Stephen Hendry facts for kids
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Hendry at the 2011 Paul Hunter Classic
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| Born | 13 January 1969 Edinburgh, Scotland |
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| Sport country |  Scotland |
| Professional | 1985–2012, 2020–2024 |
| Highest ranking | 1 (April 1990 – May 1998, May 2006 – May 2007) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 36 |
| World Champion |
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Stephen Gordon Hendry is a famous Scottish snooker player who is now retired. He was born on January 13, 1969. Many people think he is one of the greatest snooker players ever. He started playing professionally when he was just 16 years old in 1985.
Stephen quickly became one of the best players in the world. He won his first World Snooker Championship in 1990 when he was only 21. This made him the youngest world champion in snooker history, a record he still holds. He won seven world titles between 1990 and 1999. This was a modern record until Ronnie O'Sullivan equalled it in 2022. Stephen also won the Masters six times and the UK Championship five times. These are part of the "Triple Crown" events, and he won 18 of them in total. Only Ronnie O'Sullivan has won more.
Stephen Hendry won 36 major ranking titles, which is the second-highest number ever. He was also ranked the world number one player for nine seasons. This was the most by any player under the old ranking system. He was known for winning five Masters titles in a row (1989-1993) and five world titles in a row (1992-1996). These are still records today. He was also the first player to win all three Triple Crown events in one season twice! He made 777 "century breaks" (scoring 100 points or more in one turn) and 11 "maximum breaks" (scoring 147 points, the highest possible). He was given an award called an MBE in 1994. He was also named the BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year twice.
After 1996, Stephen's playing became less consistent. He reached his last world final in 2002 but lost a very close match. He won his last major title in 2005. He retired from professional snooker in 2012 when he was 43. He came back to play for a few seasons between 2020 and 2024 but retired again. Today, he works as a commentator and expert for snooker.
Contents
Early Life and Starting Snooker
Stephen Hendry was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on January 13, 1969. His family moved a few times when he was young. When he was nine, they moved to Dalgety Bay, where he lived for six years. He went to Inverkeithing High School.
Stephen started playing snooker when he was 12 years old. His parents bought him a small snooker table for Christmas in 1981. He then started playing on full-sized tables at snooker clubs. When he was 13, in 1982, he made his first century break, scoring 102 points in one turn.
When Stephen was 15, his parents separated. He moved with his mother and brother to Kirkliston. Stephen continued to play snooker and travel to tournaments with his father.
Becoming a Professional Player
Amateur Years (1982–1985)
Stephen Hendry won his first tournament when he was young. It was an under-16 event in Wales. He also won the Scottish and British Under-16 Championships. In 1983, he appeared on TV for the first time in a show called Junior Pot Black.
In 1984, he became the youngest person to win the Scottish Amateur Championship. He was also the youngest player to ever play in the World Amateur Snooker Championship that year. In February 1985, when he was 16, he officially became a professional snooker player. He was the youngest professional player in the sport at that time.
Early Professional Years (1985–1989)
In his first professional season (1985-86), Stephen earned his first ranking points. He won the Scottish Professional Championship, becoming the youngest player to win a national professional title. He also played in his first World Snooker Championship in 1986. He was 17 years and 3 months old, making him the youngest player to compete in the main part of the World Championship.
In the 1986-87 season, Stephen reached his first major semi-final. He also won his second Scottish Professional Championship. He made it to the quarter-finals of the 1987 World Championship.
Stephen won his first major ranking title in 1987 at the Grand Prix. He also won the World Doubles Championship with his partner, Mike Hallett. In 1988, he won his second ranking title at the British Open and his third Scottish Professional Championship. By the end of his third professional season, he was ranked number four in the world. He also won the Masters tournament in 1989 on his first try.
The Golden Era: World Champion and World Number One (1989–1999)
The 1989-90 season was amazing for Stephen Hendry. He won four ranking titles and two big invitational events. He won his first UK Championship, his second Masters, and his first world title at the 1990 World Snooker Championship. He became only the second player to win all three "Triple Crown" events in the same season. At 21 years old, he became the youngest world champion ever, a record he still holds. He also became the world number one player for the first time.
In the 1990-91 season, Stephen won five ranking titles, which was a record for one season. He won his second UK Championship and his third Masters. However, he lost in the quarter-finals of the 1991 World Championship.
In the 1991-92 season, he won his fourth Masters title. He then won his second world title at the 1992 World Snooker Championship. He came back from being far behind in the final to win. He also made his first "maximum break" (147 points) in a professional match.
Stephen continued his winning streak in the 1992-93 season. He won his fifth Masters title in a row. He also won his third world title at the 1993 World Snooker Championship. He won this final easily, with a whole session to spare.
In the 1993-94 season, he lost in the UK Championship final to a young Ronnie O'Sullivan. He also lost his first Masters final after winning five in a row. But he bounced back to win his fourth world title at the 1994 World Snooker Championship in a very close match.
In 1994, Stephen was awarded an MBE for his achievements. In the 1994-95 season, he won his third UK Championship. He also won his fifth world title at the 1995 World Snooker Championship.
The 1995-96 season was another incredible year for Stephen. He won all three Triple Crown events again: the UK Championship, the Masters, and his sixth world title at the 1996 World Snooker Championship. This made him the only player to win all three Triple Crown events in two different seasons. He was named BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year for the second time.
