JUDD TRUMP says he escaped the UK to enjoy better weather and snooker facilities — not for tax reasons.
The Juddernaut, 36, has been dividing his time between Dubai and Hong Kong for more than a year-and-a-half.
The Bristol-born potter does not mind getting on a plane and commuting to Britain for the many major snooker events.
He will soon be in London ahead of his Masters first-round clash with Ding Junhui next Wednesday.
Of course, there are financial benefits to being in the Middle East but Trump says there were several personal reasons why he relocated.
Trump, a two-time Masters champion, explained: “We can’t get away with tax. Everything (earned) in the UK is still taxed. So that’s not the reason.
“For me, the reason for going is I enjoy spending time outdoors, and I can’t really get that here in the UK anymore.
“I enjoy playing golf a lot in my downtime, and I brought some of my clubs to the UK Championship but was unable to play as it was too cold.
“So there’s a few reasons. I’ve always wanted to move to Dubai. I just felt like now is the time when the game is changing, really.
“Half the tournaments are abroad. I can imagine that there’s going to be a day where it’s actually beneficial to be in Dubai or wherever it is, rather than in the UK anymore.
BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK
“That’s what I feel. Obviously because of Zhao Xintong, there’s going to be more tournaments in China in the future and abroad.”
Trump has been joined in the UAE desert city by world No.37 Matthew Selt and seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, who is yet to confirm if he will play the Masters.
Because of his status as world No.1, Trump does not have to play in qualifiers in venues with no fans and his ‘held-over’ games are usually on site during tournament week.
Should he drop down the rankings, then that privilege will disappear – and if that happens, he will have a big decision to make.
The 2019 world snooker champion said: “There’s always the Welsh Open and Scottish Open that I want to play in.
“There are a few others that I now miss, just because they’re not ideal for me, in terms of conditions or how the tables are playing.
“And sometimes I just quite simply don’t really want to be in some of the places.
“We can’t play in every single tournament, because that’s not viable, but for me, I’m probably just in a better position than some of the other players.
“Being number one, I’ve been able to have my games held over.
“Ronnie’s games are always held over because he’s been the best player in the world for some time.
“So it’s more difficult when you’ve got to come out for qualifying. That’s when it’s going to get tough. So at the moment, it’s all right for me.
“But if I drop down the rankings and I’m coming back to Wigan and Sheffield and stuff every week, I’ll probably have to re-evaluate what tournaments I play in then.”
