Why Stephen Hendry rates Mark Williams as second-greatest player of all time behind Ronnie O'Sullivan - 'He is a freak of nature'
Published 21/05/2025 at 19:27 GMT+1
Stephen Hendry has named his top five players of all time, with Mark Williams taking second spot on the snooker GOAT list behind Ronnie O'Sullivan, after his run to the World Championship final in Sheffield. With O'Sullivan awarded top spot and John Higgins at No. 3, it means Hendry's three 'Class of '92' picks are remarkably taken from the top five in the sport's current ranking list.
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Stephen Hendry rates Mark Williams as the second-greatest snooker player of all time because he has "the best temperament of any sportsman I have seen".
The Scot has declared fellow seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan the snooker GOAT, but feels Williams has edged clear of John Higgins in second place due to his impressive Crucible record against the Wishaw man.
Higgins missed the final blue in the last frame against Williams in an agonising 13-12 defeat in the World Championship quarter-finals last month, before the Welshman defeated world No. 1 Judd Trump 17-13 in the semi-finals.
Williams, 50, ran out of steam in his bid to become the oldest Crucible winner of all time, losing 18-12 to Zhao Xintong in the final, but he has already gone up in Hendry's estimations due to his longevity.
"It's very close between Mark Williams and John Higgins, I'd prefer to have them joint-second," said Hendry on Snooker Club.
"I'll go with Mark just because of his recent record against John at the Crucible. He is a freak of nature, he has the best temperament of any sportsman I have seen.
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"He maybe hasn't got the cue power of others, but he has great touch, and he is just a brilliant potter."
Higgins won the World Open and Tour Championship in recent months to end a four-year title drought, but trails 'Class of '92' rival Williams 5-1 in their World Championship meetings.
"Third is John - maybe the greatest match-player of all time," said Hendry, who declined to name himself among the top five.
"If I had to pick a player to clear up from 50 behind with five reds left, I'd take John. He has made over 1,000 centuries and his scoring is phenomenal."
Hendry feels O'Sullivan's break-building ability is head and shoulders above the rest.
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"I'll put Ronnie O'Sullivan top, obviously because of the success he has had, but also for his cue ball control which is the best I've ever seen," commented Hendry.
"He is an artist with the cue ball, I love watching him making breaks, maybe when the black and pink are out of commission and there are balls on cushions, when he is at his best he still finds a way to clear the table.
"Also his safety game - he never plays a safety shot plain ball, he is always using side to manipulate the cue ball. And under pressure, his bottle is unquestionable."
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With Higgins' fellow four-time world champion Mark Selby rated fourth, Hendry explains why his old rival six-time world champion Steve Davis remains above world No. 1 Judd Trump in fifth spot.
"In fifth could be Judd Trump because of what he has won and his centuries, but he only has one world title," said Hendry. "So I'm going for Steve Davis based on his utter domination of the 1980s.
"People will say that the players weren't as good back then, but I don't care. He'd still be in the top 16 today. He was the ultimate winning machine and I learned a lot from him."Â
Stephen Hendry's all-time top five
- 1. Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng)
- 2. Mark Williams (Wal)
- 3. John Higgins (Sco)
- 4. Mark Selby (Eng)
- 5. Steve Davis (Eng)
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