Stephen Hendry believes Jimmy White should keep plugging away at professional snooker, but must try and take the pressure off himself and try to enjoy the game more.
Hendry beat White 6-3 in the first round of World Snooker Championship qualifying on Monday in a game riddled with mistakes from both men.
The Scot was not thrilled with his own performance, but was obviously happy to progress, while the Whirlwind was left devastated with how he played.
It is likely that White will now drop off the tour, which he was only on through an invitational wildcard from World Snooker in the first place and it is yet to be confirmed whether he will get another two-year card or he will have to go to Q School, or it could even be time for the 58-year-old to retire.
Hendry does not want to see his old rival call it a day, but he would like for him to try and relax a bit more when he’s on the match table, which would help bring out his best game.
‘I think Jimmy should keep playing. He loves the game so much,’ Hendry told a press conference after beating White.
‘If I could give him any advice it would be to try and enjoy it. He puts so much pressure on himself. Confidence is good, but saying you can still win the World Championship…
‘When I ended my career and retired, I faced the fact I couldn’t play. If he can somehow take the pressure off himself and not look at results, not think he can win tournaments, then just go out there and play.
‘I’ve played him in practice and he still plays great so if I was to give him any advice, if he does get a wildcard, it would be to keep playing but try and take the intensity level off a little bit.’
White was clearly seriously deflated by his performance against Hendry, but was also clear that he would take another wildcard if offered. In fact, he would be asking for one if it wasn’t offered.
‘Yeah of course, of course I would [take a wildcard],’ White told WST. ‘But I’d have to see how the results go and give him a call and I will ask for a wildcard, but at the moment I’m just destroyed with how bad I played.
‘That’s such an horrendous performance from me, it really is frustrating.’
WST chairman Barry Hearn is yet to confirm White’s future, but told the Talking Snooker podcast last week that he would be happy to offer the Whirlwind another tour card, if he still wants one.
‘Yeah, of course,’ said Hearn on giving White another card. ‘If I’m inviting old players that maybe don’t have that quality anymore you can get criticism and I think the criticism is well found.
‘But there’s a few principles in life that overshadow that: What do I owe you? You never, as a proper person, forget what you owe.’
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