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Stephen Hendry jokingly urged Wu Yize not to win eight World Snooker Championship titles after being told by Ronnie O'Sullivan that the new world champion can beat their record. Wu won the biggest prize in snooker on Monday when toppling Shaun Murphy 18-17 in the Crucible final.

The Scotsman, who has won a joint-record seven World Championship titles alongside O'Sullivan, was texting the Rocket during the final and brought up the messages when interviewing Wu on the Snooker Club podcast after his victory. Hendry told the Chinese star: "Just one thing - do not win eight. Ok? Seven is ok. Ronnie said to me he thinks you can win eight," which left Wu chuckling.

O'Sullivan has been a huge supporter of Wu and even played a role in his triumph. The snooker star revealed he exchanged messages with the Englishman during a crucial moment in his battle with Murphy. The 2005 world champion gained momentum on Monday afternoon, winning five frames in a row with Wu faltering after a 10-7 start on Sunday.

However, the champion bounced back from his rut and won the final three frames of the session. Wu revealed on the podcast that words of wisdom from O'Sullivan helped him gain back control. He said: "At that time my goal was to extend the lead.

"I wasn't playing really that bad, but I wasn't focused to do what I do best. I went out to try to give myself some time to cool down. Ronnie texted me telling me to stay focused. To be calm and also to try to play to my own strengths. I was really happy I was able to do that." Wu cited his past training with O'Sullivan as the reason for his ability to handle nervy moments in the final.

He continued: "He taught me how to handle the situation during the match. How to handle the different situations on the table.
"It is definitely the experience that I have learned from him. I have benefitted from the time I've spent with him a lot."

O'Sullivan, 50, has long believed in Wu's ability to take the snooker world by storm and even predicted he'd earn world champion status back in February. The Rocket said: "I think Wu Yize is going to be world No.1 in the next three years, definitely world champion very soon. Phenomenal snooker player.

"A lot of people liken him to Paul Hunter, but I think he's more like a modern-day Steve Davis. He's more dynamic, he has more cue power, more scoring power. But his positional play, for me, it's on the level of Steve Davis. Everything goes in the middle of the hole. I practised with him for two or three days in Hong Kong not long ago, and it's not until you practise with someone you can appreciate how good [they] are.

"After two days, I thought, 'This kid's really special.' I'd love to see him go and fulfil his potential as a professional. He's only 22. I expect him to do a lot of great things in snooker. It's important to have players you want to watch. I would watch him all day long."

Wu first entered the top 16 of the world rankings after beating John Higgins to win the International Championship last year. Clinching the World Championship, which is just his second ranking title, is set to boost Wu to No. 4 in the world, one place behind his compatriot Zhao Xintong.