Stephen Hendry has warned that European snooker players must urgently raise their game or risk being left behind, as Chinese talent dominates the sport. The past two Crucible champions have both come from China, with Zhao Xintong winning in 2025 and Wu Yize triumphing this week.
Seven-time world champion Hendry, speaking on his YouTube channel, said: "It's incredible, the talent coming from China now. The young talent is incredible. They are taking the game to new levels." He urged young European players such as Stan Moody, Liam Pullen, and Antoni Kowalski to step up to compete with the likes of Zhao and Wu.
At this year's World Championship, 11 Chinese players featured in the main draw out of 32, second only to England's 13. Wu, aged 22, became the second-youngest winner after Hendry, defeating Shaun Murphy 18-17 in the final. He has lived in Sheffield since age 16 and plans to buy a property there for practice.
Hendry also praised runner-up Murphy, saying his semi-final performance against Zhao was "nigh on the perfect session" and a "super-human performance." Murphy joked that Hendry might need an intervention after the glowing comments.
