ǼȄɯǽȀg&g]cǽǻǼȄ .&.]]g JCʸ 21
I would tell my younger self to be more thoughtful. You have to be very
ƫĪŧǿƫŊƸżěĪƸŊĪěĪƫƸÿŲģƫƸÿǣƸŊĪěĪƫƸ᠁ÿŲģSǝÿƫŲǀŰěĪƣżŲĪłżƣĪŏŃŊƸ
ǣĪÿƣƫ᠇ ǀƸƫżŰĪƸŏŰĪƫSǝÿƫżǜĪƣŧǣƫĪŧǿƫŊÿŲģƸŊĪƣĪǝĪƣĪƸŏŰĪƫSĜżǀŧģŊÿǜĪ
ƣĪŧĪŲƸĪģ᠇®żSǝżǀŧģƫÿǣĜŊŏŧŧżǀƸÿŧŏƸƸŧĪěŏƸ᠁ŰÿŤĪƫǀƣĪƸŊĪżƸŊĪƣƠĪżƠŧĪŏŲ
ǣżǀƣŧŏłĪÿƣĪŊÿƠƠǣ᠇SģżŲᡉƸŤŲżǝŏłƸŊĪƣĪŏƫÿěĪƸƸĪƣǝÿǣżłģżŏŲŃŏƸ᠁ƸŊżǀŃŊ᠁
ěĪĜÿǀƫĪSŰŏŃŊƸŲżƸŊÿǜĪŊÿģƸŊĪƫǀĜĜĪƫƫSģŏģ᠇SŤŲżǝŏƸƫżǀŲģƫƠƣĪƸƸǣĜżŧģ᠁
but it is the truth.
One of things I’m most proud of about my sons [he has two, Blaine and
Carter] is how well-mannered and how appreciative they are of other
people.SƸŏƫƫżŏŰƠżƣƸÿŲƸ᠇SƸÿŰÿǭĪƫŰĪŊżǝƣǀģĪƫżŰĪƠĪżƠŧĪĜÿŲěĪ᠇ ǀƸS
ŧĪÿƣŲƸłƣżŰŰǣƠÿƣĪŲƸƫÿŲģrÿŲģǣ᠁ŰǣĪǢᠵǝŏłĪ᠁ÿŲģSěƣżǀŃŊƸǀƠżǀƣŤŏģƫƸż
ěĪǜĪƣǣƠżŧŏƸĪÿŲģÿƠƠƣĪĜŏÿƸĪƠĪżƠŧĪ᠇
I have never subscribed to the British thing of liking the sporting
underdog. SłdŏŰŰǣàŊŏƸĪŊÿģǝżŲƸŊĪàżƣŧģ ŊÿŰƠŏżŲƫŊŏƠ᠁ŊĪǝżǀŧģ
ŊÿǜĪǝżŲ®ƠżƣƸƫ£ĪƣƫżŲÿŧŏƸǣżłƸŊĪæĪÿƣěǣÿŰŏŧĪ᠇ ǀƸŊĪŤĪƠƸŃĪƸƸŏŲŃ
ěĪÿƸĪŲŏŲƸŊĪǿŲÿŧ᠇¼żƸŊŏƫģÿǣƠĪżƠŧĪÿƫŤŏłSłĪŧƸŃǀŏŧƸǣěĪÿƸŏŲŃŊŏŰÿŲģS
ģżŲᡉƸÿƸÿŧŧ᠇SᡉŰƫǀƣĪŊĪǝżǀŧģƫǝÿƠŊŏƫƠżƠǀŧÿƣŏƸǣłżƣÿǝżƣŧģƸŏƸŧĪ᠇SŧŏŤĪƫĪƣŏÿŧ
ǝŏŲŲĪƣƫ᠇rŏĜŊÿĪŧ®ĜŊǀŰÿĜŊĪƣǝÿƫÿģżŰŏŲÿŲƸǝŏŲŲĪƣ᠁¦żŃĪƣFĪģĪƣĪƣŏŲ
ƸĪŲŲŏƫ᠁SᡉŰÿŰÿƫƫŏǜĪ¼ŏŃĪƣàżżģƫłÿŲ᠇£ĪżƠŧĪǝŊżǝŏŲÿŲģƸŊĪŲǝÿŲƸƸżǝŏŲ
ÿŃÿŏŲÿŲģÿŃÿŏŲ᠈¼ŊÿƸŏƫǝŊÿƸSŊÿģÿŲģǝŊÿƸSÿƠƠƣĪĜŏÿƸĪŏŲżƸŊĪƣƠĪżƠŧĪ᠇
