SNOOKER icon Stephen Hendry has tipped Ronnie O'Sullivan to win a record eighth world championship.
Seven-time winner O'Sullivan, 47, returns to the Crucible in Sheffield on Saturday to begin the defence of the title he claimed 12 months ago.
The Rocket's 2022 triumph took him level with Hendry, 54, on seven world championships – a record in snooker's modern era.
And Scot Hendry believes O'Sullivan will move past him by claiming an eighth crown in two weeks time.
Speaking to 12-time women's champion Reanne Evans on his YouTube channel, Hendry said: "I think Ronnie's gonna to win it, that's my opinion.
"He's gonna be bang up for winning the eighth – what an incentive. He won't admit it but what an incentive.
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"He's not coming into the championship with any great form, is he? But I just think that doesn't matter for Ronnie. He's different. He doesn't need good or bad form behind him to play well.
"Although, a caveat to that I will say that when he played in the Tour Championship final and lost to Neil Robertson in the final, I said to Ronnie 'I think you'll win the world championship because you're playing so well'. And he said 'Really?' and I said 'Absolutely'.
"So it's strange to say but an unknown quantity."
After joking that he was trying to "double jinx" O'Sullivan so that he doesn't eclipse his record, Hendry added: "I do fancy him to win it.
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"I don't see any of the other top players coming through with the form good enough to stop him."
Five of Hendry's seven world titles came in successive years between 1992 and 1996 – with his other wins coming in 1990 and 1999.
O'Sullivan's championship triumphs have come across a much longer period – with his first in 2001, more than two decades before his seventh.
He has only successfully defended the crown once in his career – when he claimed back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
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