At the Gibraltar Open last week, nine years after the sport legend had retired, seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry, who, despite being kidnapped by his coaching partner, excited the snooker world and proved he is playing with a hundred breaks, and is back.
| Stephen Hendry managed to test how well he wore his knowledge at the Gibraltar Open in 2021 (Photo: Eurosport.com) |
I first saw Stephen Hendry’s play in 1990, and Eurosport has already broadcast the biggest and most important sporting event, the World Cup on Sheffield’s Crucible Theater since 1977. Titan, who is only 21 years old (to this day is the youngest world champion), He literally pounded everyone off the table and stood in their way, and there was no antidote to his offensive match that was uncompromising and incredibly accurate. This is the beginning of Hendry’s so far unrepeatable dominance: the withdrawn class, who had not been friendly with his teammates for years, became a sport monopoly for ten years, winning all seven additions to the World Cup in that decade and leading the world record. Eight years in the history of snooker. Sports shark is distinguished by its competitors, it is a player who did not like it and did not want to play the safety game for long minutes, wanted to pay a big break as quickly as possible, and in most cases it was. He was able to do so, pushing the balls with such precision that he was able to start from almost any sad situation.
| Boy: 1969. 01. 23. South Queensferry |
| nationality: Scotsman |
| Sports: Snooker |
| Nickname: King of the crucible, the golden boy, the ice man |
| Impressive results: 7-time World Champion (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999), 6-time Master’s Championship Winners (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996), 5-time UK Champion (1989, 1990, 1994) , 1995), 1996), 36-time scoring tournament winner |
| World’s highest ranking: 1. (April 1990 to May 1998, May 2006 to May 2007) |
| The official maximum number of brands:11 |
| Number of official brands:776 |
But in the 2000s, the so-called 1992 class – the trio Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, and Mark Williams, who went professional this year – seized power from Hendry, who trained less, less, and often less than his success – the Challengers. Hungry. Although Higgins was confidently defeated in the 2012 World Cup in the eighth final, compatriot Stephen Maguire beat him heavily (13-4) in the next match, and a frustrated and clearly reluctant class announced his retirement after the meeting.
“I sit on my chair feeling frustrated, depressed and frustrated again, and I can only watch my opponent apply more and more pressure – just as I have done over the years – shattering all hope of being able to stop at the top. This is the last nail in the coffin of my game career.” Snooker. “Hendry wrote about the quarter-finals in his autobiography, who made the decision three months before the World Cup, but few knew about it.
 Another important player in the long-awaited comeback Matthew Sylt, Hendry was his opponent in the first round, and due to the whims of the draw, the individual tournament winner, a 36-year-old Englishman, was tasked with the ungrateful task of playing against a seven-time world champion. The tale of the story is that Celte and Hendry trained a lot together in the months leading up to the tournament, since they had been coached by Stephen Feeney.“I’m not arrogant, everyone knows that about me, but I was sure if you played against me like you were training against each other, I would win,” said Celte. “Then in the second game, he paid hundreds of breaks which had a good effect on me because I knew I had to focus a lot. Then I punished almost all of his less safe shots with a deposit of the ball and played well overall. Honestly I didn’t think he would play at that level again. I’m not sure he will be able to win trophies again or qualify for the World Cup, but if anyone can do it, he is. I didn’t want you to burn yourself because we’re fine and he’s a legend, but the exact opposite happened, he played very encouragingly. “. Incidentally, Sylt did not stop until the semifinals, as world-leading Englishman Judd Trump defeated the championship with astonishing confidence. |
Of course he didn’t shy away from sports, he continued working as a TV expert, then he started coaching last year so he can officially make a comeback this year. This also required the help of the International Federation, which awarded the legend a free two-year card in September. Last Tuesday night, sports fans stood in front of the screen and watched with great anticipation the return of the best player of the modern era in the first round of the Gibraltar Open. Many feared and worried if he would destroy his Nimbo at age 52 with the attempt, but the second match of the encounter against Matthew Sylt – where Hendry paid a hundred breaks – convinced everyone that the King of the Crucible was still a great player. The fairy tale didn’t materialize either, as the match won by brilliantly playing Selt 4-1, but signs show the king is back.
“I’m glad I made big breaks when I had the chance, that’s the point of the current game. I also know my game isn’t good enough to win the World Cup Qualifiers yet, but I still have more than a month to improve. I’m getting better constantly, it’s Encouraging. There was a lot of noise and anticipation about my return, so I was excited of course. When I picked up my shirt in my hotel room, I was nervous too, I knew I could run badly. But that’s a good sign because you can’t do well without excitement. I need To focus not on thinking about what might happen, but on turning the lamp fever in my favor, but instead on stimulating anticipation. “
 |
| Celebrating his seventh title at the absolute summit in 1999 (Photo: AFP) |
Over the course of his career, the classic 36-point winner (like many others, that record was broken by Ronnie O’Sullivan, who has been a professional for 29 years now) in his sanctuary, saying it’s the glorious farewell of the embarrassing defeat against Maguire. But given the current competition, you also have to win three eliminations for this, given that only the top 16 contestants in the global rankings will be placed in the main table 32 without a match, winning three qualifiers for the remaining 16. Old Hendry will be able to do this at any time, but we do not know anything about the new, because he is already 52 years old, and his commitment cannot be the same as before, because he has already won everything he can. But we do not have to wait long, we will get the answer soon, can the king return to the sanctuary …
 “Stephen did great in sports, snooker was Tiger Woodsa. He changed the game, amazed everyone with his style and success. He broke many records, but he will probably be the youngest world champion of all time, and I can’t even imagine anyone who is capable.” To be at the top of the world rankings in the future as long as it was in the nineties. “
Ronnie O’SullivanSix times world champion
|
“I saw him in the gym doing a sport for three hours, and it’s amazing how he still plays. It must have been a good thing that he had missed nearly nine years, fresh in his head. No matter how he pursued his career, he’s still one of the best.” Players in this sport at all. “
“I would be amazed if he was able to do amazingly well again, and I admit, I cannot decide if he is really serious about the game or is he having a little more fun. When he retires, he can no longer keep up with the best, I would be amazed if he was after this.” Long pauses, he could win the championship again at such an advanced age. “(The article appeared in the Saturday, March 13, 2021, issue of Al-Wataniya Sports).
