JUDD TRUMP has hit out at the snooker calendar after being forced into what he called a “mad dash” across the globe following his German Masters triumph.
The world No1 lifted the title in Berlin on Sunday night after a dominant 10-4 win over Shaun Murphy, only to be immediately faced with a gruelling journey to the Far East.
Trump claimed a record extending fourth German Masters crown in the German capital, but now has to travel 5,400 miles to Hong Kong for his next competitive match.
The 36-year-old is due to face Yuan Sijun in the first round on Wednesday at 7pm local time, having arrived in Hong Kong just a day earlier.
A seven-hour time difference between Germany and Hong Kong leaves Trump with little time to recover from jet lag before returning to the table.
Murphy finds himself in exactly the same situation after also contesting Sunday’s final in which Trump pocketed £100,000 for winning.
Former world champion Murphy, 43, is booked on the same Monday flight and will open his campaign against Pang Junxu.
With the Hong Kong event offering a £180,000 winner’s prize, Trump suggested success in Berlin could actually harm players’ chances the following week.
He said: “Because if you do well here, it’s probably detrimental to next week, which should probably be the other way.”
Trump made clear his frustration with the current scheduling and called for greater consideration of player welfare when fixtures are arranged by the World Snooker Tour.
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The WST defended its schedule, stressing that a busier global tour brings logistical challenges for players competing week to week.
A WST spokesperson said: “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.”
Trump’s Berlin victory ended a string of four defeats in finals and was his first silverware since the 2024 UK Championship.
