Shaun Murphy has welcomed Saudi Arabia's introduction to the World Snooker Tour and the riches the Middle Eastern country will bring to the sport
Shaun Murphy insists there is room for tradition and Saudi cash as snooker boards the Middle East gravy train.
However, the 2005 world champion, who begins his campaign in round two against Chinese player Yuan Sijun, is delighted to be in the Middle East and says the tournament must be taken seriously. Murphy said: “When they come in and bang in a tournament that is equal to the World Champs in terms of prize money, certainly in terms of final prize money, you have to take note.
“Lots of players have already been on their social media calling it the best event they’ve been to. If this is how it’s starting, imagine what it could be like in five years.”Murphy, a keen golfer, added: “Hopefully these events will naturally raise the bar of all the others. Those events will have to keep up. We’ve seen it in the LIV Tour, which has now been widely accepted by the golf masses.
The biggest part of that ‘history’ is the Crucible, whose deal to host the World Championship is up in 2027. Murphy remains steadfast in his view that the sport’s biggest event must remain in Sheffield but felt the debate over the Crucible’s future, which dominated the 2024 tournament, was premature.
“It’s like football at Wembley, tennis at Wimbledon, Masters golf at Augusta. As I say, you can’t buy history, it’s not for sale. It would be a very hard decision to walk away from the Crucible. It’s not something anyone would do easily.
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