Steve Davis says he cannot imagine anyone bettering Stephen Hendry's tally of seven World Championship titles. The seventh, though, was like a dam breaking. A series of records fell in his wake. His tour card was subsequently renewed for another two seasons.. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2003 World Championship - Marco Fu, 7. O'Sullivan's longevity at the top is almost as remarkable as his breathtaking standard of play and his mind-boggling collection of records, titles and century milestones. **Hendry resumed playing in 2021 after nine years out, but his future on the tour is unclear. After losing to Stephen Maguire in the quarterfinal of the 2012 World Snooker Championship, Hendry announced his retirement, stating that he was dissatisfied with his ability to maintain an acceptably high level of competition. A. Career. @ronnieo147 pic.twitter.com/bCUnSqT2Z0. Hed sacrificed much to get to the top and had no regrets. He shares the record for most World Snooker Championship wins with Ronnie OSullivan: both have seven titles. In 2020, Hendry was offered an invitational wildcard by World Snooker Tour, making him eligible to compete again on the circuit. However, he began competing again in 2021. 'Feels amazing' Higgins ends 13-month title drought by retaining Championship League crown, Watch Robertson produce magic as Trump leads final Championship League group. However, this latest unforgettable run at an empty Crucible began with an astonishing 10-1 triumph over Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in just 108 minutes - the quickest best-of-19 frame match ever by 41 minutes - but he had to battle much harder to see off Ding Junhui and Mark Williams 13-10. In 25 years time, maybe that record will fall too. Tribute to Stephen Hendry. Photo: AP While Hendry is happy with his progress, he insisted that this was . Even Neil Robertson is laughing by the end of the title-winning break. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2018 English Open - Allan Taylor. He intends to continue playing, and his tour card has been renewed through 2024. Tied at 42 pints apiece, Sinclair hit the deck and Werbeniuk went to the bar for a celebratory beer. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 1999 Grand Prix v Graeme Dott, 4. Hendry had observed Steve Davis aloofness, the way he set himself apart from his rivals. Who set these standards? BBC commentators and presenters for 2022 World Snooker Championship. Walter Donaldson became the world champion in the post-war era, but for a long time, Scotland lagged behind the other UK nations. Stephen Hendry: "Are you saying another record of mine is going? OSullivan beat Judd Trump to win his seventh World Championship, I couldnt care less what Stephen Hendry or anyone else says Allen on slow-play critics, Why theres no hiding place for anyone at the Shoot Out, he was fined several times in the last 12 months. At the first World Team Cup in 1979, there was not even a Scottish team. 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. Hendry himself did not rule out someone overtaking his record eventually, even if the odds are against it. Well worth a watch even for Ronnie fans! There are some young prospects in Scotland, but not in the numbers of 30 years ago. Nobody could stop him this time as he downed former champions Peter Ebdon (10-4), Mark Williams (13-6) and Neil Robertson (13-10) before waltzing past Matthew Stevens (17-10) in the semi-finals and Ali Carter 18-11 for the title. Bio. 1995: Beats Nigel Bond in the World Championship final. Ronnie O'Sullivan has won more ranking titles in snooker than any other player, just ahead of Stephen Hendry. 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. "It's been an unbelievable career," Taylor told. "John Higgins is on four, it's very hard to see anyone reaching seven," said Davis, a six-time world champion. Interviews over a few. All rights reserved. Davis was the best player of his generation but still played the percentages. In terms of weeks spent as world number one, as of April 18, 2022, Stephen Hendry tops the list. By the end of the Millennium, the legendary Scotsman had completed his haul of 18 Triple Crowns, which were all compiled since 1989 and included five UK Championships and six Masters crowns, while hed only win a further four ranking titles so hes had over 20 years of watching his milestones being eroded away. During this period in the early 1990s, a wave of Scottish talent flooded the professional ranks. What is the prize money at the 2022 World Snooker Championship? He had 24 hours to decide whether to take it and he could not resist. Maybe not that night, because there's still a little bit of sadness that he equalled my record. Hendry won five consecutive Masters titles between 1989 and 1993 and five consecutive world titles between 1992 and 1996, both records in the modern era. This is generally known as the start of the 'modern era'. Eight years on from his initial retirement from the professional sport at the age of 43 at the end of the 2011/12 season, Hendry accepted an Invitational Tour Card from World Snooker Tour to pave the way for an incredible comeback to the sport that he once dominated. His seventh and final World Snooker Championship title in 1999 set a record for most of all time -a record which he held solely until Ronnie O'Sullivan tied the record with his 2022 championship win. Having recently been awarded an OBE for his services to snooker, the Rocket beat Mark Williams (6-5), Mark Selby (6-3), Stuart Bingham (6-3) before annihilating Barry Hawkins 10-1 to equal Hendry's tally of six Masters titles. As if to underline how disappointing the comeback has been, the man himself did not enter the event. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2018 China Open - Elliot Slessor, 15. Davis, 54, beat Hendry in the 1989 World Championship semi-finals en route to winning his last title at the Crucible, with Scotsman Hendry turning the tables at the same stage five years later. The Scot finished as the year-end rankings leader for eight seasons in a row from 1989/90 to 1996/97. 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. And just as the 2017 sequel to Trainspotting doesnt alter the majesty of the original, Hendrys stuttering comeback doesnt change any of that. 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. 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. 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. O'Sullivan had finished runner-up in the Masters three times since his maiden title in this tournament in 1995 - to Hendry (1996), Steve Davis (1997) and Paul Hunter (2004) - but he'd get his hands on the new crystal triangle trophy with a 10-3 demolition job of John Higgins. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. He retired as a player following a 13-2 loss to fellow Scot, He last played a competitive match on the main tour in November, losing 6-1 to. He has won 36 full-ranking titles to date, including 18 Triple Crown titles bettered only by OSullivan as well as having compiled 11 maximum breaks during his career. It is unclear if Hendry will be offered another wild card to continue playing or if he will accept it. 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. Rocket Ronnie's 30 years at Crucible O'Sullivan set to pass another Hendry record, 'Crucible return is ultimate goal' Hendry ready to continue playing, Age winning first ranking title: 18 (1987 Grand Prix), Age winning first world title: 21 (1990 World Championship), Age winning last ranking title: 36 (2005 Malta Cup). 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. He had never intended to be like his old rival Jimmy White and enter every event. This remarkable completion of professional snookers Triple Crown by the young Hendry moved him into the No. In recognition of his excellence in the sport, Hendry was knighted, receiving a MBE recognition in 1994. - Hendry and Robertson not impressed with how some pros train, Hendry: O'Sullivan is the only player that doesnt speak to anyone. While his comments about needing to lose one arm to drop out of the world's top 50 were still going viral, it looked as though he'd bow out when supposedly playing recklessly against Mark Selby in the semi-final. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2010 World Open - Mark King, 11. 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. At 19 years and 69 days, O'Sullivan became the youngest Masters champion and that record stands today. Maybe they need another talisman to look up to, but the Hendrys of this world are rare. He admired and coveted Daviss success and adopted his mindset. 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. Last week, he was thrashed 5-0 by Matthew Stevens in the German Masters qualifiers. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Discovery company. You put all that work in to get the record but if he does then fair play because he's taken the game to another level. 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. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2011 Paul Hunter Classic - Adam Duffy, 12. To be the best was all he had ever wanted. Joe is a sub-editor for Sporting News UK.