November 26th 2023.
Shaun Murphy and Hossein Vafaei will meet each other this Sunday at the UK Championship, and Murphy has a lot of respect for the Iranian's ability to promote and entertain the game. He believes Vafaei has the skill set to go far, but visa issues have held him back.
At the World Championship this year, Vafaei and Ronnie O' Sullivan traded barbs, with O' Sullivan warning the Prince of Persia not to rattle his cage. But despite the Rocket's 13-2 victory against Vafaei, Murphy was still impressed with the Iranian's promotional ability.
Murphy believes that snooker players need to be more entertaining to capture the wider public's attention and make the sport more interesting. He praised Vafaei for 'poking the bear' at the World Championship, even though it didn't work out for him.
The former world champion also highlighted the importance of real beef in rivalries, pointing to the Steve Davis-Alex Higgins needle of the 80's. He also dismissed any potential beef between himself and Stephen Hendry, insisting that the two have a good relationship.
Overall, Murphy is feeling good ahead of his latest crack at UK glory, 15 years after his triumph in Telford. He believes his game is in good shape, but acknowledges that the nature of the sport means that no matter how well you play, you can still lose. He believes that the great snooker players of the past have been the best at 'keeping on keeping on.'
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