Trump went into the 2017 World Championship declaring: "I honestly believe I can play to a standard which is very rare nowadays," and that he was "the best" in the world. He won the first four frames in his opening match, before Rory McLeod responded to lead 5–4. Trump appeared to be struggling with a shoulder injury and eventually lost the match 8–10 to a player ranked 52 places below him in the rankings.