Snooker: Hendry determined to make amends for final aberration

Scot returns to the Crucible eager to banish complacency which cost him dear in last year's World Championship

A few minutes after losing last year's World Championship final to Peter Ebdon in an 18-17 nail-biter, Stephen Hendry pronounced himself "absolutely gutted". The best player that snooker has ever seen then allowed himself a smile before adding: "But then I've won it seven times before. I'll be OK in a couple of days."

Yesterday afternoon, chatting at the club where he practises in Stirling, the 34-year-old Scot admitted he had been far from "OK". "I was in shock straight afterwards," he said. "Alongside losing 9-0 [to minnow Marcus Campbell at the 1998 UK Championship] it was my biggest disappointment in snooker. It hurt so badly. It was horrendous. When you're by yourself, you're thinking..."

He paused for a moment. "It's a terrible feeling to know you've thrown away the World Championship." So he'd never watched the video then? "Oh no." He laughs.

There is no remnant of angst apparent in Hendry. Indeed, yesterday, he seemed as relaxed and easy with himself as at any time in his 18 years on the circuit. But as he made his final preparations for this year's Crucible showpiece, which starts on Saturday, it was clear he was in no mood to allow a repeat of his slip-up against Ebdon.

Only two finals had ever gone the distance before last year. The first was Dennis Taylor's epic finger-wagging success over Steve Davis in 1985. The second was Hendry's own win over Jimmy White in 1994. The showdown with Ebdon was every bit as dramatic and was eventually settled after Hendry had passed up three openings – albeit not straightforward – in the decider.

In a remarkable show of candour yesterday, Hendry confided the reason for his downfall. "I didn't think Peter could beat me. Simple as that. I didn't think he was good enough over 35 frames. I did not go into the match with the right attitude.

"That is a terrible attitude to take into the final of the World Championships. But having beaten Ronnie [O'Sullivan] in the semi, I thought I just had to turn up at the final to win. At times I wasn't even there. Even when it got to 17-17, I still thought I was going to win. When I didn't I was shocked. It was a painful mistake to make. It only makes me more determined not to do it again."

At one stage in his career, in the all-conquering era that saw him win his record seven world titles between 1990 and 1999, entering a tournament feeling invincible was par for the course.

"I'd be packing to go somewhere and [my wife] Mandy would say 'What should I take to wear for the final?' I'd make sure I had the right suit for the occasion. I always took it for granted that I'd win."

But when the trophies stopped coming so frequently – in addition to his world titles, he won 39 other major titles in the 1990s alone, including four of his five UK Championships and five of his six Masters – that assuredness became a hindrance.

"It wasn't so much that I'd earned myself a nice life, but that I'd done it all before, turning up and winning. Four or five years of that, year after year, and you struggle to motivate yourself. It's been one of my major weaknesses in my career. Expecting to win. If you go into a match and you're not nervous, not hyped, then it's hard to create that."

It became harder still after his Crucible success in 1999. "I developed a technical fault that put me off playing certain shots. I was thinking 'I don't fancy that'. I was playing positional shots just to avoid a pot. Crazy. It's no state of mind to be playing in. I just wasn't hitting the ball right. Once we'd sorted that out, things started getting better."

With one title to his name already this year, the Regal Welsh Open, and with his game "as good as ever", he is looking forward to the Crucible. "I'm flying in practice and I can't wait to get started. I feel like a new player again. I couldn't be happier with my game."

His opening match on Saturday, against the world No 46 Gary Wilkinson, should be straightforward enough. And a new pre-match "focus" routine should keep any overconfidence at bay. Hendry joked that it involves sticking pins in his hands. He would not reveal the true details. "But it works."

So who does he see as the likeliest winner this year? "Up to a few weeks ago I'd have said Mark Williams. Ronnie's obviously playing well. Myself, [John] Higgins, [Ken] Doherty, [Paul] Hunter. Someone from that group." Note the absence of Ebdon.

And what are the chances of someone emerging to replicate his domination of the game? "I just don't think the other players have the desire to do that. Steve [Davis, six-times world champion before Hendry] and I were just obsessed with snooker. It was our lives. Whenever we picked up a cue we wanted to win. I don't think you'll see it again." And what about Hendry re-emerging as a dominant force? "I've got the incentive to win this year. If I do, I'll be world No 1 again. There's no greater target than that. That would be my best ever achievement."

And he won't be taking it for granted.