Despite entering the tournament as the world number one, Trump has been somewhat overlooked in the build-up, with more focus on Ronnie O’Sullivan’s quest to win a record eighth crown or Zhao Xintong’s bid to crack the Crucible ‘curse’.
Trump, who is still searching for his second world title after clinching his first in 2019, said: “I enjoy that other people are being spoken about a lot more, because all the pressure is on them.
“If no one is expecting me to win, it’s not going to be a big shock if I don’t win. I know deep down I’m more than good enough to win it, but I enjoy being the underdog at the same time.”
Gary Wilson during his first round match against Judd Trump
Trump has steadily built momentum during the current campaign despite being forced to move from his base in Dubai to train in Thailand because of the repercussions of the war in Iran.
And he is determined to retain his status as world number one, which is under threat from Zhao and Neil Robertson, both of whom could usurp the 36-year-old if they go on to win the tournament.
“I like being number one, and I think it’s going to be difficult to keep unless I do really well next season,” added Trump. “But if I win the World Championship, it puts that all to bed really.
“I love being number one and I take a lot of pride from that.”
Trump resumed on Tuesday evening 5-4 ahead after a topsy-turvy opening session on Monday in which he hit back from 4-1 down.
Wilson fired a break of 58 to pull level after the restart, but Trump generally held the upper hand in an attritional encounter and powered to the finish line with top breaks of 71 and 69.
Afterwards, former semi-finalist Wilson revealed he was “embarrassed” by the state of his game and bemoaned his inability to punish an opponent who was far from his best.
“I’m constantly feeling like an embarrassment,” said Wilson, a three-time ranking event winner who lost to Trump on his solitary appearance in the semi-finals in 2019.
“People don’t see me as that, but I’m not competing anywhere near the level I used to be able to do. I’m just so much worse than I used to be.
“Judd would be the first to tell you he wasn’t great. I should really have been 5-2 or 5-3 up. If I’m a normal player, like I was years ago, like any other pro on the tour who’s got half a brain, I would probably be winning that game unless Judd really plays well.”
Liam Pullen made four half-centuries but still trails 13th seed Chris Wakelin 5-4 after the first session of their first-round match that concludes on Wednesday.
Pullen, 20, looked unfazed on his tournament debut and delivered a crucial break of 58 to win the final frame of the morning and keep himself well in contention.