Stephen Hendry: The Mindset of a Serial Winner – Part Two

30 Nov | BY Betway | MIN READ TIME |

In our exclusive five-part series, one of snooker's - and sport's - greatest ever competitors discusses what it is he loves about being the best

With a record 36 ranking titles – including seven World Championships – Stephen Hendry is snooker’s greatest winner.

In the second of our exclusive five-part series – which will run throughout the Betway UK Championship – Hendry explains why every sport needs a dominant figure, how he improved snooker and who in today’s game can win multiple majors.

The man who was world No. 1 for eight successive years also reveals, in an accompanying video, why the most dominant performance of his career also happens to be his favourite.

Popularity isn’t everything

SH: I think every sport should have its dominating figure.

It’s great for the public to identify one figure who is above everyone else – even if they might not like that person.

In the UK, Steve Davis was probably the most unpopular sportsman ever and I took over that mantle.

Obviously, everyone wants to be liked, but I wouldn’t substitute that for all the titles.

I’m sure Jimmy White, who was the most popular player, would love to have more World titles and be less popular.

When I first picked up a cue at 13 or 14, Jimmy was my favourite player to watch because of the way he played – he was flamboyant.

But he didn’t win. Well, he won the odd tour event, but he didn’t win properly.

So I quickly realised that if I wanted to be the best in the sport, Steve Davis – who did win properly and regularly – was someone I had to, not copy as in technically, but model the way I went through my career. Hendry-Davis Taking snooker to another level

SH: I think I definitely raised the standard of snooker. I probably changed the way snooker was played. I think it became more aggressive.

Certainly, when you see the players playing nowadays, the top players all want to split the pack open as soon as possible, make big breaks and win quickly.

That’s a way of playing snooker that, I’m not claiming I created, but I think I took the sport to another level.

As a fan of snooker and a fan of greatness in sport, I would like to see one player take the game by the scruff of the neck and really sacrifice himself- maybe in terms of lifestyle – and just be the best.

Sport can be a short career and, in snooker at the moment, nobody’s dominating the game.

There’s an opportunity for one person to be the best player for the next five, six, seven years and win four, five tournaments a season.

The player most likely is...

SH: Potentially Judd Trump.

Age-wise – he’s obviously very fit and healthy – he’s got the potential to play for the next 10 years and he could win four or five World Championships.

But whether he’s got the desire, dedication and the will to sacrifice… I know he enjoys his life away from the table – as we’ve seen on social media – which is fine.

If that’s the way he wants to live his life, I’m not going to criticise that one bit.

But if he wants to dominate, then he has to sacrifice things to get to the top and stay there.

I think he’s the one player capable of taking the game by the scruff of the neck.

His game’s improving year on year, he plays the game the right way and I’d love to see him win more.