44 Facts About Stephen Hendry

Stephen Gordon Hendry was born on 13 January 1969 and is a Scottish retired professional snooker player and a current commentator and pundit.

Stephen Hendry won his first World Snooker Championship in 1990, aged 21 years and 106 days, making him the sport's youngest world champion, a record he still holds.

Stephen Hendry won seven world titles between 1990 and 1999, setting a new modern-era record that stood outright until Ronnie O'Sullivan equalled it in 2022.

Stephen Hendry won the Masters six times and the UK Championship five times for a career total of 18 Triple Crown tournament wins, a total exceeded only by O'Sullivan's 23.

Stephen Hendry's form became less consistent after his sixth world title in 1996 and his career declined in the 2000s, his play increasingly affected by the yips.

Stephen Hendry reached the last of his nine world finals at the 2002 World Championship but lost in a deciding frame to Peter Ebdon.

Stephen Hendry won his last ranking title at the 2005 Malta Cup and reached his last ranking final at the 2006 UK Championship, where he was again defeated by Ebdon.

Stephen Hendry has competed on the World Seniors Tour and has twice been a semi-finalist at the World Seniors Championship.

Stephen Hendry's younger brother Keith was born in 1972, and the family moved to Baberton Mains.

Stephen Hendry's father was then working in the fruit and vegetable wholesale business.

The family moved to a bungalow in Dalgety Bay when Stephen Hendry was nine and lived there for the next six years.

Stephen Hendry started playing snooker when his parents bought him a miniature snooker table for Christmas in 1981.

Stephen Hendry subsequently began playing on full-sized tables at Maloco's Snooker Hall and the Classic Snooker Centre in Dunfermline.

Stephen Hendry made his first century break, a 102, at the Classic Snooker Centre several months after his 13th birthday in 1982.

Stephen Hendry's mother moved with her two sons to a council house in her hometown of Kirkliston, and Stephen Hendry began attending Queensferry High School.

Stephen Hendry's father moved to a small flat in nearby Broxburn but travelled frequently with Hendry to snooker tournaments around the country.

Stephen Hendry lived in a flat in South Queensferry during the early part of his professional snooker career.

Stephen Hendry's first tournament win was an under-16 "Stars of the Future" event at a Pontins holiday camp in Prestatyn, Wales.

Stephen Hendry finished sixth-placed in his qualifying group of nine participants, and did not qualify for the final stages,.

Doyle, who was influenced by Barry Hearn's style of management, arranged a series of money matches against leading players for Stephen Hendry, mirroring the way that Hearn had arranged matches for Steve Davis before he turned professional.

Stephen Hendry won the Scottish Professional Championship, becoming the youngest player to win any national professional title.

Stephen Hendry defeated Hallett to win the invitational 1987 Australian Masters, and was runner-up to Steve Davis at the 1987 Hong Kong Masters.

Stephen Hendry became the second player to win all three Triple Crown events in the same season, after Davis had first achieved the feat two seasons earlier.

Stephen Hendry won ranking titles at the Dubai Classic and Asian Open and became world number one for the first time at the end of the season.

Stephen Hendry achieved his first maximum break in professional competition while playing Thorne in the Matchroom League.

Stephen Hendry remains the only player to win all three Triple Crown events in two different seasons.

Stephen Hendry was named the BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year for a second time in 1996.

Stephen Hendry held the modern-era record of seven world titles outright for the next 23 years, until O'Sullivan equalled it in 2022.

Stephen Hendry made 16 centuries during the 2002 event, a record that stood outright for the next 20 years until Williams equalled it in 2022.

Stephen Hendry had received the cue as a gift from his parents when he was 14 and had used it when winning all seven of his world titles.

Stephen Hendry lost all eight frames in the second session of the match, his first session whitewash at the Crucible.

Stephen Hendry made his tenth professional maximum break at the Welsh Open against Stephen Maguire but lost the match.

Stephen Hendry missed the Masters for the first time since his 1989 debut and had to qualify to reach the main stages of subsequent ranking events.

Stephen Hendry stated that he had decided three months earlier to retire at the end of the season.

Stephen Hendry opted not to enter the 2022 World Championship qualifiers, stating that he had not been practising enough to be competitive, but confirmed that he intended to continue on the tour.

Stephen Hendry withdrew from the 2022 Northern Ireland Open and withdrew from the 2022 UK Championship when the qualifying schedule conflicted with his broadcasting work for ITV at the 2022 Champion of Champions.

Stephen Hendry opted not to enter the 2024 World Snooker Championship qualifiers, meaning that he finished a second consecutive season without a professional win.

Stephen Hendry had won just three of the 20 professional matches he played since returning to the tour.

At the time of his initial retirement in 2012, Stephen Hendry was the most successful player in professional snooker history.

Stephen Hendry held records for the most world titles in the modern era, the most ranking titles, the most Triple Crown titles, the most centuries in professional competition, and the most maximum breaks.

Stephen Hendry himself has identified O'Sullivan as the greatest player he has played against but considers he would triumph in a match if both players played at their peak.

Amanda Stephen Hendry subsequently accused him of cheating on her with a woman half his age, of leaving her "destitute", and of rarely visiting his children.

In 2018, Stephen Hendry published his autobiography, Me and the Table.

Stephen Hendry has a single-figure golf handicap and enjoys poker and football; he supports Scottish team Hearts of Midlothian.