Exclusive: Judd Trump’s Dubai Move Backfires as Brother’s Visa Woes Hit Practice Routine

Judd Trump has revealed his brother Jack’s struggles to get a visa for Dubai has left him under-prepared for tournaments amid his near year-long title drought.

The world No.1 last lifted a trophy at last season’s UK Championship, a long wait by his sky-high standards.

Trump moved to Dubai in January 2024, but his brother Jack is still waiting for the paperwork to give him the right to live in the country.

Ace in the Pack Trump, 36, has credited having his brother by his side since becoming a serial winner in the sport in 2018.

Trump won his Champion of Champions group on Monday and takes on world champ Zhao Xintong in a thrilling showdown in Friday night’s semi-final.

And talking to SportsBoom in an exclusive interview, Trump admitted: “It’s been tough not having Jack around. It’s obviously a big change from the last five or six years.”

“It’s a big different. You can't practice as much as you’d like to or the quality of practice is not quite as good. Sometimes that rubs off on your sharpness when you get to the tournaments.”

“I’m hoping it gets sorted in the next few weeks or month and then the second part of the season there will be no excuses.”

“It’s not something I envisaged. I thought it would be more straightforward than it has been. It was easy for me, but a bit more difficult to him.”

“When you’re practicing and have someone getting the balls out it’s like having a referee at a tournament.”

“Your pace of play is the same, but when you’re on your own and no-one's watching the intensity isn’t quite there and your concentration. It’s the one per cent difference can be the difference between winning and losing.”

A Matter of Time

Trump has been snooker’s most prolific winner in recent years and has rocketed to an incredible 30 ranking titles, with 22 of those coming since a turning-point victory at the 2018 Northern Ireland Open. 

It was in Belfast where Trump came closest to snapping his winless spell losing 9-8 to best pal Jack Lisowski on an emotional evening which united the snooker world.

Trump changed his cue earlier this season, retiring the one he won his 2019 world title and most of his ranking crowns with, and is struggling with the tip. 

Asked how he feels about his wait for glory, Trump insisted: “To be honest I don’t really care. I just go out and try my best.”

“I was close to winning in Belfast a few weeks ago against Jack. I don’t get too high or too low anymore. It’s not a big thing if I don’t win an event. I just go back and try again.”

“It’s not all been good over the last five or six years. There was one season where I didn't win much at all.”

“It’s not that simple. I've not been in every final, but I’ve reached a final, losing 9-8. It’s not like it's the end of the world where I’m losing first round and I’m thinking about giving up because I’m not good enough anymore.”

“I could have easily won a tournament a few weeks ago and then it’s a different story. It's not far away.”

“It’s a few things with my cue, the tip, my brother now being there. When I get those things sorted and I feel more comfortable it will be a different story.”