Stephen Hendy confesses to Steve Davis about 'humiliating' World Snooker Champs experience

Daily Mirror

05-05-2025

Stephen Hendry is a seven-time world champion and widely regarded as one of the greatest snooker players of all time, but his career ended on a sour note in 2012
Snooker icon Stephen Hendry has revealed all to fellow legend Steve Davis about a Crucible quarter-final match that left him feeling 'humiliated' and led to his retirement shortly after. The Scotsman, who dominated the sport throughout the 90s with an incredible seven world titles, began his professional career at just 16 and claimed a total of 36 ranking titles.
He spent nine seasons ranked No. 1 before retiring in 2012. Since then, he has become a prominent figure in the media. In a conversation with Davis, Hendry discussed some of his worst losses at the iconic Crucible, which is currently hosting a historic final between Mark Williams and Zhao Xintong.
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Specifically, he spoke about his 2012 quarter-final against Stephen Maguire, admitting how humiliated he felt after the 13-2 defeat that ultimately led to his retirement.
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Hendry had made a remarkable start to the 2012 World Snooker Championship, achieving a brilliant maximum break against Stuart Bingham in the first round and defeating fellow Scot John Higgins 13-4 in the next match. However, his game against Maguire was one he'd rather forget, reports the Express
"I mean, my game was shot. Even the 147 was not... The striking of the cue ball was terrible," Hendry shared about his performance in the 2012 renewal while reflecting on his Cue Tips YouTube channel. "I had a victory over John Higgins in the next round in the last 16, which I never expected to do.
"But, the match was dreadful. I mean, John was bad. I wasn't great, and I managed to win. If I got a frame early [against Maguire], it might have been a different story, and who knows what might have happened. I lost the first session 4-0.
"Looking back, it's horrible that's my last game at the Crucible. A 13-2 defeat. I mean, it's humiliating. I didn't feel that bad in respect that I kind of was waiting for it to happen."
When probed by six-time world champion Davis about whether he had already decided to retire before the clash, Hendry confirmed: "Yeah. That's why the 147 was so special."
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The snooker legend also touched on some painful memories from the iconic venue, sharing: "I mean, I felt pretty bad when Steve James beat me [in 1991], obviously with the whole Crucible curse thing. I drove up the road and I didn't say one word for four and a half hours."
In response to Davis asking about his toughest defeat in Sheffield, Hendry recalled the 2002 final, in which a deciding frame was needed to separate him and Peter Ebdon - the Englishman prevailing 18-17.
"Losing to Ebdon in the final," replied Hendry. "[I] beat Ronnie in the semis, it was 2002. It was probably the last time I played my best at the Crucible - that semi-final.
"Before that, I thought the winner of the Championship was going to come from the winner of our match. I thought either of us would beat Matthew [Stevens] or Peter in the final.
"So already I was thinking I had to take it properly. Played Peter in the final, and I didn't think there was any chance of him beating me over four sessions.
"There's a difference between being super confident and being... It's a different confidence when you don't think you can lose. Listen, I played ok, but Peter played great. But to lose in that deciding frame, I was gutted."