WHO'S THE FACE OF SNOOKER?

Interesting comments from John Higgins during this week's Players Championship (where he's working as a pundit for Channel 5 and also qualified to the semifinals) have raised an interesting debate amongst the snooker community.

Full reports from Phil Haigh can be read on Metro, but what John Higgins sad was: 

"I don’t know what Judd Trump has got to do in the game to actually be classed as the next flag-bearer, because he’s won just as much as anybody in the game."

Now, I've been one of Judd's advocates in terms of how I think he's the best player in the world but gets a load of unfair criticism for having his numbers compared to the all-time greats.

Trump is nearing a second spell of two uninterrupted years as world number one, after also leading the rankings from 2019 to 2021.

He's won five triple-crown tournaments in his career (four of them coming since 2019) and 31 ranking tournaments (making him fourth all-time). 

If we consider Ranking Tournaments + Masters + Riyadh Season + Shanghai Masters + Hong Kong Masters, Judd Trump has won 27 tournaments since the 2018/19 season. That means he won over 20% of the tournaments he played in that period, having made the finals in over 32% of them.

In a season with about 20 tournaments, Trump makes one final in about three events and wins one in about five.

He also hasn't lost before the semifinals in Triple Crown events for two years and not lost before the quarterfinals since 2023.

Those are numbers of someone who definitely deserves to be regarded as the best player in the world. But being honest, Ronnie O'Sullivan is still the face of the sport. And that's why his presence is so missed when he doesn't play in tournaments, like this week. But why is that? Here's Judd's explanation of it:

"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."

Now, despite how much I appreciate Judd's greatness, I don't think that's the reason. Not that I don't think Ronnie's media presence doesn't influence it, or his unpredictable mood, or his well documented past... But I think that O'Sullivan still is snooker's box office because he still is snooker's ultimate winner.

And I'm not saying someone has got to break his records for that "flag" to be passed on, but someone does need to start winning more than him.

I know it's been two years since he's won something, but he still hasn't been caught up. Trump joined this conversation in 2019 when he won the World Championship, yet since then Ronnie has won more World Championships than him (2-0) and more Triple Crown events (4-2). 

You just can't go 7 years without winning a world title in your prime (when Ronnie himself keeps piling them up) and become the new face of the sport.

Don't get me wrong, though. I think while Ronnie's still the main man his absence from tournaments is inevitably felt, but I'm confident that once he retires and that mantle is passed on (to Trump, Xintong or whoever steps up to it) snooker will be left in a good place.

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