World Snooker Championship - Ronnie O'Sullivan tells Crucible rival: 'Stop being a good loser'
:focal(178x132:180x130)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2023/04/03/3673848-74785904-310-310.jpg)
Published 29/04/2021 at 19:28 GMT
Reigning world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has said that Shaun Murphy is one of the few players he would watch play snooker and that he really rates him and his game. The Rocket also urged Murphy to stop being a good loser and to embrace the emotions that saw him celebrate his huge win over world number one Judd Trump at the Crucible.
'He's one of the few players I'd watch' - O'Sullivan praises Murphy
Ronnie O'Sullivan has told one of his rivals to stop being a good loser and to keep showing his emotions if he is to win the 2021 World Snooker Championship.
The Rocket was full of praise for Shaun Murphy, who is taking on Kyren Wilson in the semi-finals in Sheffield, and said he is "one of the very few players that I would actually watch".
But following that acclaim for the Magician, O'Sullivan also made the point that the 38-year-old must "stop being a good loser", and that he would love to see more emotion from him, like when he celebrated beating Judd Trump.
"I really rate Shaun Murphy as a player, I think he is a good all-round power player," O'Sullivan told Eurosport.
"I love watching him. He is one of the very few players that I would actually watch.
"It was really good to see him when he beat Judd [Trump], he gave it that [clenched fist], and you could see it really meant a lot to him.
I think he has got to stop being a good loser. You know, that's the problem. When you become in your mind, 'I want to be a gracious loser', it's not really a good thing as a sportsman.
"Losing has to hurt, because that motivates you to not want to lose, if that makes sense.
"So it was really nice to see that from Shaun. I think he will need that if he is to go on and win this title."
Earlier on Thursday, O'Sullivan identified the key to coming through a Crucible final and ending up with the trophy in your hands as being the ability to survive a tough session when you are not at your best.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/04/29/3123416-64024048-2560-1440.png)
O'Sullivan explains key to winning world titles in Crucible finals
"Obviously Selby struggled and Bingham looked the more fluent," O'Sullivan told Eurosport.
"But when you look back at any world title that you've won, you look back sometimes and you go, 'Ah, it was that session when I got out 4-4 instead of getting beat 7-1 - that's why I'm sitting here with the trophy'.
"You know, I have felt like that a lot of times at the end of the tournament. So it's those sessions that win you the world title, you know."
- - -
You can watch every match of the World Snooker Championship live and ad-free on the Eurosport App and eurosport.co.uk. Download the Eurosport app now for iOS and Android.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement