Stephen Hendry rubbishes Kyren Wilson claim before Players Championship – 'Not buying it'

Stephen Hendry has rubbished Kyren Wilson’s claim that he will benefit from not taking part in the Players Championship. The 34-year-old will not defend his title at the Players Championship 2026 this week after failing to qualify for the tournament.

That is due to the 5-2 loss Wilson suffered to Xiao Guodong in the World Grand Prix last-32 earlier this month. The defeat in Hong Kong saw the 2024 world champion drop outside the top-16 in the one-year ranking list, having needed to reach the semis to qualify. Wilson’s poor ranking event form, despite winning the 2025 Players Championship and the Masters this season, rules him out of the action in Telford.

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Despite the obvious disappointment and psychological blow of not taking part in the prestigious invitational tournament, where the winner will claim £150,000, Wilson insisted his absence could be a blessing disguise. Speaking prior to his Hong Kong exit, he suggested that not qualifying for the Players Championship wouldn't be the end of the world, even if it would make it harder for him to qualify for the Tour Championship, which he is currently scheduled to miss based on the one-year rankings, before the World Championship in Sheffield.

Wilson said: "I always think in the New Year, how am I going to spend it? Am I going to go out to see my friends in China and do a few exhibitions, am I going to practice through it, am I going to relax? You target the Masters and then off the back of that you look towards the worlds.

"For me, I'm thinking right, I really want to be in the Players [Championship], I won't lie. If I'm not in it I'll be gutted. I then want to qualify for the Tour [Championship] and I know I can do that through the World Open and the Welsh Open. They're two big tournaments with big opportunities so ok it would suck to miss out on the Players and being defending champion I don't want to not even have a chance of defending the title, but Shaun [Murphy] did it last year.

"Shaun beat me in the final of the Tour Championship the year before and then didn't qualify to defend for it. But also the year I won the World Championship I had like three or four weeks off and I actually went on holiday and I was so fresh for the worlds. I think the worlds that have just gone I'd burnt myself out for the first round, so in my mind I'm thinking win-win situation. I want to be in the tournaments, if I'm not then I can go and have a break and go into the worlds hell for leather."

But snooker legend Hendry disagreed with his comments on The Snooker Club podcast following Wilson's World Grand Prix exit which meant he didn't qualify for the Players Championship. On whether it will be odd for Wilson to not be at the Players Championship, Hendry said: "Yeah, I’m not so sure. He said if he’s not in it he’d have a big break before Sheffield and come out fresher but I’m not buying that at all.

"I mean, the fact is he’s not going to be in a tournament he won last year." Reflecting on Wilson's possible absence from the Tour Championship later in the year, Hendry added: "The Tour Championship in Manchester is a big event before Sheffield… the top players will want to play in everything, all the top tournaments, in any sport. So I’m not convinced by that."

Wilson's fellow pro Chris Wakelin, also appearing on the podcast, then said: "The last time he didn’t qualify for the Tour Championship was the same year he didn’t qualify for the Players Championship and the Grand Prix, which was also the same year he won the World Championship."

Hendry continued: "He made that argument to us before he played in Hong Kong, that it could be a blessing in disguise and that he’d be fresh. But you still don’t want to be at home watching other players play on TV. I’m not buying that."

Steven Hallworth chimed in by saying: "Especially when it’s actually your trophy as well. It’s going to kill him, it’s surely going to kill him [to see that] because he can’t keep his trophy, can he?" Hendry then added: "It may well work for him in terms of Sheffield but yeah, I don't believe you don't want to be in tournaments."

Wilson had said after his exit to Xiao: "I struggled today and Xiao played very, very good. I was just trying to hang on to him. I feel bad for this tournament, to be honest. I think the Hong Kong World Grand Prix deserves to be better. Straight from Germany, it’s very, very difficult to arrive here on one or two days’ practice and sleep, and then try to perform in such a fantastic event."