Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2000 Scottish Open v Quinten Hann, 5. 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. He's an absolutely wonderful snooker player.. 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. To be fair, Hendry had done everything to lower expectations. After Hendry lost the top ranking in 2007, his play began to decline, and in 2012 he retired suddenly following his loss in the quarterfinals of the snooker world championship. It was the eighth maximum of his career and he followed it up by thrashing Stephen Maguire 10-2 for his fourth UK title. O'Sullivan set up another instalment of his budding rivalry with Mark Selby after beating Joe Perry (6-5), Ali Carter (6-2) and Stephen Maguire (6-1) and he'd edge another titanic tussle between the pair 10-8 to claim his fourth Masters title. Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry has announced his retirement from snooker after a heavy 13-2 defeat by Stephen Maguire at the Crucible. Discovery company. 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. 'He could pot everyone off the table' - Trump on Hendry in his prime, 'Hendry is right on Jimmy' - O'Sullivan agrees White should relax with snooker. No player since Hendry in 1996 had retained the trophy while his 128th Crucible century during the 18-12 triumph over Barry Hawkins saw him move past the Scotsman's all-time record. Four years later, he turned professional. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. 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. History repeated itself three years on from his maiden world title in the sense he'd suffered a first-round exit 12 months earlier, this time against Marco Fu despite firing in a 147 break. - Stunning clearance after big White miss, You have to write off the first year OSullivan on Hendry comeback, 'Youve got a long night ahead!' There were so many - 70 titles in total - that we had to settle on just a dozen. Hendry says he had an unusual feeling when. "It's been an unbelievable career," Taylor told BBC Radio 5 live. Ronnie O'Sullivan v Barry Hawkins | FINAL 2016 Dafabet Masters Session 1, Joe Perry vs Ronnie O'Sullivan Masters 2017 (Final)( Session 2), Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Shaun Murphy - 2017 UK Championship, THE BEST OF 2018 UK FINAL! Evans slams 'disgusting' prize money in women's snooker as Baipat claims world title. 2023 Eurosport, a Warner Bros. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Evans slams 'disgusting' prize money in women's snooker as Baipat claims world title, Hendry had stated his main aim was to come through four qualifying rounds to return to the Crucible, scene of his finest moments in the sport, when he embarked upon his comeback after working with much-lauded SightRight coach, "I know that kind of means nothing, but when I first started with Stephen Feeney, I wanted to get back to enjoying playing snooker again even if it was on the practice table,". He admired and coveted Daviss success and adopted his mindset. To be the best was all he had ever wanted. 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. **Hendry resumed playing in 2021 after nine years out, but his future on the tour is unclear. In 2020, Hendry accepted a tour card for the World Snooker Tour, indicating his return to professional play. What Is The Prize of The World Snooker Championship? This is generally known as the start of the 'modern era'. Higgins, 47, continues to have a successful career at the top level with 31 ranking event victories to his name, including four world titles. This remarkable completion of professional snookers Triple Crown by the young Hendry moved him into the No. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The Scot, who dropped out of the elite top 16 earlier this season and is currently ranked 23, admitted having to qualify for this year's World Championship for the first time since 1988 "was not a nice feeling". A year after John Higgins got his revenge in the 2006 final with a nail-biting 10-9 that went down to the black, O'Sullivan broke the heart of 19-year-old sensation Ding Junhui with a resounding 10-3 triumph featuring four Rocket centuries, including a fine clearance of 143. However, one big difference was how he approached the game itself. When the 96/97 season began, there were nine Scots ranked inside the top 64 and plenty more coming up on the rails. This is generally known as the start of the 'modern era'. That year he won the Dubai Classic, the Asian Open, the Scottish Masters, the UK Championship, and the Masters. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 1997 World Championship v Mick Price, 2. O'Sullivan equalled the record of Stephen Hendry by winning his seventh World Championship . Hendry was full-on attack, casting safety aside and always looking to open the balls and kill frames off in one visit. Ronnie O'Sullivan roof raising moment part 6567676: The way he scores the 100th point of his 1000th century. 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. '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. Ronnie O'Sullivan's legendary status reached yet another level when breaking the ranking title record of 36 that he'd previously shared with Stephen Hendry by landing the biggest of the lot for the sixth time. 