The deadline to enter the sport's blue-chip event was Monday at lunchtime, but the Scotsman has opted against playing as he continues his work as a TV pundit away from the table with the 46th World Championship at the Crucible staged between 16 April-2 May LIVE on Eurosport. The circuit currently boasts only eight Scottish professionals. Here's a look back through time at his 20 Triple Crown titles, his 15 career maximums and the typically memorable moment he scored his 1000th century last year. MORE:Is Ronnie O'Sullivan snooker's GOAT? "John Higgins is on four, it's very hard to see anyone. Victories in the Scottish Open and the Irish Masters rebuilt his confidence, and at the 1999 world championship he survived an especially tough draw to reach the final, in which he defeated Mark Williams 1811. Glaswegian Alan McManus had already turned professional in 1990 and made an immediate breakthrough, reaching the UK Championship semi-finals and winning the Masters qualifying event in his debut season. Stephen Hendry, (born January 13, 1969, Edinburgh, Scotland), Scottish snooker player who won a record seven world titles and dominated the game throughout the 1990s. Way back in 1993 at the age of 17 he became the youngest winner of a ranking event at the UK Championship, and 27 years on he's bagged a record-breaking 37th as the oldest Crucible champion since Reardon in 1978. The 1989-90 season was the beginning of Stephen Hendrys period of dominance, both in major tournaments and atop the world rankings. Stephen . He had pushed his career earnings past 6.2 million (about $10 million) and by November had reclaimed his number one ranking. Comments. Hendry jokes with ref, The seven-time world champion accepted a two-year wild card from former World Snooker Tour chairman Barry Hearn at the outset of the 2020/21 season and played his first match since the 2012 World Championship when he lost 4-1 to. While Davis, the world number 39, has continued to play on the tour along with another legend, Jimmy White [ranked 44], Hendry has opted to quit 13 years after winning his last world title in 1999. However, given the varying format changes in the tournament's early life, most records in the sport are now taken from the period beginning 1969, when the knockout format at the world championship was reintroduced. 'It makes me so angry!' A ranking tournament is one that counts towards snooker's world rankings, which were introduced in the 1976-77 season. Hendry has the longest unbeaten streak in ranking tournament play, winning 36 consecutive matches in 1990 and 1991. Although he sat out of the 2022 World Snooker Championship qualifying, Hendry stated that he intends to continue competing. At 18, he won his first ranking title, the 1987 Grand Prix. Ronnie O'Sullivan has won more ranking titles in snooker than any other player, just ahead of Stephen Hendry. Bio. I'm enjoying the process.". 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. Ronnie O'Sullivan's sixth World Championship broke Stephen Hendry's record for the most career ranking titles and also extended his all-time Triple Crown tally to 20. Now in the world's top 16 for the first time, Ronnie O'Sullivan booked his place in the Masters tournament automatically, having made his debut the previous year after coming through the qualifying event ranked 57 in the world. Just by being here as world number one no less the Romford man was setting a record for most consecutive Crucible appearances with 30, a tally that is level with Steve Davis overall record. At age 30 (seven years younger than Reardon was when he won the first of his six world titles) Hendry considered retirement, but he persevered, working with former coach Frank Callan. Earlier breaks of 116 and 105 had moved OSullivan onto 999 and any speculation that he would wait for the World Championship to reach a thousand was ended with a sumptuous 134. Technically, the most successful player at the world championship is. 1. The age of professionalism in Scottish snooker came courtesy of a shy teenager who possessed a laser-like focus rarely witnessed before or since. This year he made the back pages for making amends in majestic fashion by compiling a breathtaking 147 break in the deciding frame of his semi-final with Mark Selby. He set a professional snooker record by scoring 556 unanswered points in a 6-0 quarter-final victory over Ricky Walden in 58 minutes and went on to reach his 10th final in the event - breaking Hendry's previous best of nine. The groan of appreciation from Stephen Hendry accompanies it perfectly. The Scot finished as the year-end rankings leader for eight seasons in a row from 1989/90 to 1996/97. 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. It capped a tumultuous tournament for O'Sullivan, who had threatened to launch a breakaway tour then required a final-frame decider to edge past veteran Ken Doherty in round two. His tour card was subsequently renewed for another two seasons.. 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. This is generally known as the start of the 'modern era'. Steve Davis says he cannot imagine anyone bettering Stephen Hendry's tally of seven World Championship titles. Once he decided he'd be the greatest player in the world, he achieved that.". Copyright 2017-2023 Rookie Road Inc. All rights reserved. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2011 Paul Hunter Classic - Adam Duffy, 12. He is much older and less driven, and the game has moved on with far more players capable now of playing to a high standard. It was the biggest margin of victory in the tournament's final since Steve Davis whitewashed Mike Hallett 9-0 in 1988. Rocket's 30 years at Crucible - Ronnie O'Sullivan set to pass another Stephen Hendry record at 46th World Championship Ronnie O'Sullivan holds almost all of the key records in snooker, but. Ronnie O'Sullivan has won more ranking titles in snooker than any other player, just ahead of Stephen Hendry. The 53-year-old Scotsman won 70 matches from 90 played at the Crucible between 1986 and 2012 when he appeared 27 times and lifted the world trophy on seven occasions in 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1999. "One thing you never stop missing as a sportsman is the buzz you get from a crowd. 