Hendrys father bought him a junior-sized snooker table for Christmas when he was twelve.He became obsessed with the game, quickly developing his skills, and began competing in junior amateur tournaments. The Scot finished as the year-end rankings leader for eight seasons in a row from 1989/90 to 1996/97. "Its just a number at the end of the day, I dont get too caught up with it to be honest with you.". Mark Selby has been playing around 280 minutes to lead 5-4. Finishes Tournaments played: 3 Category Winner Stephen Hendry has been one of the most successful snooker players in recent history and is widely regarded as one of the best to ever play the game.Tied with Ronnie OSullivan at seven titles apiece, no one has won more World Snooker Championships in the modern era than Hendry.Keep reading to find out all about his background and career, as well as what the snooker superstar is up to today. These days, he is playing not just against the new players but his own past, judged by the performances of his pomp and suffering in comparison. But it was a strange feeling I had. That year he also won the Australian Masters and successfully defended his Scottish Professional Championship and World Doubles Championship titles.. Then a week or so afterwards, I was like, OK, he's got the mantle now to live up to. The winning moment The post-match interview The trophy lift Ronnie O'Sullivan is world champion for a sixth time pic.twitter.com/JfO90m22ak, Ronnie O'Sullivan wasn't mincing his words tonight! 'The players coming through are so bad I'd probably have to lose an arm and a leg to fall out of the top 50. I wouldn't say it's the wrong decision - it's just down to the individual.". There were a handful of Scottish professionals in the early years of TV snooker but they did not seriously challenge for titles, although one hard man, Eddie Sinclair, did take on the notoriously thirsty Canadian Bill Werbeniuk in a legendary drinking contest. The 1989-90 season was the beginning of Stephen Hendrys period of dominance, both in major tournaments and atop the world rankings. Davis, who lost the 1989 and 1990 UK Championship finals to Hendry, continued: "In a way I feel that it's quite a sad day for me. O'Sullivan has always played down his pursuit of the record and maintained that stance in his post-match press conference. Who has won the most World Snooker Championship titles? "It was a mixture of embarrassment, anger, frustration, sadness, everything," Stephen Hendry says as he remembers how his dominance of snooker unravelled into, in his mind . Technically, the most successful player at the world championship is Joe Davis, who won 15 consecutive titles from 1927 to 1946. 1999: Wins his record seventh world title, seeing off Mark Williams in the final. He has played a partial schedule in 2021 and 2022, never making it past the second round of a tournament. It was the biggest margin of victory in the tournament's final since Steve Davis whitewashed Mike Hallett 9-0 in 1988. Mark Allen, Mark Selby and John Higgins had all thwarted his attempts to lift the Crucible trophy for a fourth time as he failed to get past the quarter-final in any of the previous three seasons. There's obviously a lot more to consider than just stone cold statistics and tallies when debating greatest players of all time, but there can be no doubt the genius manner in which O'Sullivan's numbers escalated - not to mention the entertainment factor away from the baize - has helped him transcend his sport and popular culture like no other. O'Sullivan's fifth UK Championship is another iconic moment in his career after he followed up the 13th 147 maximum break of his career against Matthew Selt in the last 16 before edging out rising star Judd Trump 10-9 in a truly gripping final that he'd led 9-4. He claimed the number one ranking in 1990 and held it until White defeated him at the world championship in 1998. His swashbuckling professional career spanning 28 glorious years has taken snooker fans to mesmerising heights and even at the age of 44, his continued brilliance and popularity across all generations is keeping him very much at the forefront of the sport. Ronnie O'Sullivan roof raising moment part 6567676: The way he scores the 100th point of his 1000th century. With Judd, we all knew he wasn't playing his best. He shares the record for most World Snooker Championship wins with Ronnie OSullivan: both have seven titles. His comeback was much anticipated but has been largely underwhelming. Evans slams 'disgusting' prize money in women's snooker as Baipat claims world title. Snooker player Stephen Hendry's professional Match results, Frame scores, centuries, prize money, statistics from season 2022-2023 . There were so many - 70 titles in total - that we had to settle on just a dozen. Stream the Scottish Open and more top snooker action live on, 'Feels amazing' Higgins ends 13-month title drought by retaining Championship League crown, Zhao and Yan to miss World Championship ahead of match-fixing hearing. Wishaws John Higgins was taken with one of his brothers to a snooker club as a boy by their father, who could have a social drink with his friends while his sons were happily occupied. BBC commentators and presenters for 2022 World Snooker Championship. BBC pundit and 1985 world champion Dennis Taylor believes Hendry's achievements mark him out as the stand-out player in the sport's history. I can't explain it. Walter Donaldson became the world champion in the post-war era, but for a long time, Scotland lagged behind the other UK nations. While many had given the enigmatic Rocket GOAT status on talent grounds long before hed surpassed Stephen Hendrys records for most ranking titles (36) and Triple Crowns (18) due to the countless moments of unfathomable genius and blockbusting entertainment hed treated us to since bursting onto the scene in 