HENDRY MARK HARD TO BEAT
Why seven-time world champion feels his record will be so tough to surpass
SNOOKER legend Stephen Hendry believes his Crucible record of seven World Championship titles will never be beaten.
The former king of the Crucible, now 48, dominated the game in the Nineties – he was world No 1 for eight consecutive seasons – and lifted the famous trophy in Sheffield in 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1999.
This eclipsed the six world titles won there by Steve Davis – who had ruled the Eighties – and is a record in the modern era.
Hendry – who made his comeback from retirement last month at the World Seniors Championship, after five years out of the professional game, does not see any player threatening his Crucible record in the future.
“I don’t think it will be beaten,” he told The Yorkshire Post in an exclusive interview. “I think there are too many players at tournaments these days who can win.
“I think Mark Selby can win at least another two, maybe three or four, if he keeps dominating the way he is.
“He has the type of game to win four or five world championships.
“But I don’t see anyone coming through, of the players that are out there, who could win eight titles at the Crucible.”
Current champion Selby – who opens his defence at the Betfred World Championship on Saturday morning – has two Crucible wins, in 2014 and last year.
At 33, time is on Selby’s side, and the world No 1 is the man to beat over 17 days from Saturday.
The other modern-day players close to Hendry’s feat are Ronnie O’Sullivan with five world titles (2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013) and John Higgins with four (1998, 2007, 2009, 2011).
Scotsman Higgins, 41, has not won a world title in six years, while O’Sullivan, at 41, would seem to be Hendry’s biggest threat, but has reduced his workload on the snooker tour in recent seasons.
Hendry believes O’Sullivan has lost some of the aura that surrounded his game, and left some opponents beaten before they even came to the table.
“I think he (O’Sullivan) has started to lose the authority that he had,” said Hendry. “He used to just be able to turn up and win.
“Now, he’s not doing that any more. But who is coming up to try and challenge these guys? I can’t really see anyone.
“There was a time when I thought Judd Trump could be the one, but he hasn’t done it. He has hit a brick wall.
“There isn’t anyone challenging, so you might see the likes of Selby, O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Neil Robertson, as the players who are all going to be sharing World Championships between them.”
Over the last decade there have been five different winners in Higgins (3), O’Sullivan (3), Selby (2), Robertson and Stuart Bingham. It is five years since Hendry quit in 2012, and 18 years since he won the last of his seven world titles.
Hendry said: “The standard now is very high, but I don’t think the top players are doing anything now that I wasn’t doing.
“But if you look further down the rankings, around the 30s, the standard there is better than it used to be.
“You used to get a couple of easy rounds before you faced the top players; now you can lose from the word go.”
Joe Davis holds the record for most world championships – preCrucible and 1977 – winning 15 between 1927 and 1946.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the World Championship being staged at the Crucible theatre, Hendry and Steve Davis will join a host of former champions on Friday night in Sheffield.
The evening – open to fans – will also include modern-day players competing for this year’s crown.
The show, which starts at 6pm, will be a mixture of live interviews with green baize greats like Hendry and Davis, plus archive footage of the most memorable moments of the past four decades.
“It’s going to be a wonderful occasion,” said six-time champion Davis, who retired from professional snooker last year, having won the title in 1981, 1983, 1984, and 1987-1989. “It’s amazing to think we have been at the Crucible for 40 years – there have been so many special moments.
“This is the perfect way to celebrate four decades of snooker in Sheffield. Snooker’s relationship with the Crucible has always been quite unique and magical.
“I’m delighted that we’re staying in Sheffield for at least another 10 years.
“But it’s something that local people should never take for granted. Now here’s the chance to see what will be a fabulous tribute to the past 40 years.” Friday’s show is being staged by World Snooker and Sheffield City Council, with a donation from the £20 tickets being made to Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice. For ticket availability call 0844 65 65 147 or visit www. sheffieldtheatres.co.uk