There have been plenty of complaints about playing conditions this season, but Shaun Murphy feels players should ‘take a leaf out of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s book’ and just get on with it.
The likes of Judd Trump and Mark Selby have spoken out about below-par conditions at some events this season, with Trump claiming they ‘aren’t anywhere near as good as they used to be.’
There has also been debate over how generous the pockets are at different events, with some tables appearing to play far easier than others.
Neil Robertson has spoken out about his work on the WPBSA Players Board to encourage tighter pockets at Chinese events, which he felt were unacceptable big before, but have been improved.
‘Top of my list when joining the players board was to bang my fist until the China pockets got fixed because the previous 2 years they were so big it was unacceptable,’ he wrote on X. ‘They listened in which Wuhan and Xi’an are way tighter and just about perfect.’
Murphy accepts that pockets have varied and conditions do differ, but suggests it is best for players not to get bogged down in worrying about tables.
The Magician sees the Rocket as a good example of a player who doesn’t complain about conditions too much and adapts to whatever table he is playing in.
‘I think in terms of playing conditions, I think players are being a bit more vocal,’ Murphy told Metro. ‘But I think a lot of players really should take more of a leaf out of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s book where that’s concerned. Because I’ve never really heard him moan about conditions.
‘I mean, he has done. It’s wrong to say he’s never done it. He has criticised playing conditions before, but part of snooker is learning how to get the ball around on that table, on that day. That’s part of the sport and it always has been and it always will be.
‘It’s a fool’s errand to expect tournament tables to play like your private personal practice table. which seems to be a bit of an epidemic in snooker. Players expecting the tables to play like their own table, which never happens. It’s never happened and never will happen.
‘I think more players, myself included, have had to learn that that’s the table, this is the way it’s playing and I’ve got to hit the ball differently. I’ve got to be more skilful to be able to produce the same level.’
O’Sullivan has only played in tournaments in China and Saudi Arabia so far this season, although that is about to change when he starts his UK Championship campaign on Tuesday in York.
The 49-year-old reckons playing conditions have been ‘tough’ this season, although, as Murphy suggests, he wasn’t complaining about it, pointing out it is the same for both players.
‘It’s definitely better for the better player if they [pockets] are a little bit tighter, because I just think it means you have to hit the ball a bit smoother and they’re a bit less forgiving,’ O’Sullivan said.
‘But the tables that I’ve played on this season, I’ve only played on the ones in China, so I couldn’t really comment on the ones in the UK, but they’ve been tough.
‘I thought the conditions in Shanghai were good. I thought Xi’an, they were quite tough, tough conditions and I thought Nanjing [International Championship] were quite tough conditions.
‘I thought the table played amazing in Saudi, but that’s just because the weather is so dry here and nice. So, listen, it’s the same for both players at the end of the day.’
A statement from World Snooker Tour in October read: ‘The number of century breaks and 147s this season indicate that conditions have never been better across the tour.
‘It’s always a challenge to make conditions perfect in different territories across the globe, particularly in humid climates.
‘We work closely with our partners and the players to make conditions as good as possible.’