Judd Trump insists his new living arrangements have had nothing to do with his slow start to the season. The world No.1 is still waiting for his first tournament victory since last year’s UK Championship, which he begins the defence of on Saturday.
There were signs he was getting back to his brilliant best as he made the final of the Northern Ireland Open, where he was dramatically beaten by his great friend Jack Lisowski. Away from the table, Trump has relocated to Dubai – with Ronnie O’Sullivan recently following suit – while also spending time in Hong Kong. That has led some to ponder whether his new life is affecting his game, but the 36-year-old Bristolian is having none of that.
“I’ve loved it. I really enjoy being here [in Dubai] and being in Hong Kong. January 2024 was when I left the UK really and I’ve won some big events since then,” he said.
“There’s not been too much disruption. Now and again, you will go five to 10 tournaments without winning, but that is because the standard is so high.
“Shaun Murphy dropped out of the top 16 and all of a sudden he is playing the best of his life. Snooker has extremely fine margins. That little 1% of confidence is the difference.
“Over the last few years, I’ve had really quick starts. This year is different. I didn’t play my best. I played well in Shanghai, but faced Neil Robertson [winning 6-2] and Mark Selby [losing 6-4]. That can be difficult.
“I struggled with the conditions in Saudi [where he lost in the last 32] and then I’ve lost some deciders. I feel like over the last few years I’ve barely lost any deciders, now I’ve lost several in a row. I’ve not been miles away.”
A more likely reason for Trump’s underwhelming early-season form is his new cue, which he ditched ahead of the recent Riyadh Season Snooker Championship. After beating Mark Williams 4-0 in just 48 minutes, he confirmed he had ended the experiment.
He said: “The experiment with that cue did not succeed. It is hard to play your best when you are trying to find the right cue, but I’m out there battling.
“There is still going to be a bit of changing until I find the right cue, it is not perfect at the moment. Sometimes it’s tough when things are not going your way, but I will keep trying and at some point it will all click again.”
Explaining his change of equipment earlier in the season, Trump said: “I don’t really ever change my cue. There are some who constantly do that and constantly change their technique.
“Every six or seven years, I need to change cues because the power I use and the travelling we do means it loses power. I’d always used the same cues, [but] this is completely different. It is a big change and it is going to take a few months.
“I just changed the ferrule from brass to titanium. There is a lot less throw on the cue. I used to aim outside of the pocket every time and use side to flick balls in. Now I aim for the middle of the pockets. It has reset 30 years of hard work getting used to that, playing plain ball a lot more. It is a massive step.”
Changing cue again on the eve of a big tournament would be seen as a gamble by some but if anyone can make it work, it is Trump.
