Shaun Murphy was understandably thrilled after winning the 2025 Masters title at the Alexandra Palace on Sunday.
The Magician produced a magnificent display to beat world champion Kyren Wilson 10-7 in London to claim the sport’s most prestigious invitational crown.
Success for the 42 year-old represents his fourth at the Triple Crown level and a first since claiming his maiden Masters title ten years ago in 2015.
The Englishman orchestrated a 6-2 lead after the first session of play and withstood a mini fight back from his opponent before completing a deserved victory.
Although he hasn’t always produced on the biggest stages despite the tremendous talent at his disposal, Murphy has always exuded the belief that he could win these major events on the calendar.
“You’ve got to come with the goal of winning it,” world number seven Shaun Murphy said on Eurosport.
“If you’re not thinking of winning the tournament, then don’t come. I was never going to sit here and say I was happy with a quarter-final or semi-final. I wouldn’t have been.”
“I think you can see that. You can see how gutted Kyren was at the end, turning out and putting a good performance in. He’s desperate to win, as was I.
“I’m over the moon, I can’t believe it. I’m as shocked as everyone else.
“It didn’t feel great after the last interval, I spent a lot of time in my chair. I didn’t feel like I did a great deal wrong to be totally honest.
“It wasn’t like I was in the balls and kept missing. It was just awkward. My old manager used to call it ‘dead-man syndrome’ where you just play like you’ve got nothing to lose at all.
“They all start going in, that’s what generally happens. That’s how it felt, so I knew I would get my chance and I think sometimes you’ve just got to stay resolute.”
Murphy highlighted the influence of new coach Peter Ebdon, who boasted one of the greatest temperaments and never-say-die attitudes the game has ever witnessed.
Ebdon never managed to get his hands on the Paul Hunter Trophy but won the other two Triple Crown titles and maximised the most out of the talent at his disposal across a stellar career on the main tour.
“It’s very easy to get distracted out there. It’s very easy to start worrying about where the cue ball is going, what’s happening over here,” Shaun Murphy added.
“You know, I would be a bit of a tinkerer with my technique – I would be trying a different grip or a different action or a different bridge length.”
“So to give myself something just to focus on, and it has so many added benefits staying down until the ball has gone in, it’s the first week I’ve tried it and it’s worked.
“I said in York that I’d thought I’d gone a bit soft, and that was through chats with Peter. Peter was an extremely determined competitor.
“And I also wanted to try having someone like a wingman, somebody in your corner who has been out there before.
“Someone who knows what to say and when to say it, and sometimes the best thing to say is nothing. Sometimes when you’re in that dressing room, you don’t want to talk about snooker.
“It takes somebody who has been out there, put the suit on, put the dickie bow on and gone to war – that’s what it is and takes someone who has done that – to be able to help in the right situations.”
Murphy collected a record top prize of £350,000 for his victory in the 2025 Masters.
Featured photo credit: WST
