In-depth interview | How Sean Murphy got out of life's "darkest hour"

Although Sean Murphy was out early at this British Championship, he swept away the previous slump at the beginning of the season, reaching the final of three tournaments and winning 1 championship and 2 runners-up. In the single-season prize money list, Murphy ranked second in the world with 250,500 pounds. Ahead of the British Championships, the 2005 World Championship winner spoke in an interview with Betway about his despair in the worst 18 months of his career, even considering retirement and how he got out of this "darkest hour".

This is every professional athlete's worst nightmare.

The situation was so bad that one or two unlucky defeats eventually turned into a matter of mentality. Not only can there be no way out, but I have even forgotten what it felt like to have won. That's what Sean Murphy suffered with in the 2018/19 season.

In the 16 events he played, Murphy made six one-round trips, five second-round eliminations and three third-round eliminations, reaching only one semi-final and one final, respectively.

Such a performance is incomprehensible for a player who has won three major tournaments and reached the final four times and won one title in 2017/18. But why is that?

"Competitive sports are not an exact science," says Murphy, "it's not as simple as 1+1=2."

"I looked everywhere for why, but I didn't find the real answer. I look back on a lot of previous victories, looking for that spark of passion. ”

"The most important thing is faith, but when you're optimistic about playing and losing early to people who wouldn't normally be losing, it's very, very difficult to maintain confidence. This happens again and again. ”

The 2005 world champion was known for his good mindset, but constant defeats made this optimistic and positive character difficult to maintain.

He said: "Only very few times can you laugh. ”

"One of the hardest parts of sports is that your family and friends all want to know how the game will be when you come back. When you show up at the dinner table on Sunday and you're playing snooker on TV and you've been eliminated, you have to explain what's going on to everyone. ”

"Friends in the club sometimes joke with me. It's nothing, you can handle it as you please. But when you do this for a season or 18 months, you start to get bored. ”

In fact, the level of boredom is so great that the good-tempered Murphy sometimes struggles to control his emotions.

He said: "There were some very dark moments. I often say to stay highly optimistic, but I'm just trying to stay optimistic. In fact, I was about to collapse. ”

"I almost gave up. I said something very stupid, I said I was leaving the snooker arena, doing something else, seeking another career. I'm going to put my heart and soul into the work of the WWPBSA and the players' committee and end my playing career because I think it's so hard to feel. ”

"Luckily, my thoughts and feelings only lasted 24 hours. I would vent my anger and frustration and then go back to the table the next day to practice. ”

Murphy admits to being a "tinkerer." He loves to analyze his own game and is always thinking about technical adjustments.

For some players, trying new techniques can drain his energy. For Murphy, however, this hastened his recovery.

He said: "My coach Chris Henry and I have always wanted to do this, but we never really found the right time because there is always the possibility of giving up when you decide to try and get stuck. ”

"When you make these changes, you will inevitably have to go through a period of struggle. But I said to Chris that it wasn't going to get any worse, so let's use this opportunity to try something we've always wanted to do before. ”

"My attempts don't seem to have much effect. But I changed my mind and I believe that at some stage in the future I will start to benefit. ”

Murphy did. At the World Championships in Sheffield in April, he kept his first clean sheet in 27 years for Crucible: he beat Luo Honghao 10-0 before losing to Neil Robertson in the round of 16.

Murphy said: "Neil was almost invincible in that 25-inning, 13-win game, but I did play well. I finally got out of that bad state, it was like I had turned a big corner. ”

"If you lose hope, you lose motivation, then you're going to face real trouble. I'm happy to say that this has never happened to me. This season I've been hopeful, positive and optimistic, and I think that's the key to winning. ”

Murphy, 37, has reached the quarterfinals five times this season, reached the final three times and won one title, the China Championship, his first ranking title since the Gibraltar Open in March 2017.

"I'm feeling relieved," says Murphy, "I can finally enjoy the game again."

"Every time I play, I think I need to bring a lot of shirts to wear for a week. Last season, I only went out with a few shirts and only booked short-term stays at hotels. ”

"This is a complete restoration of confidence. The joy of playing is back, and it hasn't changed much. ”

Murphy smiled as he recalled bringing back the China Championship trophy from Guangzhou. "My father-in-law was there that Sunday when my family and I were sitting at the table for dinner, and all of a sudden, our conversation wasn't about another defeat and what went wrong. Now we are talking about what it feels like to win again. ”

(Chinese Sports Contributing Author: Break146)