Recently crowned Shanghai Masters champion Judd Trump is hoping to continue the momentum gained from his electric start to the season, with a massive month ahead which sees him head to China and Saudi Arabia.
The Ace in the Pack scorched a path to his maiden Shanghai title last month, when he defeated Mark Williams, Si Jiahui, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Shaun Murphy to capture the crown in style.
He admits this came about after a solid period of time working on his game and getting in the right headspace. Trump is now gearing up for the inaugural runnings of the Xi'an Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
“I always like to feel in myself that I have put the work in. That comes a lot more on the mental side. I have won multiple tournaments in four, five or six seasons now and I know the technique is all there. It is what is in my head. I need to know I’m prepared. The players have more to look forward to this season and the prizes are getting bigger," said 28-time ranking event winner Trump.
“I went on holiday for the first two weeks in June and travelled the world to a few places I haven’t been before. That was a good experience, but afterwards it was back to work. I had a good solid practise before Shanghai and managed to play really well there. It is always nice to start a season off well with a title. This season it is a little bit different having some of the really big events at the start of the season. Normally you have time to play your way in. Fortunately for me I’ve got off to a good start and I hope that will give me confidence for the big events coming up."
When the tournament got underway in Shanghai, he faced a stern test against three-time World Champion Williams. However, having practised largely in isolation, it was a step into the unknown when Trump was faced with his first opponent, who he defeated emphatically by a 6-2 scoreline. He would go on to demolish O'Sullivan 10-3 in the semi-finals and end a 21-match win streak, which had seen the Rocket pick up four consecutive Shanghai titles.
Trump said: “There is always something in that first round game. I don’t practise much against other people. It is fine doing it on your own but I don’t know what is going to happen when I play someone else, with that bit of added pressure. You have someone there waiting to clear up every time if you miss. For me it was a pleasant surprise, but to start as well as I did against Mark Williams was brilliant. That gave me the belief to carry on and do well. There aren’t many times in your career you will have the sort of draw I did and breeze through.
“Everyone in that tournament is extremely good. To beat Ronnie on the way is extra special. Especially given he had won it four times in a row and was the man to beat. My whole draw was very tough though and I was very satisfied with how I played in every single game."