Stephen Hendry targets Top 16 spot after 2012 World Snooker Championship – Snooker News
One of the most respected snooker stars and the record holding World Champion, Scotland’s Stephen Hendry dominated the game for 23 years during his career run and remained in the Top 16 until the 2010-11 Snooker Season.
However, after losing to the World Number one, Mark Selby in the second round of the 2011 World Snooker Championship, the veteran was disappointed and decided to take part in major events only due to which he lost his spot in the Top 16.
He is now World Number 23 and is aiming to hit back into the Top 16 with his performance. After he decided to take part in the major ranking events only, he missed the 2012 Masters snooker event, one of the Triple Crown of snooker after the World Snooker
Championship and the UK Championship. Losing the Masters and some minor ranking contests nudged the Golden Boy down from the Top 16 players list.
In the 2011-12 Snooker Season, Hendry had to play in the qualifiers of many snooker events which must be quite painful for the veteran, especially after he ruled over the game for so many years. Hendry believes that playing among the rookies and journeymen
in the qualifying sessions feels like a cultural shock to him particularly when he looks back in history and relives his memories. Hendry is now aiming to perform better in the 2012 World Snooker Championship and get back into the Top 16.
While speaking to the media about his targets, Hendry said, “I have played in front of packed halls, Wembley, two-and-a-half thousand people crowds, all around the world. Then you come to qualifiers and you play in a little cubicle with no people watching.”
He added, “You have to get your head around having to play in the qualifiers. I have done quite well. I think you just have to adopt the attitude that you are just there to win, not to play well; don’t go expecting to play well, just go and get the match
over and done with.”
The Ice Man is currently placed in the final round of the 2012 World Snooker Championship qualifiers and will face the Chinese potter, Yu Delu to surge into the opening round of the tournament.
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