John Higgins hits back hard at Stephen Hendry after being torn into by snooker legend

 John Higgins did not hold back when responding to his compatriot

John Higgins has called Stephen Hendry a 'cracker'

John Higgins did not take kindly to snooker legend Stephen Hendry calling him a 'tough watch' at the Players Championship. Higgins came into the tournament in good form, having picked up his first ranking title in four years at the World Open earlier this month.

But he could not replicate that triumph in Telford as he came unstuck against Judd Trump in the semi-finals. Higgins struggled during the early stages of the match and went into the mid-session interval 3-1 behind. When analysing his performance, seven-time world champion Hendry did not mince his words.

"All I can do is say what I see," he told ITV. "I never thought I'd say this, but John Higgins is a tough watch at the moment. Whether he is low on confidence, he is not playing well at all. Thirty-two seconds a shot is not good.

"It is almost like he is getting in his own way. The difference is when Judd gets in, everything just flows. Every shot with John is a pint of blood.

"He's putting so much effort into even the easiest shots, and that is a sign to me of someone low on confidence. It's not the way the great John Higgins plays, but at the minute they are just leagues apart, these two players."

John Higgins fell short against Judd Trump in the Players Championship semi-finals

Higgins made a strong recovery to level the match up at 4-4, before Trump kicked on to clinch a 6-4 victory and book his spot in Sunday's final. Not only was Higgins disappointed with the result, he was not best pleased with Hendry's comments and he let him know as much, calling him a 'cracker' and suggesting that the player-turned-pundit would love to still be fighting for titles during the twilight of his career.

"I've heard people like Hendry now saying that I've got to speed up," said 49-year-old Higgins. "He's a cracker, so he is. When you get a little bit older, you are just a little bit cautious. You are trying to work on a couple of things.

"You are nearly 50 and are still competing with the boys. I bet you wish they were doing the same, but hey ho. Just don't get too negative, think of the good things and hopefully, good things will happen."

Hendry retired in 2012, at the age of 43, and spent eight years out of the sport before returning in 2020. But the Edinburgh-born cueist was unable to make much of an impression during his four-year comeback, which ended in 2024.