Stephen Hendry – Player Profile, Career Summary, Stats

Summary

A 17 year-old Scotsman named Stephen Hendry became the youngest World Snooker Championship qualifier in 1986.

Despite losing his first game on the Crucible stage, he was applauded out of the arena by opponent Willie Thorne.

Hendry would grow accustomed to the sound of applause at the home of snooker, ultimately garnering the moniker of the ‘King of the Crucible’ after a dominant decade during his heyday.

Indeed, between 1990 and 1999 Hendry contested all but two of the World Championship title deciders while emerging with the title seven times – a modern-day record that stood until 2022.

Hendry wasn’t content on merely winning and was a fiercely competitive animal who wanted to not only beat his challengers but also humiliate them.

In addition to the five UK Championship crowns he accumulated, Hendry was also a force at the prestigious Masters.

In fact, after making his debut in the competition in 1989 he failed to lose a single match until the 1994 final.

Underlining his dominance, Hendry held the number one spot in the world rankings for eight successive years between 1990 and 1998.

After the turn of the millennium, Hendry’s form began to go in the wrong direction and his once relentless streak of victories became less frequent.

Hendry later attributed his downward spiral to the yips, which prevented him from cueing in his natural way, while a damaged cue in 2003 didn’t help his cause either.

Despite compiling an 11th career maximum break at the 2012 World Snooker Championship en route to an unexpected appearance in the last eight, Hendry announced his retirement from the sport.

However, eight years later there came a surprise reversal of that decision and the Scot has since been competing again under an invitational tour card.

---

Click here for the latest news on Stephen Hendry

---

Ranking Event Victories

1. 1987 Grand Prix
2. 1988 British Open
3. 1989 Asian Open
4. 1989 Dubai Classic
5. 1989 UK Championship
6. 1990 World Snooker Championship
7. 1990 Grand Prix
8. 1990 Asian Open
9. 1990 Dubai Classic
10. 1990 UK Championship
11. 1991 British Open
12. 1991 Grand Prix
13. 1992 Welsh Open
14. 1992 World Snooker Championship
15. 1993 International Open
16. 1993 World Snooker Championship
17. 1993 Dubai Classic
18. 1993 European Open
19. 1994 World Snooker Championship
20. 1994 UK Championship
21. 1994 European Open
22. 1995 World Snooker Championship
23. 1995 Grand Prix
24. 1995 UK Championship
25. 1996 World Snooker Championship
26. 1996 UK Championship
27. 1997 Welsh Open
28. 1997 International Open
29. 1998 Thailand Masters
30. 1999 Scottish Open
31. 1999 World Snooker Championship
32. 1999 British Open
33. 2001 European Open
34. 2003 Welsh Open
35. 2003 British Open
36. 2005 Malta Cup

Other Notable Victories

• The Masters (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996)
• Charity Challenge/Champions Cup (1995, 1997, 1999)
• Irish Masters (1992, 1997, 1999)
• Premier League (1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2004)
• Scottish Masters (1989, 1990, 1995)
• Malta Grand Prix (1998, 2001)
• World Cup (1996)
• Nations Cup (2001)
• World Doubles Championship (1987)
• World Masters Men’s Doubles (1991)

Featured photo credit: WSS

Stephen Hendry Player Profile

---

SHQ Stars: How it works

Rating	SHQ Stars	Career Requirements
Black	★★★★★★★	multiple world champion; 30+ ranking titles; career triple crown; world no.1 (at least 3)
Pink	★★★★★★	world champion; 10+ ranking titles; multiple winner of triple crown events; member of top 2; 15+ seasons in top 16 (at least 3)
Blue	★★★★★	winner of triple crown event; 5+ ranking titles; member of top 4; 12+ seasons in top 16 (at least 2)
Brown	★★★★	2+ ranking titles; member of top 8; triple crown event finalist; 8+ seasons in the top 16 (at least 2)
Green	★★★	ranking title; member of top 16 (at least 1)
Yellow	★★	member of top 64
Red	★	professional