MARK ALLEN has warned Judd Trump he wants to recapture snooker’s world No.1 spot – after a “disappointing” brief time at the top.
One of the narratives of this baize campaign will be who finishes at the summit of the rankings once the Crucible World Championship has ended next May.
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There is a three-way fight going on between Allen, world champion Kyren Wilson and Trump, whose £500,000 cheque for winning the Saudi Masters has given him a considerable cushion.
Yet performances at two of the three Triple Crown events – the UK Championship and Masters – will play a significant role in this battle.
Allen, 38, took supremacy of the sport on May 7 but after 111 days, most of which was during the tournament-free summer months, the Northern Ireland potter was overtaken by Trump.
The Pistol – an ambassador for Unibet – told SunSport: “It was strange. It was extremely underwhelming to achieve a lifetime goal and there wasn’t a lot of coverage with it.
“There haven’t been any additives from being world No.1. So, it has been a bit disappointing if I’m honest.
“If I was able to get back there and stay for a long time, I’m sure there would be extra benefits that come with it. It has been disappointing to say the least.
“That’s one of my targets that I’ve set for the season, to finish as No.1.
“I know I’ll have to have a very good year given how good a year Judd had last year.
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“But I’m confident in my abilities to win a few tournaments, including the World Championship, which is huge money.
“I’m only the 12th person that has become world No.1 – and there have been more world champions than that.”
Allen faces Gary Wilson on Monday in a heldover match at the Unibet British Open in Cheltenham.
The latter event at the famous racecourse has a FA Cup-style open draw where top seeds could face each other in early rounds.
That means there is the prospect of Allen and Trump, 35, being drawn against each other at some point in Gloucestershire.
The world No.3 continued: “What being world No.1 brought to my attention is how well I’m thought of among the players, given the amount of people that congratulated me.
“It makes you feel taller, it makes you feel more important. That’s a great feeling to have.
“It’s a special category to be in. Ultimately, it’s about winning that world championship. That is the box that needs to be ticked in my CV.
“I believe where I am going with my game and if I don’t win multiple events this season, including one of the Triple Crowns, then I’ll be disappointed.
“There’s a battle going on with the three of us right now, that is only good for the sport.
“If there is constant changing of the guard I think that is great, rather than one player alone standing out, and the rest get forgotten about. It can be a fun season on that front.”
Mark Allen is an ambassador for UNIBET, the new headline sponsor for the British Open, which is between September 23-29.