Judd Trump quits the UK for personal reasons despite building new house since Covid
JUDD TRUMP has quit the UK for professional and personal reasons – and prefers living abroad.
The Juddernaut, 35, might have built a brand new house in Bristol since Covid but besides appearing in the big tournaments and seeing his parents, he says “I don’t really enjoy” being in England anymore.
The 2019 world champion is based these days in Hong Kong with his girlfriend Maisy Ma, a figure skater, and is often seen in Dubai with close snooker pal Jack Lisowski.
Seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan recently received residency in Hong Kong and has often spoken about relocating full-time to the Far East.
And Trump – who travels everywhere with younger brother Jack – has now expressed his desire to get away from the cold nights back home.
The world No.1 said: “My travel plans are maybe a little bit different now than they were in the past 34 years.
“There has been a lot of time spent in Hong Kong and Dubai.
“I’m happy travelling around the world, spending as little time in the UK as possible at the moment. Because I don’t really enjoy it as much there anymore.
“While I’m still reasonably young, I’m trying to make sure I have a good time off the table as well.
“I think it’s easier knowing that I don’t have the old 20-hour journey home. That helps me.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
“I think I will be based in the Middle East now rather than in the UK. I don’t feel like you have to play in the UK anymore full-time. I really don’t.
“My mum misses me – I’m not sure about my dad! At least he gets to watch me on the TV. They will always be at the big events in the UK.
“It’s nice to go back and see them. While I’m playing well, I have to knuckle down and do what is best.
“Spending a lot of time in Asia before events is probably best for my snooker at the moment.
“It’s definitely beneficial to be away from the UK. Now I’m coming up with the UK Championship and the Masters, then probably not.
“But for the first half of the season, the events are probably nowhere as big as the rest of the world.
“Maybe it’s time for some of the players to get up and leave and give their all to snooker. There are a lot bigger events worldwide now.
“I enjoy my snooker while I’m in warm weather around the world rather than at home.”
Trump will be heading back to Heathrow a lot sooner than he would have liked this week after losing 6-4 to Xu Si in the last 16 of the International Championship in Nanjing.
Xu, 26, knocked in a break of 104 in frame eight while a disappointing Trump could only muster a high break of 65 across the 10 frames.
Next week it is the Champion of Champions in Bolton and then the last Triple Crown tournament of the year, the UK Championship in York.
He remains top of the world rankings with £1.6million attached to his name, which includes the mega £500,000 pot he received for winning the Saudi Arabia Masters in September.
Yet the days of Trump buying flash cars and expensive clothes appear to have gone.
The 29-time ranking tournament winner said: “While I was younger, I always dreamt of doing well and winning loads of money and plotted what I’d buy.
“When I got to 24 or 25, I had done all that. I think I’ve grown out of it now.
“I’m just one of those people that sits on the money, doesn’t do anything with it, and everyone looks at them, thinking: ‘Why don’t they spend it?’ Just a miserable old man now!”
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season hen the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
- 1969 – John Spencer
- 1970 – Ray Reardon
- 1971 – John Spencer
- 1972 – Alex Higgins
- 1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
- 1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
- 1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
- 1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
- 1977 – John Spencer (2)
- 1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
- 1979 – Terry Griffiths
- 1980 – Cliff Thorburn
- 1981 – Steve Davis
- 1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
- 1983 – Steve Davis (2)
- 1984 – Steve Davis (3)
- 1985 – Dennis Taylor
- 1986 – Joe Johnson
- 1987 – Steve Davis (4)
- 1988 – Steve Davis (5)
- 1989 – Steve Davis (6)
- 1990 – Stephen Hendry
- 1991 – John Parrott
- 1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
- 1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
- 1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
- 1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
- 1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
- 1997 – Ken Doherty
- 1998 – John Higgins
- 1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
- 2000 – Mark Williams
- 2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2002 – Peter Ebdon
- 2003 – Mark Williams (2)
- 2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
- 2005 – Shaun Murphy
- 2006 – Graeme Dott
- 2007 – John Higgins (2)
- 2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
- 2009 – John Higgins (3)
- 2010 – Neil Robertson
- 2011 – John Higgins (4)
- 2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
- 2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
- 2014 – Mark Selby
- 2015 – Stuart Bingham
- 2016 – Mark Selby (2)
- 2017 – Mark Selby (3)
- 2018 – Mark Williams (3)
- 2019 – Judd Trump
- 2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
- 2021 – Mark Selby (4)
- 2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
- 2023 – Luca Brecel
- 2024 – Kyren Wilson
Most World Titles (modern era)
- 7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
- 4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby
- 3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams
- 2 – Alex Higgins