Ronnie O'Sullivan jokes with Judd Trump about challenge of staying at pinnacle of snooker - 'Wait until you're 47!'

Updated 13/12/2022 at 18:07 GMT

Judd Trump has not played his very best snooker over the last 18 months and has only managed to win one ranking title. The former world No. 1 said at the English Open that it is "hard to try and keep that motivation", to which Ronnie O'Sullivan, 47, joked that it gets even tougher when you're older. Trump will face Fraser Patrick in the next round of the English Open after beating Craig Steadman.

'It's not sustainable' - Trump explains why he is winning less titles

Ronnie O’Sullivan quipped that Judd Trump should “wait until he’s 47” after he said the success he has achieved at his height of his career is not “sustainable”.

Trump was on top of the world for several years after winning the World Championship in 2019.

He won six ranking events the following the season and five in 2020/21 as he was the player to beat in snooker.

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However, Trump’s level has dropped off over the last 18 months. He only won one ranking tournament last season and is yet to lift a trophy this year.

Reflecting on his form after beating Craig Steadman to reach the last 32 of the English Open, Trump, 33, told Eurosport: “The simple fact is for maybe 12 years I was winning one or two events a year, it’s only the last couple of seasons I was able to win five or six, it’s not sustainable to be doing that.

“It’s hard to try and keep that motivation. You cannot keep that up your whole career, you can’t do it every year.

“If you are winning two or three every year you are doing well, five or six you will last about five years and then have to retire because it’s too hard.”

O’Sullivan, who is world No. 1 and won his seventh world title earlier this year, joked to Trump: “Wait until you’re 47 mate!”

Trump, who won the English Open in 2020, has made two ranking quarter-finals this season and the final of the Champion of Champions.

“There’s always been a lot of good players, the difference is just the important clearances,” he added.

“There are a lot of times where I’ve lost deciding frames that I would never have lost because you’re not as confident. It’s not as much you know you are going to clear up, it’s you’re hoping you are going to clear up and you never do.”

Asked where his confidence has gone, Trump said: “It’s just because I am not winning every time I play, it’s as simple as that. It’s maybe back to normal how I was before I was winning everything so I’ll have to settle for bits and pieces until I can find that form again.”

Trump will face Fraser Patrick in the next round of the English Open.

Reflecting on his performance against Steadman, the former world No. 1 said: “First couple of frames were a struggle, he kept it really tight and it was hard for me to get in. I couldn’t get any momentum so I tried to speed it up towards the end. It wasn’t great.

“A few shots I felt like I hit well but it’s not just quite happening, probably because I’m not playing very well.

“Yeah I have a new tip, getting used to it, but there’s no excuses this week.”

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