'I don't' – Ken Doherty disagrees with Stephen Hendry's comments about Ding Junhui
Ken Doherty is at odds with old rival Stephen Hendry over how Ding Junhui will be feeling about Zhao Xintong becoming the first world snooker champion from China
Ding Junhui had been widely tipped to be China's first world champion
(Image:)
Ken Doherty has dismissed Stephen Hendry's theory that Ding Junhui will be jealous that Zhao Xintong has become China's first world snooker champion.
Ding has been China's standard-setter for almost two decades and was widely expected to be the first world champion from the snooker-mad country. Despite winning the sport's two other Triple Crown titles, the Masters and the UK Championship, Ding, 38, hasn't managed to win the top prize, which has now gone to Zhao, who defeated Mark Williams 18-12 in the final, having started out in the first round of qualifying.
While Zhao is a former UK champion himself, he had to start again after serving a 20-month ban for his part in the match-fixing scandal that saw nine other Chinese players punished. Seven are still serving suspensions, including two who were given lifetime bans.
Following Zhao's historic Crucible triumph, seven-time world champion Hendry said Ding would be 'fuming'. But Doherty, who beat Hendry in 1997 to win his only world title, does not subscribe to that theory, although he accepts Ding may feel a little envious.
Talking to Gambling.com , the Irishman said: 'I don't think he [Ding Junhui] will be jealous. I think he might be slightly envious. Ding was sort of the godfather of Chinese snooker.
'He was the pioneer. He showed the way for a lot of the young guys, including Xintong. And he would have helped him.
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Zhao Xintong is now the top man in Chinese snooker after winning the World Championship
(Image: Getty )
'He set up an academy here in Sheffield with 18 snooker tables. Five or six of the lads who qualified for the World Championship play in his club. So he sort of opened his arms. And then there's another academy [Victoria's], where Xintong and Si Jiahui play.
'He might be a little bit envious, that's understandable. He started the whole revolution of Chinese snooker, and I think in a way he'll be somewhat satisfied that eventually they have a world champion now.'
Hendry would feel aggrieved if he were in Ding's shoes. Speaking on the Snooker Club podcast after the final, the Scot said: 'It'll be really interesting to see what Ding's thinking.
Stephen Hendry doesn't think Ding Junhui will be happy
(Image: Getty Images )
'He's been the benchmark for Chinese snooker. He will be fuming. If it was me, I'd be fuming. The fact is that Ding is snooker in China. Overnight, he is not Mr Snooker anymore.
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'It might spur him on, who knows, but it's something that's going to be difficult for him to handle, actually. If it was me, I'm Ding Junhui, I'm not happy tonight. I don't know Ding well, maybe he's close to Zhao and he's delighted for him.'
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