In the 1996-97 season, he won his fifth UK Championship. He also made a maximum break in the deciding frame of a final, which is a very rare achievement. At the 1997 World Snooker Championship, he reached his sixth world final in a row but lost. This was his first loss in a world final.
Stephen won one ranking title in the 1997-98 season. He lost in the UK Championship final and the Masters final. He also lost in the first round of the 1998 World Championship. After eight years as world number one, he dropped to second place. In the 1998-99 season, he had a surprising loss in the UK Championship. However, he came back strong at the 1999 World Snooker Championship. He won his seventh and final world title at age 30. He held the record for seven world titles for 23 years until Ronnie O'Sullivan equalled it in 2022.
Later Career and Retirement
Decline and First Retirement (1999–2012)
In the 1999-2000 season, Stephen won the British Open and made his fifth maximum break. But he had a surprising first-round loss at the 2000 World Championship. The 2000-01 season was the first time since 1989 that he didn't win any ranking titles.
In the 2001-02 season, he won the European Open. He almost won his eighth world title at the 2002 World Snooker Championship, but he lost a very close final. This was his last time reaching a World Championship final.
He won the Welsh Open in 2003 and the British Open in 2003. In 2003, his special snooker cue, which he had used to win all his world titles, was accidentally broken during a flight. He reached the semi-finals of the 2004 World Championship but lost.
In 2005, he won the Malta Cup, which was his 36th and last ranking title. He became world number one again for the 2005-06 season, making it his ninth season at the top. He reached his last ranking final at the 2006 UK Championship but lost.
In the 2008 World Championship, he reached his 12th world semi-final, breaking a record. He made a maximum break in the quarter-finals of the 2009 World Championship. This was his second maximum break at the Crucible Theatre, where the World Championship is held.
In the 2010-11 season, Stephen said he had been struggling with "the yips" for ten years. This is a problem where a player finds it hard to make simple shots. He made his tenth professional maximum break in 2011.
In the 2011-12 season, he fell out of the top 16 world rankings for the first time in 23 years. He still qualified for the 2012 World Snooker Championship, making it his 27th time playing there. He made his 11th career maximum break in his first match. He reached the quarter-finals, but after losing, Stephen Hendry announced his retirement from professional snooker at age 43. He said he was not happy with his playing and found it hard to balance snooker with other parts of his life.
Return to the Tour and Second Retirement (2020–2024)
In August 2020, Stephen reached the semi-finals of the World Seniors Championship. The next month, he decided to return to professional snooker with a special invitation. He played his first professional match in almost nine years in 2021. He won his first qualifying match for the 2021 World Championship against Jimmy White.
During the 2021-22 season, he played in six events but didn't go very far in any of them. He didn't enter the 2022 World Championship qualifiers, saying he hadn't practiced enough. In April 2022, his special invitation to play was renewed for two more seasons.
He played a few matches in the 2022-23 season but didn't win much. He lost in the first qualifying round of the 2023 World Championship. Stephen's 2023-24 season also saw him lose in the qualifying rounds of several tournaments. He didn't win any professional matches that season. In June 2024, he decided not to accept another invitation to play professionally. This marked his second retirement from snooker. He explained that his body wasn't able to perform the shots his brain wanted it to. He had only won three out of 20 professional matches since his return.
Stephen Hendry's Legacy
When Stephen Hendry first retired in 2012, he was the most successful snooker player ever. He had won more prize money than anyone else. He held records for the most world titles (7), most ranking titles (36), most Triple Crown titles (18), and most century breaks (775). He also shared the record for most maximum breaks (11).
However, since then, Ronnie O'Sullivan has equalled Stephen's record of 7 world titles. Ronnie has also won more ranking titles (41) and Triple Crown titles (23). Other players like John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, and Judd Trump have also made more century breaks than Stephen. Ronnie O'Sullivan now holds the record for most maximum breaks with 15.
Some experts and players, like Dennis Taylor and Ray Reardon, believe Ronnie O'Sullivan is now the greatest player. But others, like Steve Davis, say that while Ronnie might be the "best player," Stephen Hendry was the "greatest winner" because of how much he dominated the sport. Stephen Hendry himself has said that Ronnie O'Sullivan is the greatest player he has ever played against. After Ronnie equalled his seven world titles in 2022, both players praised each other. Stephen said Ronnie's snooker was "supreme in all departments."
Personal Life
Stephen Hendry married Amanda Tart in 1995. They have two sons, Blaine, born in 1996, and Carter, born in 2004. Stephen's father, Gordon, passed away from cancer in 2017.
In 2018, Stephen published his autobiography called Me and the Table. In 2022, he started a YouTube channel called "Stephen Hendry's Cue Tips." On his channel, he shares tips about snooker and talks with other players and famous people. Stephen also enjoys playing golf and poker. He is a big fan of the Scottish football team Heart of Midlothian.
Awards
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) | 1993 | |
| BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year | 1987, 1996 | |
| WPBSA Player of the Year | 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 | |
| WPBSA Young Player of the Year | 1985, 1987, 1988 | |
| WPBSA Performance of the Year | 1995 | |
| World Snooker Hall of Fame | 2011 |
Images for kids
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Stephen Hendry at the Brugge Open in 2010
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Stephen Hendry in 2024
See also
In Spanish: Stephen Hendry para niños
