Ronnie O'Sullivan retirement verdict reached as snooker rival twists the knife - 'We won't see him'
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Judd Trump has suggested snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan's career is nearing its end, claiming fans "won't see him many more times" in major tournaments.
The stark assessment comes as O'Sullivan, a seven-time world champion, remains absent from the Masters after withdrawing on medical grounds.
"Because Ronnie is starting to miss more events, people realise that they might not see him that much longer," Trump said.
"Maybe now is the time to appreciate what you have taken for granted for the last 20 or 30 years. When he's missing an event, everyone notices."
Ronnie O'Sullivan pulled out of the Masters just before it was set to get underway
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Trump painted a clear picture of O'Sullivan's potential timeline for retirement from the sport.
"You're probably looking at the last five years of knuckling down and going for it," he said.
The 2019 world champion suggested O'Sullivan could exit even sooner, stating: "To be honest, it could be any point where one more World Championship and maybe he calls it a day."
Trump also believes O'Sullivan's dominance has diminished, adding: "He maybe doesn't have the same intimidating factor that he had.
"A lot more players are able to beat him."
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"The world will always move on, there will always be other players coming through," Trump added.
Trump's comments come amid his own remarkable run of success this season, as he leads the world rankings by a significant margin.
The Bristol potter has already secured two major titles, winning the £500,000 Saudi Arabia Masters in September and the UK Championship, which earned him £250,000.
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Judd Trump is among the snooker players stepping up to fill the void left by Ronnie O'Sullivan in recent events he has pulled out of
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He has now made a winning start at the Masters, defeating Barry Hawkins 6-1 in the first round.
If Trump claims victory at the Masters this week in London, he will head to the World Championship with three of the four top trophies in his possession.
Despite his recent success, Trump believes his achievements in snooker are undervalued.
"I think now more than ever I am under appreciated. For my age I've won a lot of events and achieved a lot of things in snooker," Trump said.
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He highlighted his record of winning six ranking titles in a season during 2019-20, a feat he feels is often overlooked.
"You're only going back to Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry in the more recent times that have done that. Not even John Higgins or Ronnie O'Sullivan," he noted.
"I'm proud of myself for what I've achieved. I don't need other people to tell me how great it is but it would be nice for people to recognise it."
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