Judd Trump’s place among the all-time greats is already secured, believes Steve Davis, who feels criticism of his solitary World Championship title is unfair.
The world number one landed the biggest prize in the sport in 2019 and has been among the favourites at the Crucible since then but is yet to become a multiple world champ.
The 35-year-old has taken his ranking title tally up to 30, fourth on the all-time list on that front, and has now won five Triple Crowns as a double Masters and UK Championship winner.
However, his record in Sheffield still attracts criticism as he hasn’t quite been able to translate his excellence in other events to the biggest of them all.
Six-time Crucible champion Davis is not on board with that criticism, though, feeling that what Trump does elsewhere puts him among the very best to ever pick up a cue.
The Nugget feels it will become a moot point anyway because he sees Trump claiming more world titles in the years to come.
‘I think it’s unfair that you’re judged on World Championships alone,’ Davis told Metro. ‘In other sports you’re judged on majors but we put the World Championship above our other majors. It’s an unfair thing to define you by.
‘I think he’s one of the greats already. I don’t have that issue, but other people will do. But he’s got so many years at the top of the game, I think it’s inevitable.
‘It’s like a roll of a dice. If there are six players who will always be in with a shout, which he will be, and he’s around for another 15 years, the law of averages, he’ll win it every now and again.
‘Once Mark Williams, Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins drop off the tour, it’ll be a bit easier for him.
‘If anyone is criticising Judd they need a reality check. What he’s doing is brilliant. He’s absolutely brilliant. He doesn’t need to win loads more World Championships for me to regard him as one of the greatest, but he’ll want to.’
Trump has often said he treats all tournaments the same and puts no more effort into winning the World Championship as he would a relatively small event on the World Snooker Tour.
Speaking in December, Trump said: ‘That’s why my record is so good. You get people when they win the Triple Crowns telling you they target them, but no one can target a tournament. You just go out there and play your best every event otherwise why are you there?
‘People say some of the smaller events are easier to win, but it’s the same players there. You go through the same emotions, you’re trying your best, it’s no easier to win.’
Davis does feel like the Ace will be desperate to add more Crucible glory to his CV, though, saying: ‘He’s absolutely hungry for more success. He’ll have blood coming out of his nose he’s trying so hard.
‘He’s got all the talent but you need form as well. You can’t rely on playing average at the Crucible anymore. It’s the one who hits top form at the right time as it unfolds. You can’t make that happen, it just has to happen.’
Part of Trump’s problem in Sheffield is that there are plenty of other extremely good players who are all capable of winning any tournament they enter.
Chief among his rivals this season has been Kyren Wilson, the man who conquered the Crucible a year ago and has gone on to cement his place as one of the very best on the planet.
The 33-year-old has won four ranking titles since Sheffield and has beaten Trump in three of those finals, not quite toppling the world number one in the rankings, but certainly offering an argument for being the dominant player right now.
Three-time world champion Mark Williams is delighted that one of the relatively young top stars is challenging Trump for supremacy and has been thoroughly impressed, but not shocked, by Wilson’s brilliance.
‘No,’ Williams told Metro flatly when asked if he has been surprised by Wilson’s success. ‘I’ve played him a few times and I’ve seen him play some unbelievable stuff.
‘It’s nice to see him putting it up to Trump and giving him a game. Trump has been the dominant player but Kyren is not afraid of him and has got the upper hand on him in finals.
‘It’s nice to see that rivalry between them. For the first time, apart from when Judd plays Ronnie, Kyren is the only other player that I fancy to beat him.
‘It’s a good rivalry to have because when they play each other the press builds it up and there’s a bit of tension between the two, I suppose, in a nice way.’
Seeded one and two for the World Championship, Wilson and Trump are on a collision course once again for a final, this time the biggest one of all.