'It's getting ridiculous' – Shaun Murphy doesn't hold back as snooker star calls for rule change
Shaun Murphy has accused fellow snooker players of using "gamesmanship" through excessive toilet breaks, which he claims is becoming an "epidemic" that's plaguing the sport. The recent Masters winner believes some of his colleagues are intentionally slowing matches down to disrupt their opponent's flow by taking prolonged and strategic bathroom breaks.
Murphy argues that these players are exploiting their breaks to stifle momentum when their opponents are on a roll, seeking an underhanded edge, especially if they're behind in a match. "Toilet breaks. We have to talk about the epidemic of toilet breaks that are spoiling snooker action," Murphy said on his OneFourSeven podcast.
"It is now getting ridiculous, guys. It is getting totally out of hand. It is ridiculous how many times players are leaving the arena to go to the loo. And here's where it gets spicy, because most of these exits from the arena have got nothing to do with players needing to go for a wee, it's good old-fashioned gamesmanship."
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He added: "My opponent last week went to the toilet after the first frame of the match, then after the fifth frame after the interval. You've had 20-odd minutes to be ready to play. What's going on? It's getting ridiculous. It's a joke."
Murphy's frustration is echoed by other professionals in the sport. In 2019, several players lodged formal complaints to World Snooker regarding the misuse of toilet breaks as a tactic to throw competitors off their game.
Neil Robertson took to X to address Murphy's grievances about toilet