Mark Allen and Shaun Murphy. (Image: getty)
has tried to play down his feud with ahead of a crunch meeting between the pair at the Masters. The two rivals will go head-to-head at the semi-final stage at Alexander Palace, having both looked in assured form this week.
Allen has come through games with Si Jiahui and Mark Selby so far, while ‘The Magician’ has beaten Garry Wilson and Neil Robertson.
And their final four meeting has been labelled a grudge match, with the two former friends having .
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But Allen, 38, has now denied there is any bitterness between the pair, again refusing to reveal what prompted their apparent dispute. “I haven’t fallen out with Shaun, not in any way,” he told .
“Some of the things he’s said I wouldn’t agree with and I’ve spoken to him about it. We’re both quite opinionated people and that’s clashed a little bit in recent times. I still have the utmost respect for him as a snooker player, but we’re not as close as we once were.”
Despite conceding he would no longer consider Murphy as a friend, the Northern Irishman implied the pair have respectfully discussed their differences. Allen also says he accepts Murphy’s point of view, irrespective of whether he agrees with him.
Allen and Murphy were previously close friends. (Image: Getty)
“There’s been a few things, but he’s aware of that, I’ve spoken to him about it, it’s not like I’m saying stuff behind his back,” he continued. “We’ve spoken openly about this, I’ve aired my things, he’s given his responses and I just have to accept that.”
Murphy, 42, is no stranger to fallouts with fellow snooker stars. He’s regularly traded jibes with , although did appear to when he withdrew from the Masters on medical grounds.
Like Allen, he’s also been reluctant to reveal details of their private exchange, but also suggested there was no lingering resentment. “We have had a difference of opinion,” he said. “I don’t really want to bring them out publicly, I’d rather keep them between us, we have spoke about things and we move on.
“Difference of opinions is how progress is made. Exchanging different views, airing of views, getting frustrations out there and educating each other is how the sport grows and becomes better.”
Allen is two games away from his second Masters title, having last prevailed in 2018, while Murphy is in the same boat having once won the tournament in 2015. The winner will play either or Kyren Wilson in Sunday’s final.