CHANGED WORLD
Trump: It’s all about the titles for me
POTTING sensation Judd Trump has hit back at critics who say he has to become a multiple world champion before he can be classed a true great. Former world champion and world No.1 Trump has dominated snooker for the past three seasons, winning a staggering 14 titles.
But the Bristol ace has only won theworld Championship – snooker’s greatest prize – once during his impressive career.
And multiple world champions Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and Mark Selby have all stressed Trump needs to build on his Crucible crown to cement his green baize legacy.
But Trump said: “Winning the World Championship has never been a defining achievement in my career.
“It’s hard to say how I’ll be remembered but Stephen’s whole aura is built up on hisworld Championship wins.you’re always going to favour what you’ve done best but back in his day there were just three Majors.
“Nowadays there’s a lot more big events.there’s the Champion of Champions, the Tour Championship and lots of big events in China, so times have changed.
“The UK Championship, which was one of those three Majors, has lost some of its kudos because it’s gone to shorter-frame matches. It’s not really any more special than the China tournaments.
“All the top players are at most events, so none of them are easier or harder to win than the others. It was different in Stephen
Hendry and Steve Davis’s era.
“Snooker has moved on for me, it’s about winning as many titles as you can. If that includes the
World Championship, then that’s great.”
Trump won four titles in the 2018-19 season, six the following one and four last term.
This season the ambitious left-hander has already won two major crowns and reached thewelsh Open final.
And Trump, 32, heads to Sheffield for snooker’s premier event, which starts on April 16, quietly confident he is peaking at just the right moment.
“For me there’s no point playing if you try too hard, you have to enjoy it,” said Trump. “I always try and play how I love the game to be played.
“It’s not easy to do it for a whole season but if you can win two or three events in a season, then that means you’re doing really well.”
This interview was kindly done in conjunction with www. selectcarleasing.co.uk