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. Once he decided he'd be the greatest player in the world, he achieved that.". 2014 UK Championship Final: Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Judd Trump DECIDER! His 16 centuries in the 2002 world championship also set a record. The record was previously set by Stephen Hendry back in 1999. The Rocket had earlier joked with BBC's presenter Hazel Irvine during the trophy ceremony that Hendry can share the record with him for another year. The Scot finished as the year-end rankings leader for eight seasons in a row from 1989/90 to 1996/97. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. Hendry has the longest unbeaten streak in ranking tournament play, winning 36 consecutive matches in 1990 and 1991. And just as the 2017 sequel to Trainspotting doesnt alter the majesty of the original, Hendrys stuttering comeback doesnt change any of that. What is the prize money at the 2022 World Snooker Championship? But I'm not going to lie and say I did want him to equal that because I didn't., Stream top snooker action, including the Shoot Out, 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. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2018 China Open - Elliot Slessor, 15. Photo: AP While Hendry is happy with his progress, he insisted that this was . BBC commentators and presenters for 2022 World Snooker Championship. Earlier in the tournament he'd beaten Marcus Campbell (10-4), Ali Carter (13-8), Stuart Bingham (13-4) and Judd Trump 17-11. The groan of appreciation from Stephen Hendry accompanies it perfectly. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. "Hendry: "Well he can't become the youngest world champion"Davis: "But he is playing like Benjamin Button." But despite trailing 16-14, he brilliantly won three frames on the trot to complete a remarkable day of semi-final snooker before wiping the floor with Kyren Wilson 18-8 in front of the returning, adoring, Crucible crowd. 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. Evans slams 'disgusting' prize money in women's snooker as Baipat claims world title. Finishes Tournaments played: 3 Category Winner MORE:Is Ronnie O'Sullivan snooker's GOAT? Fellow Glaswegian Anthony McGill has won two and Edinburghs Chris Small, forced to retire in 2005 due to a chronic back condition, one. All these matches are part of the process, and getting me comfortable in arenas again. 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. Considering all categories of tournament, including ranking, non-ranking and invitational, Steve Davis has won the most titles in snooker. He's going to be winning this a few times and the other guys better get their act together. 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. Hendry, O'Sullivan, Davis and the players with the most trophies, Is Ronnie O'Sullivan snooker's GOAT? SUBSCRIBE for the biggest and best videos from the only official World Snooker channel on YouTubeWebsite: www.wst.tvTwitter: @WeAreWSTFacebook: /WorldSnooker. Omissions? "I would say no, because there are so many great players competing against each other to win every tournament," he told BBC Sport. He also had lost in the final in 1997, snapping a string of 30 straight wins in that event. I can't explain it. Eight months on from cementing his status as a sporting superstar for life with his five minute and eight second maximum at the Crucible, O'Sullivan picked up his second UK crown after claiming a 9-6 victory over Hendry in the final, ending the Scotsman's three-year grip on the trophy in the process. 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. In 1984, at age 15, Hendry became the youngest Scottish amateur snooker champion in history. The age of professionalism in Scottish snooker came courtesy of a shy teenager who possessed a laser-like focus rarely witnessed before or since. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. pic.twitter.com/jWWr6mfcAd. 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. Maybe they need another talisman to look up to, but the Hendrys of this world are rare. Ronnie's reply"I'm never going to be good at getting out of snookers. 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. The following season, he successfully defended that title and won the World Doubles Championship with partner Mike Hallett. The rate at which he's been losing his records hasnt been lost on Hendry, who was teased by Hazel Irvine and Steve Davis while on punditry duty about OSullivan potentially reaching 16 centuries at a single World Championship. 