Stephen Hendry has admitted his body has changed in the nine years he has been away from snooker’s elite.
The 52-year-old seven times world champion told how his body is getting “wider” – meaning he can’t play shots like he could in his heyday.
Not that he’s making excuses for the end of his dream to return to the Crucible. Playing only his third match of his comeback after nearly 10 years away from the circuit, the Queensferry player was roundly beaten by Chinese star Xu Si in their World Championship qualifying match in Sheffield.
It had started well with him beating old foe Jimmy White but Xu was a different proposition and beat him 6-1.
Afterwards, Stephen admitted he had hit the ball “dreadfully” during the match. While his decision-making was spot-on, he didn’t strike the ball as he wanted to.
He said: “I found that I wasn’t sighting the cue ball down the middle. I was favouring my right eye – and I’m not right-eye dominant.
“The fact is, as you get older, your body changes. Your body gets wider. And because of that I was no longer dropping on to the right line when I played a shot.”
With Stephen out, all eyes are on defending champ Ronnie O’Sullivan who is eyeing up a seventh triumph – to equal modern era record-holder Stephen.
Also in the frame is Chinese “Tiger” Yan Bingtao who was crowned Masters champion in January . If he wins at Sheffield, he would become the youngest winner – breaking Stephen’s record by a month.
Stephen lifted his first Crucible crown in 1990. Yan said: “It’s very difficult and I have little chance.”
● READ the full interview in this week’s Radio Times, left. Watch the World Snooker Championship live on Eurosport until May 3.
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