Judd Trump “will be a little bit hurt” by his start to the season – legend Stephen Hendry has told a podcast.
The world number one star has failed to defend both his Shanghai Masters and Saudia Arabia Masters titles from last year.
Trump goes into the upcoming Wuhan Open with just one win under his belt so far this season – a win over Neil Robertson in the Last 16 in Shanghai.
But in Jeddah Trump lost out to Oliver Lines in his first match, meaning he failed to pick up any ranking points.
However, despite his slow start to the season, Trump is still ranked the world’s best player by some distance. He has a £600k-plus lead on his closest rival Kyren Wilson.
Seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry said Trump will be disappointed by his start to the campaign. The legendry player said losing title defences felt like someone stealing from you.
Speaking on the Snooker Club podcast Hendry said: “Last two tournaments he’s not defended. I used to hate that, you think someone is stealing from you.
Judd Trump hoping to bounce back in Wuhan Open
“There’s more tournaments to come but he’ll be a little bit hurt. He’ll have to lick his wounds.”
Hendry added: “He’s had failures last two tournaments. All he’s interested in is wins.”
Trump won three major titles last season and ended the season with a defeat in the World Championship semi-finals.
His next match will be in the Wuhan Open ranking event which starts on Sunday. Players will compete for a top prize of £140,000.
Trump faces Farakh Ajaib from Pakistan who won four games in the Saudi Arabia Masters. Victory in that game will set up a second round clash against China’s Liu Hongyu.
Last season Trump reached the semi-finals but lost 6-2 to an impressive Si Jiahui, who made a superb 147 maximum break. Watch the YouTube clip below.
Main Image: Judd Trump – WPBSA
