Stephen Hendry has opened up about his iconic grudge match against Ronnie O'Sullivan at the 2002 World Snooker Championship, revealing that the Rocket's smirking during the contest left him fuming. The two legends clashed in a best-of-33 frames semi-final at the Crucible, a match made infamous by O'Sullivan's unexpected insults after his quarter-final win over Stephen Lee.
Hendry's Motivation from O'Sullivan's Comments
Speaking on his Cue Tips YouTube channel, the seven-time world champion recalled the moment he learned of O'Sullivan's remarks. 'I was in my room the morning of the match. The guy who used to drive me round came in and said, "Have you seen the papers?" I said, "No I've not seen the papers." He showed me the paper and Ronnie had said all this stuff,' Hendry said. O'Sullivan, who was close to boxer Naseem Hamed, had stated that he never liked Hendry and only spoke to him out of obligation. He added that he aimed to send Hendry 'back to Scotland to his sad little life.'
The Match and O'Sullivan's Smirking
Hendry won the match 17-13, but he was particularly annoyed by O'Sullivan's behavior during the game. 'I remember during the match if I missed any easy shot I could see Ronnie coming to the table laughing, smirking that I'd missed these easy shots. That got to me even more. I was just getting more and more mad, and more and more determined to win the match,' Hendry explained. The 57-year-old described it as 'probably the only grudge match I've ever had in my career.'
O'Sullivan's Later Regret
After the match, O'Sullivan remained unrepentant, saying, 'I've got no regrets about what I said and I'll probably say something along the same lines again in the future because I really don't care.' However, in 2020, he admitted it was a mistake, blaming Hamed for encouraging the trash talk. 'It should never have happened. But I'm also blaming Naz for getting me so revved up,' O'Sullivan said. 'It wasn't really me. I was easily led. When I said it, and when it came out, I was gutted.'
Hendry, who went on to lose the final to Peter Ebdon, reflected on the match as a turning point in his career. 'I think it was probably the last time I played my best snooker at the Crucible, that semi-final,' he said. Despite the tension, the two now have a cordial relationship, with Hendry noting, 'Obviously we get on great now, but I was disappointed, but I just used it to psych myself up to win.'
