Ken Doherty has called time on his iconic snooker career after 36 years.
The Dubliner made history in 1997 when he became the first, and only, Irishman to win the Snooker World Championship at The Crucible, when he beat defending champion Stephen Hendry in the final.
Ken reached a career high ranking of 2 in the 2006/07 season, and previously won the World Amateur Championship and Under-21 championship. His most recent ranking win came in the 2006 Malta Cup.
Now, following a 36-year career, he has announced that he’s hanging up the cue on the main tour. However, he will be continuing to play on the senior tour, which is open to all players over 40.
‘I probably should have done it years ago to be honest,’ Ken admitted to Morning Ireland on Wednesday (June 3).
‘It’s just gotten so [much] harder as I’ve gotten older. When you remember all the good days and you can’t replicate that and you can’t play as well as you used to, it becomes hard work and a bit more frustrating.’
‘So I think the time was right. I probably should have done it a few years ago but I just love the game, I love playing, I love being involved in it. I’ve had great support in Ireland and around the world. I’m really humbled by it and I think it’s the right time to call it a day.’
The ‘Darling of Dublin’ turned professional in 1990 after winning the World Under-21 Amateur Championship and the World Amateur Championship the previous year.
He entered the Top 16 rankings in the world in 1993, remaining there for over 15 years until the 2007/08 season.
His crowning achievement came in the 1997 World Snooker Championship, when he beat Stephen Hendry 18-12 in the final – breaking the latter’s record-shattering 29-match winning streak.
He reached the final again a year later, where he was tipped to break the ‘Crucible Curse’, where first-time World Champions unsuccessfully defend their title, but lost 12-18 to John Higgins.
In 2024, he was rushed to hospital after suffering from an umbilical hernia, with him saying the worst part of his recovery was that he was unable to play snooker, golf, or laugh.
