Ronnie O'Sullivan exile is opportunity for Judd Trump

New world number one Judd Trump views Ronnie O'Sullivan's decision to pull out of the rest of the 2012-13 season as a golden opportunity for himself.

O'Sullivan is taking a break from the sport because of "personal issues".

"It's disappointing but it leaves a hole now for someone to come through," Trump told BBC Sport.

Trump took over from Mark Selby as the top ranked player in the world by winning the inaugural International Championship in Chengdu, China.

But his victory was soon overshadowed by the news of O'Sullivan's self-imposed exile.

Trump, 23, added: "Every one is a little bit disappointed. A lot of people came to watch Ronnie so he will be missed.

"Obviously he has had trouble off the table and if his mind is not fully there, there is no point him going to tournaments.

"He is a fans' favourite, so someone needs to come through but he will be hard to replace.

"Ronnie has achieved everything so I can see where he's coming from. It's hard for him to keep going but I think one day he will come back."

Trump is now focusing on retaining his status as the world's best player and feels like a target for his rivals.

"It makes a difference to other players. They all want to beat you," he said.

"Everyone wants to be number one and Mark held it for a while, so he will want to get back there as soon as possible.

"I will have to keep winning tournaments to stay there.

"But I want to stay there for as long as possible. I don't want it to be for one month.

"People are going to want to beat me now. I will have to raise my game to keep up there."