TRUMP: NO ONE FEARS RONNIE THESE DAYS

Juddernaut takes aim at the Rocket who ‘can’t win an event to save his life’

BY

JUDD TRUMP has let rip with a barrage of pot shots at rival Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The Juddernaut and the Rocket both line up in this week’s prestigious Champion of Champions tournament in Bolton for the past year’s event winners.

World No.2 Trump, 32, qualified multiple times having won five ranking tournaments last season – and 11 in all over two impressive campaigns.

But six-time world champ O’Sullivan, 46, had to rely on the hand-out of a top-up place through his No.3 world ranking – having been defeated in all five of his finals last term.

And former Crucible king

Trump (right) not only taunted O’Sullivan over his title drought, he also claimed his rival has lost his belief and aura, and said he is not a good ambassador for snooker.

Trump said: “You are just happy to win tournaments these days because it is very hard to win any tournament for all the top players, Ronnie O’Sullivan included.

“Look at Ronnie, he can’t win an event to save his life at the moment. I just think he’s lost a little bit of belief. When you don’t win you don’t have the belief and people aren’t scared to beat you. When he comes up against a top player these days there’s just not that gulf in class any more.

“No one’s that scared to play him, anyone’s game is good enough to beat him – that’s what’s really happened over the last year.”

O’Sullivan, who tends to shoot from the lip, has in recent years fiercely criticised the standard of young players, the sport’s status, the quality of venues, and the way the game is run.

Trump added: “The things he says don’t bother me because I am used to them now. It’s just that some of the comments he makes are a bit derogatory towards snooker and there is no need for it really.

“There’s no need to put it down, none of the rest of us put it down.”

Trump is looking for a first success in the Champion of Champions event and is in Group One today – taking on amateur World Seniors winner David Lilley, with Ryan Day and Stephen Maguire making up the pool.

Three-time winner O’Sullivan is in the tough-looking Group Three along with John Higgins, Ding Junhui and Stuart Bingham and begins his campaign on Thursday.

‘When he comes up against a top player there’s not that gulf in class any more’