Stephen Hendry names his tip to win World Snooker Championship

Stephen Hendry is clear on his pick to win the World Snooker Championship this year, naming Mark Selby as his favourite at the Crucible.

The 2025 edition of the tournament looks extremely difficult to call, with a number of top players having strong seasons and presenting a good argument to be backed for the title.

Defending champion Kyren Wilson has been superb this campaign, winning four ranking titles, world number one Judd Trump has had yet another strong season, while Neil Robertson and John Higgins have both won two tournaments each.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has barely played in 2025 but as a seven-time champion and the consensus GOAT on the baize, few people would rule out the Rocket just yet.

Hendry likes the look of Selby, though, after his run to the final of the Tour Championship in Manchester last week.

The 41-year-old has won the British Open, Welsh Open and Championship League Invitational this season and, although he was beaten in the Tour Championship final by Higgins, he played some brilliant stuff in Manchester.

‘For the last couple of months I’ve been saying Selby and nothing’s changed my mind about that,’ Hendry said on the Snooker Club podcast. ‘I think he’s the favourite, in my mind, to win.

‘I think Kyren [Wilson] will be up there. He’s got a huge thing with being the defending champion. I think he has [got the mentality to deal with it] and you’ve definitely got to put him in the conversation of potential winners, there’s no doubt about it.

‘But me personally, I think Selby is playing fantastically well, I know he’s lost that final, but I think he looks good.

‘If someone asked me to put 10 of my Scottish pounds on a player to win it, I think it would be Mark Selby.’

Trump heads to the Crucible at the top of the world rankings and having won the UK Championship, Shanghai Masters and Saudi Arabia Masters this year.

He is not storming into Sheffield in peak form though, having lost his Tour Championship opener 10-5 to Barry Hawkins last week.

That came after a run to the final of the Players Championship which ended painfully with a 10-9 defeat to Wilson.

The 2019 world champ said himself that he wanted to add some more silverware to his collection ahead of the World Championship and has failed to do so.

‘Every season I think you know from March onwards you’ve got three or four massive events,’ he told ITV during the Players Championship. ‘I think you want to win one leading up to the World Championships, if I want to go in full of confidence.

‘Even though it’s been a brilliant season for probably everyone else, it’s quite an average season for me for what I’ve done over the last few years.’

On how Trump will be feeling after his early exit in Manchester, Hendry said: ‘He can’t feel good.

‘He’s lost to Wilson, his biggest rival in the final of the Players Championship, which would have annoyed him. Then didn’t really play well and was well beaten at the Tour Championship.

‘So in terms of results it’s not good preparation. But he’s back in Dubai, he’s got 3 weeks to practice and get himself technically ready.

‘But in your mind, I didn’t like coming off a couple of heavy defeats going to the Crucible. I don’t think it doesn’t necessarily matters, it doesn’t mean he can’t win it, but the fact that he said that means that it’s not good preparation.’