Snooker world number ones in history including Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Mark Selby and Ray Reardon
SHOULD SNOOKER LEAVE THE CRUCIBLE?

No player has got remotely close to matching such a duration, with Mark Selby's 215-week run from February 2015 to March 2019 falling 'just' 203 weeks short!

The other greats to earn world number one status are John Higgins, Mark Williams, Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, Cliff Thorburn and Ding Junhui but it's hard to see anyone reaching Hendry's records for many years to come.

Here below are stats on the players who have been number one the longest together with a timeline of how top spot has changed hands down the years.

Most total weeks as snooker world number one

  • May 1975 to April 15, 2024
Stephen Hendry still holds this record ahead of Ronnie O'Sullivan

Top five longest reigns as world number one

  • May 1975 to April 15, 2024
  • World titles in below graph include if player won it to become world number one
Stephen Hendry's record is highly unlikely to ever be broken

World number one timeline

  • Ray Reardon: 3 May 1975 to 20 April 1981 (312 weeks)
  • Cliff Thorburn: 21 April 1981 to 16 May 1982 (56 weeks)
  • Ray Reardon: 17 May 1982 to 2 May 1983 (50 weeks)
  • Steve Davis: 3 May 1983 to 29 April 19903 (65 weeks)
  • Stephen Hendry: 30 April 1990 to 4 May 1998 (418 weeks)
  • John Higgins: 5 May 1998 to 1 May 2000 (104 weeks)
  • Mark Williams: 2 May 2000 to 6 May 2002 (105 weeks)
  • Ronnie O’Sullivan: 7 May 2002 to 5 May 2003 (52 weeks)
  • Mark Williams: 6 May 2003 to 3 May 2004 (52 weeks)
  • Ronnie O’Sullivan: 4 May 2004 to 1 May 2006 (104 weeks)
  • Stephen Hendry: 2 May 2006 to 7 May 2007 (53 weeks)
  • John Higgins: 8 May 2007 to 5 May 2008 (52 weeks)
  • Ronnie O’Sullivan: 6 May 2008 to 3 May 2010 (104 weeks)
  • John Higgins: 4 May 2010 to 26 September 2010 (21 weeks)
  • Neil Robertson: 27 September 2010 to 12 December 2010 (11 weeks)
  • John Higgins: 13 December 2010 to 2 May 2011 (20 weeks)
  • Mark Williams: 3 May 2011 to 11 September 2011 (19 weeks)
  • Mark Selby: 12 September 2011 to 4 November 2012 (60 weeks)
  • Judd Trump: 5 November 2012 to 9 December 2012 (5 weeks)
  • Mark Selby: 10 December 2012 to 17 February 2013 (10 weeks)
  • Judd Trump: 18 February 2013 to 31 March 2013 (6 weeks)
  • Mark Selby 1 April 2013 to 9 June 2013 (10 weeks)
  • Neil Robertson: 10 June 2013 to 5 May 2014 (47 weeks)
  • Mark Selby: 6 May 2014 to 6 July 2014 (9 weeks)
  • Neil Robertson: 7 July 2014 to 10 August 2014 (5 weeks)
  • Mark Selby: 11 August 2014 to 7 December 2014 (17 weeks)
  • Ding Junhui: 8 December 2014 to 14 December 2014 (1 weeks)
  • Neil Robertson: 15 December 2014 to 25 January 2015 (6 weeks)
  • Ding Junhui: 26 January 2015 to 8 February 2015 (2 weeks)
  • Mark Selby: 9 February 2015 to 24 March 2019 (215 weeks)
  • Ronnie O’Sullivan: 25 March 2019 to 11 August 2019 (20 weeks)
  • Judd Trump: 12 August 2019 to 22 August 2021 (106 weeks)
  • Mark Selby: 23 August 2021 to 17 October 2021 (8 weeks)
  • Judd Trump: 18 October 2021 to 7 November 2021 (3 weeks)
  • Mark Selby: 8 November to April 3 2022 (21 weeks)
  • Ronnie O'Sullivan: 4 April 2022 May 6 2024 (109 weeks)
  • Mark Allen: 6 May 2024 to 25 August 2024 (16 weeks)
  • Judd Trump: 26 August to April 2025

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