A new YouTube channel from Stephen Hendry has been getting attention from fans in the last few weeks.
The seven-time world champion launched Stephen Hendry’s Cue Tips in November, and his channel has already accumulated more than one million views.
“I’m Stephen Hendry, welcome to my brand new YouTube channel,” the Scot said while introducing his debut upload three weeks ago.
“I’ll be chatting to both players and fans alike about their passion for snooker.”
“If there’s one thing I know, it’s snooker, and I’ll be giving you some cue tips along the way and also getting some great advice from the best in the game.
“We’re also going to have a lot of fun testing the pros with the tough table challenge.”
Since then, Hendry has released an interview with old rival Mark Williams, where the pair exchanged stories over the course of a couple of frames of snooker.
They also replicate their memorable black-ball battle from the 1998 Masters final, when the Welshman won his first Triple Crown title.
In a later video, Hendry speaks with Australian Neil Robertson about his dedication to the game and an ability to win a second world title at the Crucible Theatre.
“I do actually know what it is,” Robertson said when questioned on his record of having only reached one semi-final since his Sheffield triumph in 2010.
“It’s something that I have to execute properly – it’s nothing to do with mental or anything like that.”
“You can play a best out of 25 over three days, so it’s not like you’re really playing a best out of 25 where you get the momentum and then just overpower them.
“Every session matters and every frame matters – especially now.”
“You look at my match with Jack Lisowski last season, it was a great match. Jack played absolutely out of his skin, and he was so disciplined as well which was really surprising.
“There were a couple of sessions in that match where I was too aggressive in certain moments where I should have kept it tighter – not negative, but just make it as hard as possible for him.
“It’s different when you play someone in a final where you can tempt them into things, they make a couple of mistakes and they are gone.
“At the Crucible, everyone tries until the end no matter what, and I think it’s a lot harder to dominate.”
Among the other videos Hendry has uploaded so far are tips on how to master the break-off shot and techniques on how to implement side.
Although only a handful of videos have been uploaded so far, the feedback has already been positive from fans of the game.
“This channel is absolutely unreal,” wrote one user, while another noted that it was “impressive how this channel didn’t need any time to get up to speed with making excellent videos.”
It will be interesting to see where Hendry will take the channel in the long-run, because there is a void for this kind of video content within snooker that would be nice to see being filled.
Through his televised work, the former world number one has developed interview and production skills that will help him along the way.
Hendry also used his ITV credentials to offer a backstage look at how a tournament runs, looking behind the scenes at this season’s British Open.
All of this kind of material will help to offer fans an additional insight into the sport that’s not always readily available.
Image credit: Stephen Hendry Cue Tips
