Hendo: No more Mr Nice Guy

By Phil Lanning

JOHN HENDERSON has vowed to drop his Mr Nice Guy image and add aggression to win the big matches.

The Highlander is widely-regarded as everyone’s favourite player on the PDC tour due to his endearing nature.

But Hendo, 47, believes that might be holding him back winning major titles because no one is frightened to play him on the big stage.

The Huntly star is back on the oche at the Super Series in Milton Keynes next week. He said: “I probably need to be more aggressive on stage. I’m never the sort to get in other players’ faces but I need to pump myself up a bit more. 

“The Jonny Clayton game I was well up for it, I felt good. But the first two sets I just didn’t get into it whatsoever. The wheels came off.

“But my 2020 record was dreadful, I just think it was really a horrible year for everyone to be fair. I’m not going to dwell on it.”

Hendo also backed his stablemate Michael Van Gerwen to come storming back after the shock 5-0 defeat to Dave Chisnall in the Worlds quarter-finals.

He added: “I think Dave might have made life tougher for everyone and woken up a monster in Michael. It was a crazy result, Michael played really well. But Dave had the performance of his life.

“I think it was a freak year 2020. Michael will be back stronger.”

A dramatically more slimline Hendo went out of the World Championship to Jonny Clayton at the second hurdle in late December.

Henderson has lost four stone and admits he has spoken to both Adrian Lewis and Peter Wright about how weight loss affects the throw. 

He added: “I’ve spoken to Adrian and Peter because they have previously lost a lot of weight in a short space of time. 

“Peter felt he had changed his throw every so slightly. I’ve not done anything different. I don’t feel I’ve changed but maybe that rock is slower so I need to look at it. 

“It’s something that I’m going to have to watch for and adjust more as I lose more weight and I’m only halfway to where I want to be.

“I want to play this game into my mid-50s so the weight loss is so important. It will help my stamina for Pro Tours when we play six games in a day. 

“Especially now when the Players Championships, during this pandemic, have been five days on the trot. If you are to win these Pro Tour days, you need to be fitter, that’s for sure.”