Stephen Hendry hints at retirement after World Snooker Championship 2011 – Snooker news
Scotland’s Stephen Hendry has hinted at his retirement after the conclusion of World Snooker Championship 2011.
The former seven-time world snooker champion has enjoyed a splendid career in the game for 26 years since he turned professional in 1985.
The 42-year-old Hendry has also grabbed the UK Championship five times. He won the world championship for the last time in 1999 at the Crucible Theatre when he grabbed his seventh title beating Mark Williams 18-11.
After that, he reached the final match of the world championship only once, in 2002, against Peter Ebdon but lost to him 17-18. However, the Scotsman still has the spark to take down any top player in the circuit and clinch any major title.
Hendry, also called as the Golden Boy, has a very decent playing style. He plays the game with a steady pace and uses the universal tactic of potting in which he pockets the blue ball with pace giving a heavy topspin to the cue ball that strikes with the
rack of reds and spreads them for break building. Besides his steady play, his long potting skills are second to none in the game.
“If I win I might still contemplate retirement,” he said. “I've a big decision to make at the end of the season.”
Hendry feels that the minor-ranking and non-ranking tournaments are not good for him because they do not help in moving his ranking up so he will not participate in any of them.
“It’s going to be tough for me in the future because I’m not going to play in the PTC (Players Tour Championship) events, so I’m always going to get punished in the rankings. I don’t want to play in them, they do nothing for me. I’ve got to decide what I’m
going to do after the World Championship,” added Hendry.
Meanwhile, the veteran has surged into the second round of the World Snooker Championship 2011 after beating Joe Perry in his first round clash with the score line of 10-9.
He will face the winner of the match between Mark Selby and Jimmy Robertson in the second round on Saturday, 23 April, 2011 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
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