Shaun Murphy admitted he'll be playing "shots with pain" this week after going into his UK Snooker Championship first-round match hampered by injury.
The 2005 World Champion opened his campaign in York with a tense 6-5 win over English compatriot David Gilbert, taking the final two frames to seal his progress. At no point did either player open up a two frame lead in a clash which had the crowd engrossed until 'The Magician' pulled away in the decider.
Murphy was sporting a slimline frame after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery this summer. But it seems he was still struggling physically, having received physio before taking to the table.
Speaking to Eurosport ahead of his clash with Gilbert, Murphy explained he would be giving his all despite his niggles. When asked how he was feeling going into the tournament, he replied: "Not perfect.
"I've still got a few neck and back problems. It's been at me now for the last couple of days, 48 hours or so, and I've been having a bit of physio on it here in York."
"It's not perfect by any means so I'm playing a lot of shots in a bit of pain this week. Hopefully that won't cause me too much of a problem, but I'm doing my best, and I'll give 100%."
Last month, the Triple Crown champion opened up on his life-changing surgery, with 80% of his stomach removed to limit excessive food consumption. He made the decision to go under the knife following a poor season where he failed to register a ranking win.
He'd also previously admitted that social media abuse had contributed to his decision. The star said he was sick of being "fat shamed" by online trolls.
Murphy, 40, won the UK title in 2008 when he conquered Marco Fu in the final. He's twice reached the final since, losing to Mark Selby in 2012 and then Ronnie O'Sullivan in 2017.