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. Top 5 Ranked Men's Snooker Players Of All Time. Four years later, he turned professional. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stephen-Hendry, Electric Scotland - Biography of Stephen Hendry. There have been as many as 20 rankings tournament in a single season in recent years. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 2005: Wins his 36th and most recent ranking title at the Malta Cup. There, the Rocket punished Mark Selby 10-4 but the Jester would of course get his revenge in the World Championship final later that season. Stephen Gordon Hendry was born on January 13, 1969, in South Queensferry, Scotland. He managed it in six minutes and there was an amusing moment at the end when he removed the sponsor logo from his waistcoat! He capped off his incredible season by defeating Jimmy White in the final of the World Snooker Championship, winning his first world championship title,and setting a record for becoming the youngest to do so at the age of 21. However, when pressed for a more serious answer he replied: "I've never bothered about records, I've never performed well if I'm going for stuff like that. Ronnie O'Sullivan's first TV appearance aged just 14 in 1990, making a break of 75. 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. Tai Chengzhe/Visual China Group via Getty Images. believes Hendry's achievements mark him out as the stand-out player in the sport's history. **Hendry resumed playing in 2021 after nine years out, but his future on the tour is unclear. The prodigious talent underlined his rich potential in emphatic fashion at just his second UK Championship by beating Ken Doherty, Steve Davis and Darren Morgan before defeating Stephen Hendry, who'd already won three world titles, two UK crowns and five successive Masters by this time, 106 in the final. The Romford potter has amassed 52 more Crucible centuries (179 vs 127) to take his astonishing overall career tally to 1,061 compared to Scotsman's mark of 775 - which is second on the all-time list - while 15 of those were maximums. Hed sacrificed much to get to the top and had no regrets. **Hendry resumed playing in 2021 after nine years out, but his future on the tour is unclear. Ranking the game's top five players in history, including World Championship stars. One of snooker's all-time greats Scotland's Stephen Hendry remains the player with the most World Championship titles to his name in the modern era following his record seven Crucible crowns won from 1990-1999. 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. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. To be the best was all he had ever wanted. Unseen footage: OSullivan breaks down in tears as seventh world title sinks in, 'I hated it' - O'Sullivan on why he did not enjoy winning seventh world title. 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. In recognition of his excellence in the sport, Hendry was knighted, receiving a MBE recognition in 1994. "Obviously a name for the future. In 2006, however, he demonstrated that he still possessed the talent that made him such a force in the 1990s when he claimed the number one ranking once again. 1999: Wins his record seventh world title, seeing off Mark Williams in the final. Although he remained a fixture in the sports top 10 rankings, he was unable to equal the heights he had reached in the previous decade. Read about our approach to external linking. Evans slams 'disgusting' prize money in women's snooker as Baipat claims world title. Perhaps it had to if he was to avoid serious burnout. Stephen Hendry has opted out of entering the 2022 World Snooker Championship qualifiers only 12 months after returning following a nine-year absence. Maybe not that night, because there's still a little bit of sadness that he equalled my record. Ranking the game's top five players in history, including World Championship stars. - Stunning clearance after big White miss, You have to write off the first year OSullivan on Hendry comeback, 'Youve got a long night ahead!' In 25 years time, maybe that record will fall too. It is unclear if Hendry will be offered another wild card to continue playing or if he will accept it. Earlier in the tournament he'd beaten Marcus Campbell (10-4), Ali Carter (13-8), Stuart Bingham (13-4) and Judd Trump 17-11. Stephen Maguire became UK champion in 2004 and currently has six ranking titles to his name. Twelve months earlier, the Rocket hit the headlines for the wrong reasons at the Barbican when forfeiting his quarter-final against Stephen Hendry when trailing 4-1 in the first to nine frames. I wouldn't say it's the wrong decision - it's just down to the individual.". At the first World Team Cup in 1979, there was not even a Scottish team. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 1997 World Championship v Mick Price, 2. 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. There were so many - 70 titles in total - that we had to settle on just a dozen. "I would say no, because there are so many great players competing against each other to win every tournament," he told BBC Sport. For good measure Hendry also spent a recordbreaking nine years as world No 1, ahead of. Graeme Dott, raised on the Easterhouse estate in Glasgow often associated with social decay, demonstrated his iron toughness by becoming world champion in 2006. After winning his first World Championship in 1990, he became the youngest player ever to lift the title at 21. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2014 Welsh Open - Ding Junhui, 13. Indeed OSullivans time span of winning major titles which now stands at 29 years is testament to the astounding longevity of his greatness compared to anyone whos ever picked up a cue, Hendry included. 'pic.twitter.com/7eVJQ8XH6D, If you consider the high stakes, the context, the pressure, this must be one of the greatest shots in the history of snooker from Ronnie OSullivan. O'Sullivan's inactivity in the previous season had saw him slump down to 19 in the rankings but his status as world champion earned him a spot in the Masters field. His top break of 141 was the highest in a World Championship final, beating O'Sullivan's previous best mark of 139 in 2001. Stephen Hendry proceeded to defend his title for the following four years.
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