Shaun Murphy reveals he was ready to quit sport - 'Do I have a career in snooker any more?'

Shaun Murphy has revealed he was ready to quit playing snooker after struggling with loss of form, weight gain and mental health issues over the past few years. Murphy ended a three-year wait for a ranking title with a blistering performance at the Players Championship that culminated in a 10-4 triumph against Ali Carter in Wolverhampton earlier this month.

Ad The 2005 world champion is a 7/2 shot behind 5-2 title favourite Mark Selby ahead of the season's penultimate ranking tournament at this week's Tour Championship in Hull before he chases a second Crucible title in Sheffield next month (15 April-1 May LIVE on Eurosport and discovery+). Snooker'Not impossible' – Selby targets O'Sullivan's world title record, urges snooker peace talksYESTERDAY AT 10:21 It has been a dramatic turnaround for Murphy, who underwent gastric sleeve surgery to tackle weight issues after losing 10-8 to Stephen Maguire in the first round of the World Championship last April.

The man dubbed 'The Magician' felt he was back on the right path at the UK Championship in November despite losing 6-1 to an inspired Jack Lisowski in the quarter-finals. He was narrowly defeated 9-7 by Robert Milkins in the Welsh Open final before claiming his 10th career ranking title at the elite 16-man Players event that included running in 11 blistering centuries from an overall haul of 25 compiled.

“There have been a lot of moments of self-evaluation, really asking if I am on the right path," said Murphy in an interview with The Yorkshire Post. «Do I have a career in snooker any more? Is it worth pursuing because you spend a lot of time away from your wife and children? Is it worth it? “Probably at the UK Championship (last November, in York) I saw some green shoots