As a 16-year-old I would never have dreamed of winning seven World
Championship titles.SǝżǀŧģƸĪŧŧŰǣǣżǀŲŃĪƣƫĪŧłƸżŤĪĪƠǝżƣŤŏŲŃŊÿƣģ
ÿŲģǣżǀǝŏŧŧżǜĪƣĜżŰĪ®ƸĪǜĪ'ÿǜŏƫᠲǝŊżSƸŊżǀŃŊƸǝÿƫƸŊŏƫŃżģżłƫŲżżŤĪƣ
ᠲǝŏŲŰżƣĪǝżƣŧģƸŏƸŧĪƫƸŊÿŲŊŏŰÿŲģěĪƸŊĪģżŰŏŲÿŲƸƠŧÿǣĪƣłżƣᙷᙶǣĪÿƣƫ᠇
ǀƸSᡉŰƫǀƣĪŰǣᙷᚂᠵǣĪÿƣᠵżŧģƫĪŧłǝżǀŧģƫÿǣǣżǀÿƣĪŲǀƸƫ᠁ŏƸŏƫŲżƸŃżŏŲŃ
ƸżŊÿƠƠĪŲ᠇I would tell my younger self, don’t spend so much on clothes. àŊĪŲS
ǝżŲŰǣǿƣƫƸŰÿšżƣƸżǀƣŲÿŰĪŲƸ᠁ƸŊĪ¦żƸŊŰÿŲƫGƣÿŲģ£ƣŏǢᠢŏŲᙷᚅᚄᚃᠣ᠁SŃżƸ
ᢓᚄᙶ᠁ᙶᙶᙶ᠇rǣŰÿŲÿŃĪŰĪŲƸƸżżŤƸŊÿƸÿŲģSšǀƫƸŃżƸÿǝÿŃĪ᠁ěǀƸSƣĪŰĪŰěĪƣ
ƫƠĪŲģŏŲŃᢓ ᠁ᙶᙶᙶżŲÿßĪƣƫÿĜĪŧĪÿƸŊĪƣšÿĜŤĪƸ᠇hżżŤŏŲŃěÿĜŤ᠁ŏƸƫƸŏŧŧƫĪŲģƫ
ƫŊŏǜĪƣƫģżǝŲŰǣƫƠŏŲĪ᠇Every day someone asks who would win out of me and Ronnie O’Sullivan
at our best. SƸǝżǀŧģěĪǜĪƣǣĜŧżƫĪ᠇¦żŲŲŏĪŏƫŰżƣĪżłÿƸÿŧĪŲƸᠲSĜżǀŧģŲĪǜĪƣ
ƠŧÿǣŧĪǽƸᠵŊÿŲģĪģÿŲģƸŊĪǝÿǣŊĪŤĪĪƠƫƫǝŏƸĜŊŏŲŃŏƫŏŲĜƣĪģŏěŧĪ᠇ ǀƸżŲŰǣ
ģÿǣSǝżǀŧģŊÿǜĪěĪÿƸĪŲŊŏŰ᠇rÿǣěĪŏƸŏƫŰĪŲƸÿŧƸżǀŃŊŲĪƫƫ᠁ěǀƸSǝżǀŧģ
ěÿĜŤŰǣƫĪŧłƸżǝŏŲÿŃÿŏŲƫƸÿŲǣěżģǣ᠇Me and the Table by Stephen Hendry is out now (John Black, £8.99)
Interview: Adrian Lobb @adey70
For more interviews see bigissue.com/letter-to-my-youngerselfᚇᚕᚔᚑ
THE YEAR STEPHEN
TURNS 16- Live Aid concerts take
place in London and
Philadelphia - Mikhail Gorbachev
becomes Soviet leader
ÿǽƸĪƣfżŲƫƸÿŲƸŏŲ
Chernenko’s death - At 13, Ruth Lawrence
becomes the youngest
Briton to earn a
ǿƣƫƸᠵĜŧÿƫƫģĪŃƣĪĪ