Shaun Murphy is no longer working with coach Peter Ebdon, according to seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry.
Hendry revealed the news during a recent episode of the Snooker Club podcast, although there has been no official explanation for why the partnership has ended.
“Peter’s not with Shaun any more,” Hendry said, when the topic of Ebdon’s new partnership with Noppon Saengkham came up.
The brief revelation comes as something of a surprise considering the success Murphy enjoyed while working alongside the 2002 world champion.
The pair teamed up around two years ago, with Ebdon becoming an important member of Murphy’s team and helping the Magician return to the winners’ circle at some of the sport’s biggest events.
Murphy captured a second Masters crown at the Alexandra Palace in January of 2025, beating Kyren Wilson 10-7 in the final.
Later that year, he added the British Open ranking title to his collection.
Murphy then came agonisingly close to the biggest prize of all at the 2026 World Snooker Championship in May, ultimately losing 18-17 to Wu Yize in a dramatic Crucible final.
Following his Masters triumph last year, Murphy credited Ebdon for making a significant impact on his game.
“I feel like Peter Ebdon has stripped me back to brick in a very short space of time,” Murphy told the Metro.
“He saw through some of the outer shell and into my soul and has stripped me of all my defences. He got right to the heart of the issue very quickly, it’s amazing.”
“The partnership has borne fruit far quicker than I could have imagined and hopefully we’re just getting started. There’s plenty of room in my trophy cabinet.”
Murphy continued to speak positively about their working relationship earlier this year, highlighting the value of having a former world champion in his corner.
“I think that’s where him being a former player, and somebody who’s walked out into that room and been the man to walk away with the trophy, he appreciates just how hard it is.
“He might applaud or shout for something that perhaps is unseen to others, and he knows exactly what I’m going through. We’ve been together two years now.
“We’ve put a lot in that others haven’t seen, that people just don’t see.
“I know we put all our life on social media, but there is a small bit we keep to ourselves and in those moments are where tournaments are won.
“It’s in those moments where we’ve worked very, very hard. It is a real team effort.”
It is not yet clear when Murphy and Ebdon stopped working together or what prompted the decision to go their separate ways.
Ebdon, meanwhile, is currently working with Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham.
In an interesting coincidence, Saengkham faced Murphy in the quarter-finals of last week’s China Open in Taiyuan.
The Thai emerged with a triumph over the 2005 world champion and subsequently progressed all the way to the final before losing to Mark Selby.
For Murphy, the end of his partnership with Ebdon represents a notable change following one of the most consistent periods of his career.
With no further details provided about the split, it remains to be seen whether the world no.6 will bring another coach into his team for the remainder of the 2026/27 snooker season.
The Magician is next in action at the upcoming Wuhan Open, where he will face Alfie Burden in the round of 64.
Featured photo credit: WST
