Judd Trump admits he keeps ‘messing it up’ at the World Snooker Championship and must improve his concentration at the Crucible.
The world number one has lifted the famous old trophy in Sheffield but only once, when he beat John Higgins to win the 2019 World Championship.
The Ace has also finished runner-up twice, to Higgins in 2011 and to Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2022, and lost out in three semi-finals, including last year to Mark Williams.
The 36-year-old will return to the Crucible as one of the favourites again this year as he looks to join the small club of people who have won the event more than once in the iconic venue.
Since the World Championship moved to Sheffield in 1977 only six players have won the title more than once – Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Mark Williams and Mark Selby – and Trump feels he needs to sharpen up his concentration over the 17-day marathon to join them.
The Ace ended a 14-month ranking title drought by winning the German Masters on Sunday and attention is quickly turning to another Crucible challenge.
‘I’m dangerous every year, but I seem to mess it up!’ Trump said. ‘I just keep putting myself in the position. I’ve reached finals there, semi-finals. It’s not like I’m getting knocked out in the first round every time.
‘So I’m putting myself in the position. It’s just the Crucible, you need to keep your form up for two-and-a-half weeks and at the moment I’m just running a little bit short.
‘So I just need to kind of figure out that last push, that last four or five days and try to keep my concentration up, because I’ve started the semi-final well a couple of times. Just maybe finished a little bit short at the end.’
Trump’s 10-4 win over Shaun Murphy in the Berlin final on Sunday took him to 31 ranking titles, , only behind O’Sullivan (41), Hendry (36) and Higgins (33).
O’Sullivan and Higgins are still competing for top honours, but with time on his side, Trump may well top this list in the years to come.
It had been a while before his Berlin triumph, but now back with his old, trusted cue and with his practice partner, brother Jack, sorting out visa issues to join him at his Dubai home, he is back on the path to success.
‘If I stop losing in finals, then I’ll have a very good chance, I think,’ he said, having lost three ranking finals on the spin before his win in Germany. ‘If I keep putting myself in this position and take my chances a little bit better.
‘I think the first half of the season was a bit of a write-off, changing cue and a few other things, not having the ideal preparation with my brother.
So, it’s a big test now. I’ve got no more excuses. My brother’s back in Dubai with me now.
‘We’re able to practise and I’ve still got a lot of events left. So, yeah, no more excuses now. It’s time to knuckle down and, yeah, it’ll be nice to get to 40 one day.’
Trump heads to the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong this week and will also have the Players Championship, World Open and Tour Championship before his latest World Championship challenge in April.
He wants to land that second Crucible title, but will be preparing for all of them with equal gusto.
‘Obviously, you want to win all the big ones, but there’s nothing I do differently,’ he said. ‘There’s nothing really anyone does differently.
‘All I can do is try my best. If it’s the German Masters or if it’s the Masters, I try the same and, yeah, I can’t really peak for any event, but I just give it my all and see where that takes me at the end of my career.’
