Snooker
Judd Trump: The Ace in the Pack on His Aura, World No.1 Status, and Unstoppable Streak
Judd Trump, the world No.1 snooker player, reflects on his winning streak, aura on the table, and record-breaking dominance as he aims to stay at the top of the rankings.
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Judd Trump believes he now has an aura on the snooker table.
The Ace in the Pack, 35, is the runaway world No.1 and has amazingly reached at least the quarterfinals of all 14 tournaments he has entered in 2024.
A Record-Breaking Streak
Trump has racked up the titles in recent years with 25 big trophies coming since the 2018 Northern Ireland Open.
No-one comes close in a stunning dominant streak which hasn’t been seen on the baize since Stephen Hendry’s peak in the 90s.
Already a decorated 29-time ranking-event winner, Trump has already overtaken Steve Davis’ 28, with John Higgins (31) within his sights.
Overtaking the Scottish all-time great would leave just Stephen Hendry (36) and rival Ronnie O’Sullivan (41) ahead of him with plenty of time to chase down the two players who have ever lived.
Trump Reflects on His Formidable Presence
“I think people know they have to play well to beat me, which is always a good feeling,” Trump told SportsBoom.com.
“I can see that. They always feel they have to play amazing from the start. That's sometimes not the case, but they're putting themselves under that extra bit of pressure which helps me.”
I think that comes from the territory of being world number one. I don’t think I’ve got a target on my back, I don’t see it that way, but I can see other players putting themselves under pressure against me.
Judd Trump
A Saudi Triumph and a £500,000 Payday
Trump won the inaugural Saudi Arabia Masters, famously beating Mark Williams with a brilliant clearance in the 10-9 deciding-frame triumph.
That victory yielded the £500,000 winner’s cheque, which helped him open up a huge lead at the top of the rankings.
And Trump, who has won six of the eight ranking finals he has been in since the start of last season, added: “I love being world number one, but it's also the manner that I've done it as well. I've really earned it.”
“I've won the most tournaments. It's not by winning the one tournament that has the biggest prize money.”
“I think, even though Saudi carried some big points, I had already earned the right with the amount of tournaments I won and the finals I've been in.”
“Winning in Saudi has justified the real gap that I should have been in front in the first play.”
Trump’s Journey to Staying World No.1
“When I lost the number one spot a few years ago, I still felt I probably deserved to be number one at the time.”
“With the distance I am ahead and the consistency I'm showing, if I can manage to nick the Saudi and the world every couple of years with the amount of other tournaments, I win then I should be able to keep it for as long as possible.”
Trump heads to the Northern Ireland Open, which starts on Sunday, as the defending champion as he bids for a famous fifth title since snooker returned to the country in 2016.
The Bristol-born potter served up three successive 9-7 victories against O’Sullivan in the 2018-20 finals.
Shane is a respected journalist who has covered a range of sports for a number of years.