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. Hendry, 43, retired on Tuesday after a 13-2 quarter-final defeat by Stephen Maguire ended his 27th consecutive appearance at the Crucible. All 12 of the Crucible 147 breaks in multiscreen ranked by speed.Ronnie O'Sullivan's unbreakable record is only challenged by his second maximum while @nr147 is the new entry at number eight. He hadn't been at his fluent best earlier in the tournament but managed three century breaks and 10 above 50 when the trophy was on the line. Ronnie O'Sullivan's 18-13 win over Judd Trump at the Crucible Theatre in the World Snooker Championship final in 2022 earned him the biggest prize in the sport for a record-equalling seventh time. What TV channel is 2022 World Snooker Championship final? Stephen . After winning his first World Championship in 1990, he became the youngest player ever to lift the title at 21. But it was a strange feeling I had. It's was the heaviest scoreline since the event's final became best of 19 frames back in 1993 and it's only been matched once since when Stephen Maguire thrashed David Gray in 2004. Remarkably, just like against Selby, this would be a match-winning 147 as he beat Mark Williams 13-7 in round two before seeing off Liang Wenbo (13-7) and Stephen Hendry (17-6) to reach the final. Read about our approach to external linking. It takes too much time practicing getting out of snookers, I'd rather practice break building." Hendrys seven world titles all came during his dominant spell in the 1990s, which also included eight consecutive seasons as world No. 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. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2007 UK Championship - Mark Selby, 9. 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. 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. We look back at his 28. McManus would win the Masters itself in 1994. "I will try to keep expectations lowthe animal that I am, if I start to get form, then the expectations will rise. Hendry has always known that sole ownership of the sports most prestigious record was on borrowed time and recently insisted it would be an honour to share it with the player who stunned him as a 17-year-old in the 1993 UK Championship final. Although Stephen Hendry officially retired following the 2012 World Snooker Championship, he announced he would be returning to the World Snooker Tour in 2020.Hendry has competed in a partial schedule during 2021 and 2022. His tour card was subsequently renewed for another two seasons.. There are some young prospects in Scotland, but not in the numbers of 30 years ago. 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. Why Do Snooker Players Use Their Chins When Shooting. 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 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. 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. Later Career His five match wins during this edition took him to 74 Crucible victories, four more than one of other Hendrys few remaining records. Joe is a sub-editor for Sporting News UK. Discovery company. 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. From March 1990 to January 1991, Hendry won 5 straight titles and 36 consecutive matches to post the longest unbeaten string in the sports history. Harry Latham-Coyle. I just try to enjoy the game, compete, try and enjoy what I do, and work hard at my game. On either side of this triumph, he appeared in two other Crucible finals. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2001 LG Cup - Drew Hendry, 6. believes Hendry's achievements mark him out as the stand-out player in the sport's history. "Obviously a name for the future. Davis was the best player of his generation but still played the percentages. "Then you let the snooker gods decide what they're going to decide, and these 17 days they were on my side. 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. In contrast, OSullivan has won his Crucible crowns over more than two decades, with his first coming in 2001 and his latest in 2022. The result gained revenge from losing a deciding frame in that year's Charity Challenge final, in which Hendry scored an iconic maximum break. At 46 years and 146 days, the oldest ever world champion has most ranking titles (39), most Triple Crowns (21), most UK Championships (7), most Masters titles (7), most career centuries (1,170) and most maximum breaks (15), including the fastest ever made. Hendry had not even played the game before his parents bought him a half-sized table for Christmas in 1981. It is unclear if Hendry will be offered another wild card to continue playing or if he will accept it. In his Masters quarter-final against Marco Fu, Ronnie O'Sullivan fired in his 776th career century, taking him one . 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. OSullivan's magic seventh World Championship title against Judd Trump 21 years after his first finally draws him level with the 'King of the Crucible', but he stands alone at the top for all the other records that matter and many others. Stephen Hendry has admitted he did not want Ronnie O'Sullivan to equal his haul of seven World Championship titles, and does not want him to surpass their now joint-record. Never, ever a dull moment watching Ronnie.pic.twitter.com/wIryNNsPha, Trying to get Ronnie O'Sullivan enthused about the excitement and romance of his own storylines is a tough gig. O'Sullivan was riding on a crest of a wave by the end of the year and after edging out Peter Ebdon 9-8 in the quarter-finals and Mark Williams 9-6 in the semis, the Rocket destroyed Ken Doherty 10-1 to land his third UK title. It was one of six tons he managed in the final - another record - and his victory at the age of 37 meant he was the oldest player since Ray Reardon in 1978 to become world champion.