Shaun Murphy has sensationally alleged that Ronnie O’Sullivan verbally abused him when he was just 12 years old, revealing that their famous rivalry stems from an incident more than three decades ago.
The pair have long been two of snooker’s biggest names, sharing the spotlight and producing some of the sport’s most memorable clashes.
Their rivalry has been marked not only by fierce battles on the table but also by verbal sparring away from it.
In a new interview for David Hendon’s book Pots of Gold: A History of Snooker, Murphy claimed that his relationship with the seven-time world champion soured when he was still a boy.
“We fell out when I was young,” Murphy said. “Ronnie verbally abused me when I was 12 and I never forgave him. I vividly remember it.
“I still have immense respect for his levels of play as a snooker player. I watch in awe at the things he’s able to do, because I know how hard it is.
“His ability as a player is completely unmatched.”
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Shaun Murphy has sensationally alleged that Ronnie O’Sullivan verbally abused him when he was just 12 years old, revealing that their famous rivalry stems from an incident more than three decades ago
|PA
O’Sullivan has not yet commented publicly on the allegation.
Murphy, now 43, remains one of the sport’s most accomplished players, having won the 2005 World Championship and nine other ranking titles.
Despite sharing snooker’s top billing with O’Sullivan for much of his career, their meetings have been relatively rare in recent years.
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Shaun Murphy has known Ronnie O'Sullivan for a number of years
| PATheir most recent encounter came in the semi-finals of the 2024 Masters, where O’Sullivan comfortably won 6-2.
While Murphy continues to hold O’Sullivan’s snooker talent in the highest regard, he believes the “Rocket” has failed to live up to his potential as an ambassador for the sport.
Drawing comparisons with tennis icons, Murphy argued that O’Sullivan could have used his status to grow the game’s mainstream profile.
“One of the reasons I idolised Steve Davis so much was that I was brought up in a world where being the greatest meant more than just how good you were at playing snooker,” Murphy explained.
“For all of the good things Ronnie has done with his snooker ability, I think he’s done an equal amount of, if not more, damage to the sport from an ambassadorial point of view.
“I think it’s such a shame that he hasn’t done for snooker what people he says he looks up to – like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic – have done for tennis.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan has dominated snooker throughout his career
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“He hasn’t taken a leaf out of their book and treated the sport that’s given him so much with the same level of respect.
“If he had used his platform for good, he could have single-handedly dragged snooker into a different stratosphere in terms of popularity.
“He could have made us much more mainstream.”
Murphy is expected to feature heavily in the upcoming season as he seeks to add to his major title haul. Whether O’Sullivan responds to his former rival’s accusations remains to be seen — but the remarks are likely to reignite debate over the Rocket’s legacy both on and off the table.