Ronnie O'Sullivan v Shaun Murphy at the Masters – A fierce snooker rivalry steeped in potting clash of personalities

Ronnie O'Sullivan and Shaun Murphy will do battle at the Masters for the first time when they meet in the semi-finals of the 50th edition of the elite invitational tournament at London's Alexandra Palace on Saturday afternoon.

O'Sullivan leads the career head-to-heads 14-4 with notable victories over Murphy in the 2017 UK Championship final and 2019 Shanghai Masters final, and his fellow Englishman completing a 10-8 triumph in the 2017 Champion of Champions final.

Despite being two of the most entertaining, outspoken and attacking players on the professional circuit, there has always been a unique, fierce clash of personalities between the World Championship-winning duo with Murphy frequently accusing O'Sullivan of disrespecting the sport since their first meeting at the Premier League in 2005.

“Can’t wait,” said Murphy ahead of the contest live on Eurosport and discovery+ at 1pm. “We’ve never played here, we’ve played everywhere else. We’ve played a lot of good matches over the years.

“I think it's been quite a while since we’ve played, but obviously a big, big test. The toughest test, the sternest test, obviously.

“If I play like I played today, I might be more than a handful.”

Murphy and O'Sullivan have also exchanged viewpoints on the condition of the Alexandra Palace ahead of their semi-final on Saturday after a week of flies and wasps enveloping the players inside the arena following its hosting of the PDC World Darts Championship over the festive period.

Judd Trump incredibly made a century break in his 6-5 quarter-final defeat against Ali Carter on Friday with a wasp perched on his back.

"Everywhere is dirty. It's cold. It's freezing, I have to wear my coat everywhere," said world No. 1 O'Sullivan after his 6-3 win over Barry Hawkins in the last eight. "You go through car parks. There are bins. Honestly, it just makes me feel ill."

"I'm a bit of a clean freak and when I come in here it gives me the heebie-jeebies. I just can't wait to get out of here."

Murphy accepts there was a clear truth in what O'Sullivan was saying, but urged him to raise the matter with the sport's organisers.

"It is very difficult to follow an event such as the Darts World Championship, and it be absolutely crystal clear," said Murphy. "There obviously is evidence of a fortnight-long party here, there is no getting away from that, but it is an entertainment venue.

"It is an old building, one of our historical buildings that we are proud to visit. Sometimes you have to be careful for what you wish for because we have criticised venues in the past that we no longer go to.

"I think the venue is very, very good. Could it be nicer backstage? Yes of course. Every venue could be nicer backstage. The arena in Swansea [venue for the Snooker Shoot Out] was unbelievable, state-of-the-art and brand new, but we are not suggesting taking the Masters there.

"If Ronnie has criticisms and things he would like to constructively push, he should come through the correct channels and make his voice heard."

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"We all know that Ronnie is that kind of character. Whether or not you agree with what he did, it created interest. It got people talking about it. Personally, I disagreed with it. He did what he did, but I didn't like it just as a punter watching it. For me, it was unprofessional. There's a lot of people who took notice of it saying 'Ronnie, what a character!' and he's this and he's that. Personally, it wasn't for me. I wouldn't have been happy to turn up to pay good money to go and watch my favourite player consider doing what he did. Was it good for the game? I'm not too sure."

"I was very disappointed with the crowds earlier this week. The only person that seems to draw one is O'Sullivan, and it shows the country we live in. They don't come to see his skill, they come to see if he'll walk out or not, or fall out with someone. They don't want to see his game, his flair and skill, the stuff we players watch. People say we have more of a chance with Ronnie out. The only person that seems to draw one is O'Sullivan – but that's what is wrong with snooker. Ronnie is not God. I am sick of him being favourite at every event. We are all very good players too."

"Ronnie's a genius and if he talks about snooker and how to play snooker, that's great, and I listen when he talks about snooker. When he talks about how snooker should be run, you should completely turn off, and he should stick to playing snooker."

"Maybe I'll break my arm next week, and you can talk about that one. Try to win the UK Championship one handed..that would give you something to talk about. Or play in my feet. Would that give you a few headlines? Or change my name to Ronald McDonald? you'd like that one. Or come in with a Shaun Murphy suit on and a pair of shoes? Or Yan Bingtao's gold shoes? You let me know what you want, and I'll accommodate you. We all want headlines. It's all good for the game."

