'I’m in the hardest era of all time' - Judd Trump dismisses Ronnie O'Sullivan comparisons after winning snooker's UK Championship

Judd Trump lifted snooker's UK Championship in York, but refused to compare himself to icon Ronnie O'Sullivan.

The Englishman showcased his talent once again by clinching the 2024 UK Championship title, defeating Barry Hawkins 10-8 in a gripping final - with the victory marking Trump’s second UK Championship crown, his fifth Triple Crown title, and his 30th ranking title. That milestone puts Trump among snooker’s elite, with only John Higgins, Stephen Hendry, and Ronnie O’Sullivan boasting more ranking titles than The Ace in the Pack.

However he was quick to dismiss comparisons with Ronnie O'Sullivan, with the Rocket's staggering record of 23 Triple Crown trophies remaining the gold standard in the sport, and world number one Trump keen to shift the narrative - and become part of an elite group of players to have lifted all three Triple Crown titles in a single season, a feat accomplished only by Hendry, Steve Davis, and Mark Williams.

“I’m not comparing myself to Ronnie,” Trump told SportsBoom.com. "I’m in the hardest era of all time by a mile. In terms of people struggling to win major events, I think if you look at the likes of Mark Selby over the last five years, six years, and how amazing of a player he is, even he’s been struggling to win the odd event here and there. I’ve been able to win 20, 25 events in that time. I’m always going to be compared to Ronnie and whoever, but I think the time’s changed. I think it’s even harder now to win Triple Crown.

“I already set the record winning six events in a season. That’s very special to me. I think the only thing bigger than that would be to win all three Triple Crowns in a season. In terms of how hard it is to win six events, I’d put that up there with extremely