He may not be the deadly force he once was, but boy he's still got it.
After vast domination of the sport throughout the 1990s, he's seen the game evolve and new players steel his crown. But not being the arrogant type, it's never crushed his desire to compete.He's sunk so far away from the dizzy heights he once enjoyed that he was even on the brink of falling out of the top 16 earlier this season. Rather than go through the motions and let it happen, he pulled his socks up and produced crucial wins to retain his place in the elite.
So he's shown that even all these years later that he's still got the stomach for a fight.
But tonight he proved he's still got the class. Despite going on to lose his all-Scottish second round match 4-2 against Stephen Maguire, he hit a terrific maximum to steal the headlines.
Break building has always been Hendry's strongest asset. It's something you never lose. It was great to see the seven-time world champion enjoying another day in the sun, especially at a time when he's beginning to get a few critics.
Tonight though he issued a timely reminder of what a snooker legend he really is.
What will be even sweeter for the Scot is that this also brings him level with Ronnie O'Sullivan's record of ten professional maximums.
Well played Stephen!
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