“Have three cues if you’re winning, but when you keep getting pumped it don’t look good, does it? So start winning some matches before you start doing that.”

“I didn’t understand what the joke was. I thought it was a bit of a cheap shot. I didn’t understand what he meant. Because as you’ve said, I won three or four matches last week in Belfast – I’d taken multiple cues into the arena every time I walked out to play. I’m happy to take a joke, but I’ve a few shots of my own to take. There’ll come a time when I get a chance to make a little cheap shot at Ronnie’s expense. And do you know what? I’ll probably take it after that. Remember this Ron – if you’re going to tell jokes, they have to be funny. They have to make sense. Otherwise you just look silly."

“Help make the game better. Ronnie has carried a big burden on his shoulders for 20-30 years and the biggest star we have ever had, there is no question there. He puts more bums on seats. But snooker was here before Ronnie O’Sullivan, and it will be here long after he puts his cue down. They said about Alex Higgins the game wouldn't survive him leaving, and that was wrong. The frustration with Ronnie is that there is the odd good idea in there. If he could be motivated to get involved, he would be a real asset. But I have no idea who can do that.”

"They better start looking for a job if they don’t like it. I drew a line under it a long time ago. I can change what I do, that’s what I’m saying to Murphy, go and get a job, do something else, play snooker for fun because you’re going to have loads more of that. Get your head around it, you’ve got choices to make. Five or six years ago, I made a real conscious effort to play for fun and just enjoy it. I went and got a job and played this for a hobby. It’s alright playing it as a hobby, if I had to play it as me living, I’d be like Shaun Murphy. In bits. You’ll never hear me talk like that because it’s a hobby, but when it means something to you then it can hurt. I don’t care. I’ll play amateurs, women, referees, anyone, I don’t care,. I feel like the amateur playing now, you have to get in that mindset because it’s better that way."

"Ronnie in particular has one of the biggest platforms in the world. I hope he uses it to make the game better. Sometimes it feels like most of the Tour are going in the same direction, and others – and he’s not alone – are just going it alone. I don’t have O’Sullivan’s resume, I don’t have what I presume must be incredible wealth. He comes from an incredibly wealthy background and grew up in an incredible wealth. Most of the tour is not from that world. For him and people like him with cabinet after cabinet full of trophies, it’s okay to say how meaningless the game is to them."

"See that water just rolling off my back? I won’t be replying. I don’t read newspapers, I’m not interested in what anybody’s got to say about me. Absolutely vacated a long time ago. If people want to choose to come and watch me play then great, if they don’t want to choose to come and watch me play then that’s also great. Better that they come and watch you I suppose, then not coming to watch you. I am just doing my own business, and I don’t care what they say about the game. I just don’t care and I cut off for a long time. I love what I am doing, I enjoy where I am and that’s it."

"I don’t know what it is, whether it’s a lack of killer instinct or something. Sometimes you’ve got to be a bit nasty on the table and he doesn’t look like he’s had it. But he’s won the big tournaments, the Masters, the Worlds, nine ranking events, but that’s not a great return for the type of game he plays."

"I'm not sure that any of us have ever had the support that Ronnie gets. I'm very thankful for the support that I get and I always get a great welcome at every arena that we play in. The crowd here is very respectful. They are a little more boisterous than the average UK crowd, but that's part of what makes this tournament so special. And for the 16 players who are lucky enough to be in the draw every year, it's magic – you wouldn't be anywhere else."

"He's incredible to watch. It's almost like he challenges himself when he's out there. Almost like this game is too easy. Almost like he wants to play the game in its purist form. I suppose that's part of the excitement, he's an enigma, he's the crowd favourite, when people come to watch him they don't know which Ronnie is going to turn up. Though in recent years, he has been much more consistent, and has become more predictable. But we don't have to go too far back to find a dark side. He doesn't like authority. He's a rebel. Is he the Darth Vadar of snooker?"

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Stream the 2024 Masters live on Eurosport and discovery+