Mark Selby exhibits true character with response to Stephen Hendry feedback

Mark Selby reacted to comments made by Stephen Hendry, who believes the four-time world champion could beat any snooker player in the world in his pomp – including Ronnie O’Sullivan

Mark Selby has humbly brushed off Stephen Hendry’s claim that ‘The Jester’ could beat any snooker player at his peak.

World No.5 Selby has had to share the limelight with snooker’s other top stars in recent years, including the likes of Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson and Mark Allen. But the 41-year-old received a glowing endorsement from seven-time world champion Hendry, who believes Selby has what it takes to beat anyone on his day.

That includes seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, which Hendry puts down to Selby’s unmatched safety play. “I’m including anyone, including O’Sullivan as well,” Hendry stated on his Cue Tips YouTube channel.

“I think if they play their best against each other Mark Selby wins more than Ronnie. His safety game is like no other and he scores so heavily when he’s at his best.”

But Selby is not getting carried away with the high praise and refused to crown himself as the best. “One of my friends sent me the clip. It’s a huge statement coming from him, but I don’t know, that’s for him to say,” Selby told the Metro.

“People always ask me if I class myself as one of the all-time greats. While I’m still playing and involved in the game then I don’t see it like that. I just feel as though I’m just another player, just another number.

“Until I retire and look back on what I’ve achieved, I’ll probably sit down and think to myself you know what, the boy from a council estate with no money in his pocket done good. But as it is at the moment I’ll still keep trying every match and try to win as many tournaments as I can possibly win.”

The four-time world champion from Leicester has been open about his struggles with depression since his wife Vikki’s breast cancer diagnosis in 2023. He also mourned the loss of a close family friend to the illness that same year.

Selby was abandoned by his mother at the age of eight and lost his father to cancer when he was just 16, before pouring his energy into mastering snooker. And despite acknowledging such a huge compliment from a legend like Hendry means a great deal, he wasn’t willing to make the same claim about his own skills.

“Stuff like that does give you a massive boost, but it is just an opinion, it doesn’t mean anything really,” Selby continued. “It means a lot to me because it’s coming from one of the greats of the game. But you ask someone else on the tour and they’d probably say completely different.

“So it’s a matter of opinion, but it’s not from Joe Bloggs who’s never played the game. It’s from someone who’s competed at the top level and knows how tough the game is. It’s a massive compliment coming from someone like Stephen, for sure.”