World Snooker Championship: Judd Trump says even Ronnie O'Sullivan knows he is the best

Judd Trump says even reigning world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan knows he is the number one player in the world.

Trump's first-round win over Liam Highfield at the World Championship means he will remain top of the rankings at the start of next season.

But had Trump lost, world number two and top seed O'Sullivan could have replaced him by retaining the title.

"I have done enough over the past couple of seasons to be world number one," said Trump.

"Even if I wasn't number one, I still think everyone knows I have been the best player over the past two or three seasons."

World number two O'Sullivan, 45, has won a total of 37 ranking titles during an illustrious career, but only one of those has been in the past two seasons, with a further title coming in the Shanghai Masters - a non-ranking event.

The Rocket has been a runner-up in six ranking events.

But during the same period, Trump, 31, has lifted 11 ranking titles, taking his career tally to 22 - which puts him sixth on the all-time list.

Trump said the fact that O 'Sullivan was in with a chance of going top by taking the ranking points from the £500,000 winner's prize at the Crucible "shows a bit of a strange system, to say the least".

"I have been the best player in the past couple of years and I think, probably deep down, even though it's tough to win the World Championship two years in a row, Ronnie would know he is not the best in that time," Trump said.

"But it can't happen now anyway.

"The World Championship is kind of flawed system in that there are so many ranking points up for offer that sometimes it's not the best player over the current period is the world number one."