Stephen Hendry hails Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams as 'absolute legends' with unique snooker 'superpowers'
Published 26/05/2026 at 19:07 GMT+1
React to this story
Stephen Hendry has praised the "superpowers" of Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams for bringing a magic to snooker that will never be seen again.
'We didn't think we would ever see that' - TNT Sports experts discuss their moments of the season
Video credit: TNT Sports
The seven-time world champion is convinced there is more to come from the golden trio, who have 14 world titles between and are all ranked inside the top 16 at the age of 50.
Higgins defeated O'Sullivan 13-12 in the last 16 of the World Championship before losing 17-15 to Shaun Murphy in an epic semi-final.
It came a year after Williams became the oldest Crucible finalist of the modern era, losing 18-12 to Zhao Xintong after running out of steam.
"If you think of them as superpowers, it is very difficult to do this," said Hendry on his YouTube channel.
"Ronnie has cue-ball control. He is the best break-builder of all time. Everyone can see that with the amount of centuries [a record 1330] he has.
"They've all got tremendous bottle because they wouldn't have been able to do what they've done in their careers without being able to play under pressure.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/04/26/image-eac368f5-0ce8-4fe4-8d31-d55410baaf49-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
'Where did he find that one?' - Crucible crowd left purring over 'magnificent' O'Sullivan red
Video credit: TNT Sports
"But I think with John, the amount of clearances I've seen John make from 50 or 60 behind, is just phenomenal.
"John's superpower is his bottle. And he is still producing it now. Some of the breaks he produces now is just incredible.
"And Williams, it is temperament. He has the greatest temperament of any sportsman I've ever seen.
"The fact he can just brush off bad shots. You have to scrape him off the table, but if he loses, he's forgotten about it two seconds after leaving the table."
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/10/24/image-28d24b2f-38d9-4c5e-8fd8-954a9c4d20dd-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
'They'll do absolutely anything' - Trump on O'Sullivan, Higgins and Williams' winning mentality
Video credit: TNT Sports
- Who are the new kids on the block as O'Sullivan regains spot among elite?
- 'It was a shocking miss' - Why Allen can't explain error that cost him world title shot
- 'I’ve been lucky' - Why one of snooker's longest careers could soon be over
Hendry feels O'Sullivan is sharp enough to claim a record eighth world title if he wants it badly enough.
But the Scotman also said: "I don't know if he will ever again see the likes of Ronnie, John and Mark in the game. The Chinese are taking over with the last two world champions.
"In terms of home-grown talent, whether we will see a John, Ronnie or Mark again, I don't know.
"There are just unbelievable competitors and we just have to enjoy them while they're still playing. They're just absolute legends."
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/10/13/image-c3a00c3b-7e7e-450d-8057-902c94f1860f-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
'Unexpectedly one-sided' - Williams seals emphatic victory over Murphy to create history
Video credit: TNT Sports
Add TNT Sports as a preferred source here to enjoy more content like this.
The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is HBO Max, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports and entertainment in one destination
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement