According to the latest news from the British Metro on January 15, 2025, world number one Judd Trump has expressed in an interview that he feels his remarkable achievements in snooker have not received the recognition and respect they deserve, and that he is now less valued than ever before.
At the age of 35, Trump has won 30 ranking titles, with only three players - O'Sullivan, Hendry, and Higgins - having better records than him.
Despite receiving high praise, Trump does not believe he has been given the credit he deserves. He also thinks that his record of six titles in a single season is a difficult feat to surpass, yet people seem to have forgotten this accomplishment.
Trump believes his achievements are clearly undervalued, despite many snooker legends giving him high evaluations. When asked if he feels underrated, Trump said, "I feel more underrated now than ever before. At my age, I've won many championships and achieved a lot on the tour. The achievement of winning six ranking titles in a single season seems to have been somewhat forgotten."
"I think it's a very difficult record to break. I've won four, five, or six titles in a single season in a row. I'm very proud of what I've achieved. I don't need others to tell me how great it is, but I want people to recognize that it's good."
"This may be something that happens after you retire. It seems to be the same in every sport; until your career ends, you won't receive appreciation, or people won't admire your professional achievements."
In addition to feeling his achievements are undervalued, Trump also believes his record against Kyren Wilson has been overlooked. This season, Trump was defeated by Wilson in the finals of both the Xi'an Grand Prix and the Northern Ireland Open.
While Trump and Wilson are engaged in a good competition, Trump is keen to remind people that he has had the upper hand for some time.
Trump said, "I think my record has been somewhat overlooked. I think he hadn't beaten me in a ranking event for five years before the first final. I think I've beaten him seven times in a row."
"Suddenly, he beat me twice in a row, and many people started talking about it, but when he couldn't beat me for five years, they didn't say anything. No matter how I prove myself, when someone plays against me, they will have a good record against me without considering the facts. But not many players have a good record against me."
In Trump's view, the talk around him and Wilson is not the fault of the new world champion; they are currently engaged in good competition.
Trump continued, "It's not him creating this competition. Our competition is very fierce, which is good for snooker. I'm really happy to see someone around my age step up."
"In the past five to ten years, I've been fighting alone against Higgins, Williams, and O'Sullivan. Besides Selby, it's been like this. I feel like there's finally someone else who can engage in real competition now."
After winning the Saudi Masters and the UK Championship, Trump is aiming for a new record; he could become the first-ever super grand slam player in history. Obviously, this goal is still far away, but Trump believes it will earn him the respect he deserves.
Trump said, "If I can reach the semi-finals and finals of the Masters, I might have some ideas. Winning these four titles is absolutely incredible, and I hope people will take me seriously then."