the group scheduling, which sees the likes of Mark Williams, Mark Allen and Alfie Burden, who weren’t playing at the International Championship, playing later in the week in Leicester.
Murphy hit out at tournament organisers Matchroom Sport, telling ITV4: ‘I conduct myself as professionally as I possibly can. I try and treat the game with an incredible amount of respect. I think the way I’ve been treated by Matchroom in this tournament is nothing short of despicable.
‘To find out, in a tournament where they hand-picked the draw and they hand-picked the groups, to find out that I was playing today, halfway through a 36-hour marathon journey home from China, just 48 hours ago. There were three other players in this tournament who weren’t even in China last week. For me to be thrown out first today is nothing short of despicable.
‘I think they’ve covered themselves in a huge embarrassment by treating me with such disrespect.
‘I only found out today at breakfast that I was playing first at one o’clock. so poor has been the communication. I’m shocked. I’ve been used to Matchroom being a well-run organisation since I started working with them as a young boy 30 years ago.
‘The way they’ve treated me in this event, with the formatting, is extremely unprofessional. I’m very disappointed in them.’
Matchroom since explained that they didn’t ‘hand-pick’ the draw and they were seeded, but Murphy’s frustrations with playing on Monday afternoon remain.
‘My beef is certainly not with anyone else. My beef is that with Mark Williams, Mark Allen and Alfie Burden weren’t even in China. Matchroom totally hand-picked this event,’ he said.
‘They had no need to pick the draws and make the formats the way they did. They could have put those three in a group with somebody else who wasn’t in China as long as the rest of us, and they could have played today. They should have been playing today.
‘It’s made a total mockery of the event and an embarrassment of me. My reputation is something I take extremely seriously. Having been in the country not 24 hours before I find myself in a hotel here last night in Leicester, not knowing what day it is or where I am or what clothes I’m wearing or anything, and to be expected to come out and perform like a professional snooker player is a step too far.
‘I’m extremely disappointed in them.’
Matchroom respond
A statement from Matchroom in response read: ‘We spoke with Shaun after his match and completely understand his frustrations. Our priorities are the players and we take pride in the fact they consider this event prestigious and want to prepare for it.
‘For transparency and fairness the groups are based on seeding. Scheduling is always a challenge every year, but we take on board the points and will always strive to improve for next year and the future.’
Former world champion Ken Doherty said of the situation: ‘It’s difficult because he’s just come back from China and they’re trying to juggle some of the players who have got to the business end of the one in China.
‘About the seeding, if the players are seeded, you can’t just bunch players who weren’t in China together because that’s not fair either, they have to be seeded, so that’s why Mark Allen and Mark Williams and Alfie Burden weren’t in a group together.
‘You can understand his frustration. I don’t understand why he wasn’t told earlier, an email or something, that he wasn’t actually playing first today. That could have happened 36 hours before he even left China, so he’s prepared.
‘But when you’re coming back from China, the jet lag, it’s such a long journey, there’s not much time between then and playing your first match.’