Shaun Murphy got the better of Ben Woollaston in his opening World Grand Prix match this week (Image: GETTY)
has admitted he gets “emotional” when he travels to Hong Kong following the death of his “hero” uncle. The 42-year-old’s uncle lived in the Asian country but passed away during the -19 pandemic.
Murphy will be in action at the World Grand Prix this week, with Hong Kong staging a snooker ranking event for the first time in 35 years. The Magician defied the odds to in January after overcoming in the showpiece match but is in desperate need of ranking points to ensure he cements his place at the without needing to qualify.
And ahead of his opening World Grand Prix showdown with Ben Woollaston, he told : “My uncle Frank was a police chief in Hong Kong before the handover [from Britain to China] in 1997.
“It’s quite emotional coming here. I feel it every time I’m in Hong Kong. He lived here for many years – my cousins were born here. Sadly, my uncle passed away during , but every time I come to Hong Kong I feel close to him.
“I grew up as a little child hearing all these stories of my uncle and auntie living in this far away place. When Skype became a thing, we would call them and that was a real event for us.
“One of the times he came back to the UK, we went out for a Chinese meal and he placed the whole order in Cantonese. He was a real hero of mine.”
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Shaun Murphy won the Masters in January after defeating Kyren Wilson in the final (Image: GETTY)
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Murphy clinched the World Grand Prix title in 2016 when he overcame Stuart Bingham in a closely-contested final at the Venue Cymru in Llandudno.
The blockbuster star edged the contest 10-9 on that occasion, but has only progressed as far as the semi-finals since then, with his sole appearance in the last four coming in 2023.
Last year, he was knocked out in the second round following a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Cao Yupeng.
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And he added: “As a former winner of this event, it’s a real thrill to see the tournament take on a new perspective.
“This is the World Grand Prix, it isn’t the UK Grand Prix. Where could be better to stage the event than Hong Kong.
“What a place. It has an incredible mixture of cultures and mixture of people. This is a real melting pot of the world. It is a feather in snooker’s cap that we are here.”