Judd Trump is not surprised he hasn’t matched the star power of Ronnie O’Sullivan, happy to rack up titles and stay out of the limelight.
The Rocket has long been the biggest name in snooker, but with his appearances now limited and his form dipping at 50 years old, attention is turning to who could replace him as the sport’s shining light.
Fellow legend John Higgins is surprised that question is being asked, as he reckons world number one Trump is more than deserving of being the ‘flag-bearer’ for snooker.
‘I don’t know what Judd Trump has got to do in the game to actually be classed as the next flag-bearer,’ said Higgins. ‘Because he’s won just as much as anybody in the game.
‘It’s maybe not the world titles that he wants, but I’m sure they’ll come. And for him to have won the volume of titles, the style he plays, smart-looking young guy, I don’t know why more’s not made of him being the flag-bearer for the game.
‘That’s just my personal opinion. It just always seems to be maybe, you talk about Ronnie and maybe the class of 92, and then everybody’s talking about [world champion Zhao] Xintong now, that he could come and dominate now.
‘I think you’ve just got to give that guy so much kudos for what he’s been doing in the game in the last six or seven years.’
The Wizard of Wishaw added: ‘Maybe the British public want a guy like [Alex] Higgins or a Jimmy White or a Ronnie.
‘There’s maybe a little bit of baggage there that they can shout for. But I really don’t know, because he plays the game just as swashbuckling as these guys as well.’
Trump agrees with that assessment from the Scot, feeling he does not really have the rock n roll lifestyle that the biggest snooker stars have exhibited over the years.
Not that he sees anything wrong with that, he is happy enough putting together a stellar career and earning respect from his peers.
‘There’s definitely respect there, but I think just because of the nature of personality in sport, it’s kind of the crazy ones,’ he said.
‘I don’t do drugs, I don’t smoke, I don’t do anything like that. My family have brought me up too nice to do that kind of thing.
‘You’re never going to get the same kind of publicity because I’m someone who wants to stay out of the limelight and he’s a little bit the opposite.
‘But then you’ve got people like Roger Federer, you’ve just got to win enough events to put yourself up there.
‘I’m a lot quieter, less outspoken and it makes it a little bit more difficult to steal the limelight.
‘In the snooker world, when people like John speaks like that, that’s all I need, from people like that, if they’re saying that kind of thing. Anyone else is a little bit irrelevant if you’ve got one of the greats saying that.’
While Trump is comfortable with not being at the level of fame of an O’Sullivan, he still feels he has been the flag-bearer for snooker on the table since he reached the pinnacle of the sport in 2019.
‘I think I’ve already been that for the last seven years,’ he said of flag-bearer status. ‘I think I’ve been the most successful player in terms of stats, finals, wins. I can’t think of anyone who’s even remotely close in that sense.
‘I’ve been pretty dominant over the last six or seven years, so I think I’ve had that mantle.’