STEPHEN HENDRY wasn’t happy with a former rival’s act of sportsmanship last week.
And now the seven-time world champion has revealed he doesn’t think ANY of the current top snooker stars have the fear factor.
Hendry, 55, hasn’t shied away from airing his views on how he reckons the current crop of players are too nice.
He’s previously stated his belief that players are too friendly with each other behind the scenes in the lead-up to matches.
And now, he’s gone a step further by claiming that NONE of the top players have any fear factor.
Remarking that he wanted his opponents to be “s******g themselves” before playing him, Hendry doesn’t think any of the current top snooker stars make their opponents scared about taking them on.
Hendry told the Snooker Club Podcast: “My hot take is – and it’s something that’s sort of a little bit personal to me as well – none of any of these top players have the fear factor anymore.
“No-one is scared of the best players anymore. I don’t like it.
“I liked people s*****g themselves when they played me.
“I remember one time I played Terry Griffiths, and people are going to say the standards are different, OK fair enough. I’m just going generally – I like seeing fear on people’s faces when they play the best players.
“Terry Griffiths had his suitcase packed in the room before he played me in Thailand, ready to go. That’s kind of joking a wee bit but the top players don’t seem to have it anymore over the other players.”
Co-host Mark Watson quizzed Hendry on if he reckons Ronnie O’Sullivan still has the fear factor.
But the Scottish legend reckons even the great O’Sullivan doesn’t always carry that fear factor – because he isn’t always at the top of his game these days.
Hendry continued: “Ronnie at his best, yeah. Ronnie at his best – but have we seen the best of Ronnie, I don’t know? That’s maybe for another time.
“I don’t see a lot of fear in the players. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, you should go to a table and not be scared. Me, as being a top player, I enjoyed that.”
He added: “The fading of the likes of Ronnie – he’s won the English Open – Neil Robertson, Selby’s come back to form, yeah, but everyone was beating him. Everyone was beating Robertson.
Stephen Hendry career achievements
Seven-time World Snooker Champion
Youngest-ever winner of World Championship
Six-time Masters Champion
Five-time UK Championship winner
18 Triple Crown tournament wins
36 ranking titles
Nine seasons as World No1
Awarded MBE in 1994
Two-time BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year
“I don’t know. It’s a personal thing, I don’t like it.”
Watson pressed Hendry on if he wanted to see “a couple more absolute monsters emerge” on the snooker scene.
Hendry confirmed: “Yeah and just if a lower ranked player went to talk and just growled at them.
“Don’t even speak.”
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