Judd Trump criticizes World Snooker Tour after German Masters triumph
Judd Trump has hit out at the World Snooker Tour over what he described as a “mad dash” across the globe following his German Masters triumph on Sunday evening, reports BritPanorama.
The world number one, fresh from defeating Shaun Murphy 10-4 in Berlin to claim a record-extending fourth title at the event, must now embark on a gruelling 5,400-mile journey to Hong Kong for his next competitive match.
Trump faces Yuan Sijun in the first round on Wednesday at 7pm local time, leaving him precious little time to adjust after arriving on Tuesday. The seven-hour time difference between Germany and Hong Kong means the 36-year-old will have barely a day to recover from jet lag before competing.
Murphy finds himself in an identical predicament, having also contested Sunday’s final in the German capital. The 43-year-old former world champion must board the same Monday flight to the Far East, where he is scheduled to face Pang Junxu in his opening match. Neither player will touch down in Hong Kong until Tuesday, giving them minimal opportunity to acclimatise before their respective fixtures.
Despite the Hong Kong event offering a substantial £180,000 winner’s prize, Trump suggested that success in Berlin could actually prove counterproductive for the following week’s competition. “Because if you do well here, it’s probably detrimental to next week, which should probably be the other way,” he noted.
He expressed his dissatisfaction with the current arrangements, calling for greater consideration of players’ wellbeing when fixtures are planned. “Yeah, it’s not ideal,” he said. “I think there’s still a lot that can change in snooker to make it a little bit easier on the players.” Trump added that he hopes organisers will consider players’ opinions more in the future.
The World Snooker Tour defended its scheduling in response to Trump’s concerns, with a spokesperson stating: “We have more big tournaments and higher prize money on our global tour than ever before. So inevitably that creates challenges for players who go deep in one event and then travel to the next one. We always take this into consideration in terms of scheduling matches and communicating with those players.”
Tour officials have previously adjusted the calendar following player feedback, attempting to build in at least a week between European events and Chinese tournaments. Trump’s Berlin victory marked his first silverware since the 2024 UK Championship, ending a sequence of four consecutive final defeats and securing the £100,000 top prize.
As players rush from one competition to another, it serves as a stark reminder of the balancing act they must perform, navigating success while managing the toll of a relentless schedule.
