Stephen Hendry has snubbed old rival Ronnie O’Sullivan when naming the most exciting snooker player in the world. The Scot has instead hailed Judd Trump as the star he prefers to watch over anyone else.
Trump is currently second behind O’Sullivan in the world rankings. But he can reclaim No 1 spot with a strong performance at the UK Championship this week.
The 34-year-old breezed through the first round on Monday with a 6-1 win over Pang Junxu. O’Sullivan will begin his campaign on Tuesday against Anthony McGill.
Seven-time world champion Hendry is working at the tournament as a pundit for the BBC. He believes Trump can be in the discussions as one of the greatest players of all time.
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But he insists there is no doubt in his mind that he is the best to watch, dealing a slight to the Rocket. Hendry said of Trump: “You can have the argument about being the best player of all time, with what he wins and everything.
“He is the most exciting player in the world to watch, he plays shots that no one else plays out there. Lots of players can play them in practice rooms and say I can do this and that, but to do it out there…he’s phenomenal to watch, he really is. He’s got the lot.”
Trump appears to be back to the form he showed during the peak years of his career. He has full belief that he can compete with and beat the likes of O’Sullivan.
Trump said: “It’s just the belief is back. Ronnie is an amazing player, but when people say, ‘when Ronnie plays his best no one is as good as him’ I don’t feel like that.
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“I have so much belief in myself, I feel like on my day when I play my best no one can get near me. Whether it’s true or not I don’t know, but it’s something I tell myself and I think I’ve got that back.”
Trump hopes to get back on top of world snooker as soon as possible. He added: “I loved being number one in the world for that two or three years, I absolutely loved it. I wore it with a lot of pride.
“Winning so many tournaments I felt like I belonged there and I kind of feel the same now. I feel like I’m the form player, I’m winning those events and I can get back to number one.”
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