Judd Trump looking to bring relaxed pool mentality to the table after beating Andrew Pagett at Northern Ireland Open
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Updated 13/10/2021 at 17:02 GMT
“It was so different,” Trump told Eurosport. “Here the expectation is on me, people expect me to win or do well every time I come to the table. Over there, I was just able to enjoy it. If I am able to bring that sort of mindset over to snooker to just go and enjoy it. I sometimes have it, but when you are winning you then don’t want to lose."
‘If i can play like that then I am at my best!’ – Trump on bringing pool mentality to snooker
Judd Trump is eager to bring the mindset he had during his flirtation with pool to the snooker table.
With there being a gap in the snooker calendar before the Northern Ireland Open, which Trump kicked off with a 4-1 win over Andrew Pagett, the world number two travelled to America for the US Open Pool Championship.
Trump won three matches before being thumped by Jayson Shaw, and he said his experience in Atlantic City was an enjoyable one.
He took to the 9-ball game with no expectations and played with freedom, which is when he is happiest.
The pressure on him to perform at snooker makes playing with freedom more difficult, but he is looking to adopt that mentality.
“It was so different,” Trump told Eurosport. “Here the expectation is on me, people expect me to win or do well every time I come to the table. Over there, I was just able to enjoy it.
“If am able to bring that sort of mindset over to snooker to just go and enjoy it. I sometimes have it, but when you are winning you then don’t want to lose.
If I can play like that all the time, that is when I am at my best.
Reflecting on his win over Pagett, Trump said: “It was a bit edgy. I’ve not played in a tournament in what feels like forever really. Not played a proper tournament since the World Championship.
“I’ve been practising on my own, so I don’t know how I'm really playing. When you get out there it is completely different and if you make mistakes against yourself at home it does not matter, but when you get out there you get punished.
“It was disappointing to lose the first frame, it was all a bit scrappy and the balls did not run. In the end I was just happy to get a good win.”
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