Copyright dailystar
Snooker legend Judd Trump relocated to Dubai from the UK and is currently living thousands of miles away from his figure-skating girlfriend. While he has 30 ranking titles to his name in his impressive career, Trump was unable to secure another victory on Sunday, losing 9-8 to Jack Lisowski in the Northern Ireland Open final, seven years after winning it . This marked the first time that the 34-year-old defeated the world No. 1 in a ranking final, having previously lost to him three times. Lisowski finally clinched his first-ever ranking title in Belfast. Meanwhile, it's been a less-than-spectacular season for Trump, who suffered last-16 defeats at both the English Open and the British Open last month. The 36-year-old also spends some time nearly 3,700 miles away from home in Hong Kong, where his girlfriend Maisy Ma resides. Some within the snooker community have speculated that Trump's move could be behind his struggle to maintain his high standards that has seen him be regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport's history. However, the former world champion dismissed this theory, pointing out the significant tournament victories he's achieved since moving to Dubai . Since his relocation, he's won the German Masters, World Open, Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, UK Championship, and Shanghai Masters. Speaking to TNT Sports, he said: "January 2024, I have been doing it since. I have won a lot of big events in that period, it has zero effect on that. That is not the reason why I have not won, it is just that the standard is so good. "Sometimes you will have spells of six months, a year without winning, so you have to wait your time, be patient and put in the hard work and it will come." Trump also mentioned his recent change of cue, acknowledging that it would take some time to adjust: "It is a big change in changing my cue. It is going to take a bit of time to get used to, so I am not too worried." Despite altering his equipment, Trump still managed to compete in his 50th ranking final on Sunday. Lisowski, in a heartfelt tribute following his win, referred to the Bristol-born snooker player as his "best friend." An emotional Lisowski opened up about how Trump has supported him since his father's unexpected passing in March. The 34-year-old shared: "Judd's been my best friend pretty much since I was 14, and he was there eight months ago when I got the message about my dad." He then turned to Trump and told him: "You've been a better friend than I could ever ask for for the last eight months. You're the closest thing I can have to a brother, and I love you." Lisowski spoke up about the heartbreaking loss of his father earlier in the tournament when telling TNT Sports: "It's up and down. It feels different now. I didn't have a lot of fight in me the first few months, but now I'm just able to play and I don't feel like crying when I'm playing. "I played like a month after my dad died, in the Worlds, and every frame I just felt so emotional. I wish I'd had longer off. But I kept going. Obviously, it doesn't get easier, but you just get used to it."
