I have a few things to say about this.
- First, I'm delighted to have the chance to see Hendry play again. I'm looking forward to his matches.
- Should he have been given a wildcard?
I'm not a fan of wildcards. I don't think White or Doherty should have been given one. Hendry, though, I think is entitled to one. The reason I say that is that he retired while he was still in the top 64. He hasn't yet displayed that over two seasons he doesn't deserve to be on tour, like Jimmy and Ken have. If he's not in the 64 after 2 years, I wouldn't like him to get another.
- Will he give up if he plays crap and loses?
Maybe, but people are known to change and mature as they get older. His crying about not being able to win anymore when he retired was very childish "Ooh, mummy, he beat me. I don't want to play anymore". Isn't it possible that he's realised over time you can enjoy snooker even if you lose? That it's enjoyable to be around other players and taking part in a competition?
- He's made it clear he'll only play in a few events.
We'll see about this. If it means he won't play everything, and maybe he'll skip a few things like Gibraltar, then ok. But if he means he's only going to play in the UK Champs and the Worlds, and I get the feeling that this is the case, then it's a bit rubbish really. He'll get a very tough first round draw because of his ranking and lose most likely. If he plays in 50-70% of tournaments though, he should win enough to improve his draw in the big ones.
- WST seem to have quietly snuck in a tour card for Wattana, without making it clear. He's mentioned as having one in this article, though it hsan't been announced elsewhere.
So either the person who wrote the article ballsed up (which would be noteworthy but forgiveable), or WST have tried to get Wattana in without people noticing. Probably because they know it's not a very good decision. OK, he was the first Asian player to do well, but keeping him on tour for life when he's not good enough. What's that about? You can perhaps argue 129 pros (with Hendry) is ok cause Mifsud never plays, but 130
- Is Hendry good enough?
Based on his Seniors performance, I'd say so. He was able to make 50+ breaks at a higher rate than most of the pros on tour. It was only a small sample of frames of course, but the signs are promising. He appears to be at least good enough to get in the 64 after 2 years if he plays enough (no mean feat), and he may even be better than that.
I would be surprised if he was at the business end of tournaments, but it's not impossible.