Judd Trump is coming up to a year without lifting a trophy, but dismisses that ‘pretty irrelevant’ fact as he bids to the UK Championship title.
His triumph in York a year ago was the last time he got his hands on silverware, something you would have got long odds on at the time after a brilliant start to the season.
It has not been a disastrous patch, with finals at the Champion of Champions, Northern Ireland Open and Players Championship, along with a World Championship semi-final, while Trump still holds onto the world number one spot.
Given that he has been knocking around the business end of big tournaments, Trump is not worried, despite nearing an unexpectedly barren year.
2025 is close to becoming his first trophyless year since 2013, but it is not concerning him.
‘It’s pretty irrelevant, to be honest. I didn’t even know that was a thing,’ he said.
‘It’s not something I concentrate on. To be honest, even though I’ve not won a tournament this year, it’s not been that bad. I’ve been to quite a few finals, major semi-finals. It’s not been that far off.’
On his form on the eve of his UK Championship defence, which begins against Stephen Maguire on Saturday afternoon, he insists he feels similar to 12 months ago.
‘To be honest, it’s not that different,’ he said. ‘I think just maybe the crucial balls or the odd miss here and there or confidence. But if you’re getting to finals at this standard, you’re obviously playing decent snooker.
‘It’s not like I’m playing terribly. It’s just the level that’s expected nowadays hasn’t quite clicked in every single game I’ve played.’
The big issue for Trump, as he returns to the Barbican, is what weapon he’ll be wielding in the battles on the baize.
A change of cue this season has not worked out for Trump and after the Champion of Champions he admitted that it was not the one for him.
While he was trying to be coy on the matter at the recent Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, Trump had returned to his old cue and looked a bit better.
Speaking in Saudi Arabia, he said he was not sure what he was going to do for the UK Championship, but surely a brand new cue for a Triple Crown event would be a huge risk.
‘I’ve got a few people making me different cues,’ he said earlier this month. ‘It’s extremely difficult when there’s obviously big events. It’s going to be very difficult to get used to a new cue in time. To be honest, I’m still not sure myself what I’m going to do yet.’
UK Championship draw and schedule
Saturday November 29
1pm
Judd Trump vs Stephen Maguire
Si Jiahui vs Ryan Day
7pm
John Higgins vs Ben Woollaston
Shaun Murphy vs Lyu Haotian
Sunday November 30
1pm
Wu Yize vs Michael Holt
Neil Robertson vs Julien Leclercq
7pm
Mark Williams vs Dave Gilbert
Xiao Guodong vs Pang Junxu
Monday December 1
1pm
Ding Junhui vs Xu Si
Zhao Xintong vs Long Zehuang
7pm
Mark Allen vs Scott Donaldson
Gary Wilson vs Zhang Anda
Tuesday December 2
1pm
Mark Selby vs Lei Peifan
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Zhou Yuelong
7pm
Kyren Wilson vs Elliot Slessor
Barry Hawkins vs David Lilley