Shaun Murphy makes claim about Ronnie O'Sullivan behaviour – 'Won't be proud'

 Shaun Murphy expects Judd Trump to go and clinch the World Snooker title after winning their heavyweight second-round tie.

Judd Trump edged out Shaun Murphy in a tense second-round match (Image: PA)

Shaun Murphy showered praise on Judd Trump as he brought up Ronnie O'Sullivan's past behaviour. Trump held off a spirited fightback from the Magician to reach the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship.

Trump began the final session of the second-round clash of former champions with a 10-6 lead and moved to within one frame of victory. Murphy dug deep to win the next two frames to at least reach the mid-session interval and carried on where he left off when play resumed, reducing his deficit to 12-10. The Masters champion also got in with a superb long red in frame 23 but, after also potting the blue, missed a red to the corner and Trump stepped in with a break of 58, which effectively secured a hard-fought 13-10 win.

Speaking after the match, Murphy said he felt Trump's contribution to the game had been underappreciated. He told Sports Boom: "It's a strange world we live in, but in terms of snooker ability, he is the most underappreciated player in the world.

"I think, so far, Judd has managed to keep getting headlines based on his ability, but in the world we live in, that's not enough to be famous."

Murphy then drew a contrast between how media and fans react to Trump compared to O'Sullivan. Back in the 1990s and 2000s, the Rocket regularly made the news, both for his remarkable play and conduct away from the table.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is through to the last eight the Crucible despite not being happy with his game (Image: George Wood/Getty Images)

According to Murphy, O'Sullivan's antics brought him substantial media coverage, but added that not all his actions from those times would make him proud today.

"I think [Ronnie] O'Sullivan did a lot of things he probably wouldn't be proud of in his early career to gather headlines. And I don't think Judd would want to go down that road," said Murphy.

"You see O'Sullivan talk about a lot of things that he wishes he could change now that he's an older man. I'm not sure, the days of tabloid media, they feel like they're on the way out. I think Ronnie courted that for many years through the 90s.

Murphy has had his say on Trump and O'Sullivan

"He played the media game better than anyone else, and that's a world that's changing. We're in the TikTok generation now. I don't know if Judd has a TikTok account, but if he doesn't, he should have one."

Murphy's words highlight the shifting landscape of fame in snooker, where modern players must adapt to capture the public's attention. According to Murphy, while O'Sullivan's charismatic personality propelled him to stardom, Trump's more subdued approach often leaves him underappreciated. However, a potential second Crucible title could change that.

Trump faces 2023 world champion Luca Brecel in the quarter-finals. Another win would set up a semi-final clash with either John Higgins or Mark Williams. O'Sullivan, who reached the last eight by defeating Pang Junxu, could face Trump in the final.