Stephen Hendry

D.O.B: 13 Jan 1969
Lives: Auchterarder, Perthshire
Turned Pro: 1985
Ranking Tournament Victories: 36 - Grand Prix 1987, 1990, 1991, 1995; British Open 1988, 1991, 1999, 2003; Asian Open 1989, 1990; Dubai Duty Free Classic 1989, 1990, 1993; UK Championship 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996; World Championship 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999; Welsh Open 1992, 1997, 2003; International 1993; Scottish Open 1997, 1999; European Open 1993 (Dec), 1994, 2001; Thailand Masters 1998; Malta Cup 2005
Last season World Snooker Tour prize money: £78,175
Highest Tournament Break: 147 - ten times

Hendry showed a level of consistency during the 2010/11 season, winning his first match in each of the last five ranking events. But that's hardly enough to satisfy the ambitions of the game's greatest ever player, and as he went into the Betfred.com World Championship he was considering retirement.

His decision hinged on whether he would keep his place among the world's top 16 and avoid having to qualify for ranking events, at least for the first few months of the 2011/12 season.

Hendry would definitely have dropped out of the elite if he had lost his opening match at the Crucible against Joe Perry, but he scraped through 10-9, winning a tense deciding frame on the colours.

He then lost 13-4 to Mark Selby in the last 16, but other results went Hendry's way and he finished the season at No 16 in the world, before announcing that he intended to give himself another chance.

"I'm going to play on, staying in the 16 was a big factor in the decision," Hendry said. "I'm going to keep playing, I still love playing. If I'm going to play I'm going to have to give it 100%, which means I'm going to have to play in all of the tournaments that I don't like. There's no point doing it half-hearted. I thought I was going to give it up, but I want to carry on."
Hendry made a 147, the tenth of his career, during a match against Stephen Maguire at the 2011 Wyldecrest Welsh Open.

His ninth maximum had come in 2009 at the Crucible. Hendry added another magic moment to his career by making his second 147 break at Sheffield.

"The instant elation you get making a maximum is second to none," he said.

Hendry's last ranking title was the 2005 Malta Cup when he beat Graeme Dott 9-7 in the final.

Generally considered the greatest snooker player ever, Hendry dominated the sport in the 1990s. He won a record seven world titles between 1990 and 1999 and topped the rankings list for eight consecutive years. The records go on and on…36 ranking titles, over £8.5million in prize money and well over 700 centuries.

In 1994 he was made an MBE by the Queen, and twice he has been voted BBC Scotland's Sports Personality of the Year.

Hendry married Mandy in 1995 and their first son Blaine, born in 1996, is a keen player and has won junior tournaments. Their second son Carter was born in 2004.

He is an expert golfer with a single figure handicap at Gleneagles, which is just a few minutes drive from his Auchterarder home.

Hendry also enjoys playing poker with friends Mark Williams and Steve Davis. A fan of Scottish football team Heart of Midlothian, Hendry enjoys comedy shows such as Blackadder and Seinfeld.