35 Facts About Stephen Hendry

Stephen Gordon Hendry was born on 13 January 1969 and is a Scottish professional snooker player who dominated the sport during the 1990s, becoming one of the most successful players in its history.

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

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 21.

Stephen Hendry won five consecutive Masters titles between 1989 and 1993 and five consecutive world titles between 1992 and 1996, both records in the modern era.

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, again losing to Ebdon.

Stephen Hendry competes on the World Seniors Tour and regularly features as a commentator and studio pundit for snooker coverage on BBC and ITV.

Stephen Hendry started playing snooker in 1981, aged 12, when his father bought him a child-sized snooker table as a Christmas present.

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 lost in the qualifiers for the 2021 Scottish Open, the January 2022 European Masters, and the 2022 German Masters.

Stephen Hendry opted not to enter the 2022 World Championship qualifiers, stating that he had not been practising enough to be competitive.

However, Stephen Hendry 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.

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, and the most centuries in professional competition.

However, many of Stephen Hendry's records were subsequently equalled or broken by other players, notably O'Sullivan.

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.

Stephen Hendry was born in South Queensferry, West Lothian, brought up in Gorgie, Edinburgh, and then Dalgety Bay, Fife, where he attended Inverkeithing High School.

Stephen Hendry later returned to Kirkliston, attending nearby Queensferry High School from the age of fourteen, and lived in a flat in South Queensferry during the early part of his professional career.

Stephen Hendry met his future wife Amanda at a Pontins holiday camp when he was 16.

In 2014, Stephen Hendry left his wife after 19 years of marriage and moved to England to pursue a relationship with 26-year-old children's entertainer and actress Lauren Thundow, whom he had met at a snooker event the previous year.

Stephen Hendry enjoys poker and has appeared in several televised tournaments.

Stephen Hendry enjoys football, supporting Scottish side Hearts and English side Chelsea FC.