1993, the statistics have now landed the knockout blow. After witnessing Ronnie O'Sullivan finally tie his longstanding record of seven World Snooker Championship titles, Stephen Hendry said he was "surprised it's taken him so long." The seemingly. After three semi-final defeats in the 1990s and a shock 10-9 defeat to David Gray in round one of the Millennium edition, O'Sullivan reached his first Crucible final by overcoming Andy Hicks (10-2), Dave Harold (13-6), Peter Ebdon (13-6) and Joe Swail (17-11) before an absorbing 18-14 victory over 1998 champion John Higgins. We look back at his 28. He represented his nation at the highest level of a hugely popular sport with distinction, winning 36 ranking tournaments including seven World Championships. He hadn't reached the final since his defeat to Mark Selby in 2014 and hadn't even gone beyond the quarter-finals in this time, while his first-round defeat to qualifier James Cahill 12 months earlier went down as one of the biggest shocks in World Championship history. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Selby clinched his fourth triumph this . However, one big difference was how he approached the game itself. ", Ronnie O'Sullivan has won seven world titles, CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO WATCH ALL THE CRUCIBLE 147s, Crucible Champions: A look at every winner, Crucible memories: White a People's Champion, Joint most World Championships (7, equal with Stephen Hendry), Oldest ever world champion (46 years, 148 days), Youngest ever ranking winner (17 years, 358 days UK Championship, 1993), Joint most Crucible appearances (30, equal with Steve Davis), Most consecutive Crucible appearances (30), Most Crucible match wins (74 from 97 matches), Joint most Crucible 147s (3, level with Stephen Hendry). His all-time leading tally of 20 Triple Crowns, which also consists of seven UK Championships and seven Masters, is now two more than what Hendry achieved in his legendary career, although the Scotsman condensed his 18 (7 worlds, 5 UKs & 6 Masters) into a formidable 10-year spell from 1989 to 1999. O'Sullivan set to pass another Hendry record This maximum in an exhibition against Reanne Evans last year is also well worth a watch. It earned him 75 of the 11million+ he's now won 30 years later. Hendry, who turned pro in 1985 aged 16, twice managed to win all three prestigious tournaments in one season (1989-90 & 95-96) - a feat O'Sullivan has never achieved - but only managed four more ranking triumphs this Millennium until he retired at the age of 43 following his 27th consecutive World Championship in 2012. In terms of weeks spent as world number one, as of April 18, 2022, Stephen Hendry tops the list. In 1984, at age 15, Hendry became the youngest Scottish amateur snooker champion in history. Some were more successful than others but they became regular faces on the circuit. "For me - and I've said it since 1990 - he's the greatest player ever to lift a snooker cue. He remains the only player to have compiled a 147 break during the one-table stage of the semi-finals of the World Championship (1995). Updates? It almost took the pressure off me kind of thing, not that I'm under pressure to do anything. O'Sullivan may well still be a solitary world title shy of Hendry's historic mark of seven after his 18-8 victory over Kyren Wilson drew him level with Steve Davis and Ray Reardon, but few can possibly dispute the Rocket's unofficial status as the greatest snooker player of all time. In 1996, with an 1812 victory over Peter Ebdon, Hendry captured his sixth world championship, a feat only two other players (Ray Reardon in the 1970s and Steve Davis in the 1980s) had achieved in the modern era. 2023 Eurosport, a Warner Bros. MORE:Is Ronnie O'Sullivan snooker's GOAT? Hendry, 43, retired on Tuesday after a 13-2 quarter-final defeat by Stephen Maguire ended his 27th consecutive appearance at the Crucible. Technically, the most successful player at the world championship is Joe Davis, who won 15 consecutive titles from 1927 to 1946. Stephen Maguire became UK champion in 2004 and currently has six ranking titles to his name. 6x World champion 7x UK champion 7x Masters champion 20 Triple Crowns A record 37th ranking title 1,061 century breaks 15 147s Legendary brilliance on the table Legendary entertainment off it Ronnie O'Sullivan, the GOAT pic.twitter.com/jeDAixy07w. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2001 LG Cup - Drew Hendry, 6. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. He practised with military discipline, watched over by his no-nonsense manager, Ian Doyle, and the rewards came quickly. He admired and coveted Daviss success and adopted his mindset. - Stunning clearance after big White miss, You have to write off the first year OSullivan on Hendry comeback, 'Youve got a long night ahead!' All these matches are part of the process, and getting me comfortable in arenas again. 2014 UK Championship Final: Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Judd Trump DECIDER! Steve Davis says he cannot imagine anyone bettering Stephen Hendry's tally of seven World Championship titles. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. He declared the match over when missing a red in frame six despite leading 24-0 at the time and although he later apologised to Hendry and his fans, O'Sullivan was fined 20,800 for his actions. In typical fashion, the 100th point of his 1000th century was secured left-handed, and O'Sullivan - to continued, rapturous applause - went on to clear the table fully, even the white finding its way to the pocket to deny what would've been a 141. Corrections? Last updated on 2 May 20122 May 2012.From the section Snooker. O'Sullivan returned to the sport just in time for the Masters after a near eight-month hiatus in which he decided to defend his UK Championship title in December 2015.