Griffiths: Hendry will be motivated
Terry Griffiths has no doubt Stephen Hendry will be "fully motivated" for the UK Championship qualifiers.
Last Updated: 02/11/11 10:28am
Stephen Hendry's former coach Terry Griffiths has no doubt the seven-time world champion will be "fully motivated" when he plays in the qualifying rounds of snooker's UK Championship.
Hendry has slipped out of the top 16 for the first time in 23 years after a run of poor results and heads to the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester next week ranked 20th.
He'll face either Gerard Greene, Jimmy Robertson, Kurt Maflin or David Hogan next Wednesday with a place in the televised stages of snooker's second-biggest ranking event the ultimate prize.
Griffiths, who coached Hendry for five years until 2005, said: "It's always difficult for the top players when they drop into the qualifiers, but the good thing for Stephen is that he has played at Gloucester in PTC events this season, so he's used to the venue and there will be a crowd there.
Tough
"When the qualifiers were staged at Prestatyn, the matches were in cubicles with hardly anyone watching, and it was very tough for those who were used to playing on TV.
"Stephen is playing well enough, in patches, to get back into the top 16. For him it's all about motivation, and I've no doubt he will be fully motivated in the qualifiers. He would hate to miss any of the big ranking events, especially the UK and World Championship.
"He's the best player of the modern era so it's hard to drop down a level, but I think the qualifiers might inspire him. If I was still playing I definitely wouldn't want to draw him.
"He can take inspiration from his friend Mark Williams, because Mark dropped out of the top 16 then got back to No 1 in the world."