Stephen Hendry has praised Luca Brecel's unorthodox approach to snooker, citing how the star has impressed at this year's World Championship.
Stephen Hendry has said that Luca Brecel is a "genius with a snooker cue" despite his unorthadox style of play and lifestyle. The 30-year-old, who clinched the 2023 Snooker World Championship, has impressed at this year's tournament at the Crucible thus far - overcoming Ryan Day in his opening clash before handing Ding Junhui a 13-4 loss to make it to the quarter-finals.
With hopes of adding a second World Championship to his name by the end of the tournament next month, the Belgian will face World No. 1 Judd Trump on Tuesday for his place in the semi-finals against either John Higgins or Mark Williams. And seven-time world champion Hendry was quick to give Brecel his flowers for his incredible work on the baize. Speaking during the BBC's coverage of the Snooker World Championship alongside Seema Jaswal, he said: "Luca Brecel, back to the Brecel that won the world title two years ago, three years ago. Incredible.
Jaswal continued: "And approaching it the same way; taking flights here and there and then coming back. Approaching the game in a way that no other player has, and still winning.
"I mean, if someone had told you back in the day that there's going to be a player that comes on the scene later on and is going to approach it the way he does - and he's still going to win the Worlds by the way - you'd have said no chance."
To which Hendry replied: "Until I'd seen that person play, I'd have said, 'No, he's got no future in the game'. But when you see the way Luca Brecel can play, with his kind of preparation, he's just a unique talent.
"He's just fabulous to watch. He's an absolute genius with a snooker cue, it's what he was put on this earth to do. He wants to do other things as well though, that the thing. But maybe if you took Luca and said, 'Right, you've got to practice six hours a day', he wouldn't be the same player.
"He's just an inspirational player, and when he gets that inspiration, when he gets that buzz from snooker, you can't stop watching him. He's just brilliant." While his fearless pressure and attacking style of play are a far cry from some of snooker's more reserved stars, it's not just on the baize that Brecel tends to do things a little different to his peers.
He arrived back at the Crucible via private jet after returning to Belgium following his 10-7 win over Day on Wednesday, while many others will have opted to stay in and around Sheffield for the duration of the tournament. Meanwhile, Brecel has also been incredibly open about his spending and flamboyant lifestyle away from the table.
After his 2023 World Championship win, he splurged on a Ferrari 488, a BMW M4, a Range Rover Sport, and even a Porsche Taycan for his partner, Laura Vanoverberghe. "I bought two more cars this week, so I went from a millionaire to a non-millionaire," he admitted at the time.
Regardless of his choices away from the baize, Brecel has continued to be a spectacle on it - and many fans will be eager to see just how far he can go this year. However, he will face Trump in the next round, a man who has been in his own fine form thus far.
The 35-year-old made light work of Zhou Yuelong in his opening fixture with a 10-4 win, before seeing off Shaun Murphy with a 13-10 victory in the second round. After failing to have replicated his 2019 World Championship win over Higgins in the years since, Trump will be eager to taste glory once more come May 5.
0 Comments