There are few players in snooker history better placed to judge greatness than Ronnie O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan has seven Snooker World Championship titles to his name, along with 39 ranking titles.
It is quite reasonable then to post the question to O’Sullivan, what does Judd Trump need to do to join the ranks of the game’s greats?
Speaking during Eurosport’s coverage of the Northern Ireland Open, O’Sullivan explained in simple terms.
He said: “You have to put him up there. He’s won a lot of ranking events. He’s won a lot of tournaments, a lot of finals, he’s played consistently very well. But for Judd now, for him to get really up there with the all-time greats, he’s going to have to win four world titles.”
O’Sullivan continued: “At least four UKs, another three or four Masters. He’s good enough. That’s where people judge you. I think he himself will want five or six world titles.”
However, Trump has so far won only one world title, beating John Higgins in 2019 at the Crucible.
He has twice lost finals, once to Higgins in 2011, and once to O’Sullivan in 2022.
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Speaking ahead of his victory over Wakelin in Sunday’s Northern Ireland Open final, Trump told Eurosport that statistics don’t hold much interest for him. Instead, arguing that he is already competing with the all-time greats.
He said: “I feel like I’m kind of a little bit on my own in my age group. I feel like I’m going at my own pace. There’s nobody at my own age to bring me on, in a way. I’m still looking at Ronnie, John and Mark Williams for the rivalries.”
O’Sullivan had predicted Trump would sail through his semi-final against Barry Hawkins, and he was proven right even if Trump had to produce a massive comeback.
The World Snooker Tour heads next to China for the International Championship before returning to the United Kingdom for the Champion of Champions.
