Despite reigning supreme as snooker’s world number one, Judd Trump hasn’t clinched the title of player of 2024, argued a pundit. Even with a recent UK Championship win under his belt, Trump took the decision to sit out the Scottish Open and hones his skills for the World Championships next year.
Yet, he’s scheduled to compete in the Riyadh Snooker Championship in Saudi Arabia from December 19. As the Scottish Open final played out between Chinese talents Lei Peifan and Wu Yize, Eurosport’s commentary team, which included former professionals Jimmy White and Neal Foulds, shared their thoughts on who shone in the year.
Foulds remarked: “It’s not settled for me. He [Trump] is the rightful world number one, I’m not saying he’s not the best player in the world. But maybe 2024 is Kyren [Wilson’s] year. He became world champion for the first time, which is a wonderful achievement. And he went on to win two more ranking events. My counter argument is that Kyren has done enough to be player of the year. I’m not arguing with Judd being world number one, that’s a different ball game.”
White has hailed Judd Trump as his top pick for player of 2024 following an astonishing victory against Mark Williams in the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters final. White enthused: “For me it’s Judd Trump. The way he’s started off and won the UK Championship. He looks so solid and, for me, the match with Mark Williams especially was fantastic – it was a great clearance with a lot of money at stake. So it’s Judd Trump for me.”
Earning his stripes with sterling snooker performances throughout the year, Trump has ranked alongside Kyren Wilson as one of the standout snooker sensations, jostling at the pinnacle of the world rankings order.
Not only did Trump clinch the prestigious UK Championship title, augmenting his Triple Crown accolades, he also emerged victorious in both the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and Shanghai Masters. Meanwhile, Wilson claimed the World Championship title in May, triumphing over Jak Jones, redeeming himself from a previous defeat against Ronnie O’Sullivan.
In a striking move, Trump left Scottish fans disappointed by skipping the Scottish Open, stating: “I don’t think I’m going to play a lot of snooker in the next few months. I would rather be at the peak of my form towards the end of the season. Missing events like the Scottish and the Welsh is probably the best thing for me this season because I’ve potentially got to the World Championship burned out in some seasons.
“The way my seasons have been the last couple of years I’ve faded away at the end of the season. I don’t want that to happen again. The worst thing for me is if you win a small event in the build up than you’re far less likely to win the World Championship, to go 13 or 14 games unbeaten is difficult with the standard where it is now.”
This article originally appeared on the Daily Record
