In squash - The Podcast

We're back ! Episode 285 and our new segment, the monthly whip around kicks off with AR Proformance's Ahad Raza who will join me each month for a look at the pro game and then some. Many thanks to our Sponsor Open Squash and you can check them out at www.opensquash.org

Declan James made his return to the PSA tour last week in Qatar after being sidelined for 9 months due to a ruptured Achilles suffered in November of last year. Declan talks about how that all went down, and the perseverance, patience and self-belief it took to get him back to PSA playing shape once again. We also look back at his 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medal winning performance alongside doubles partner James Willstrop, and much much more.

Nick Matthew is without question one of the greats of the game. His accomplishments at the highest level are impressive: Former World #1, 3X British Open and World Open champion, and that's the abridged version. Nick and I look back at a very special title, his 2006 British Open win. We also talk about the Nicol/Power generation which welcomed him to the tour, the special talent of Ramy Ashour, Mostafa Asal's situation, and of course his thoughts on the US Open. Check out our sponsor Open Squash at www.opensquash.org for all of their exciting growing the game initiatives.

Squash Stories is the squash platform that has it all really; it's unique, it's polarizing, it's encyclopedic, it's relevant, and it's Jamie Maddox who is front and center behind it all. We talk about the evolution of Squash Stories over the years, and this bleeds into a serious debate over the current member of the year short list. Jamie and I also exchange views on the Mostafa Asal saga, how we see the top of the men's game right now, and we pay a mini tribute to a mutual squash hero, Qamar Zaman. Check out our sponsor, www.opensquash.org for everything new and exciting going on there.

With 6 PSA titles to her name already and a successful junior campaign which saw her win the British Junior Open and British U19 Nationals in her last junior year, Torrie Malik is making serious inroads towards the top of the women's game. We talk about her junior days, her early PSA success and Team Malik. More importantly though, this episode is dedicated to her younger brother Sumner who passed away 5 years to the day, and Torrie talks about how special he was and the impact he's having on her squash.

Chris Walker's pro squash career speaks for itself; two time World Championship semi - finalist, 2 time World Team Championship winner, multiple commonwealth games medals, and the resume goes on...Chris is now based in New York City as the Director of Squash at the River Club, and took on duties as Head Coach for the Indian National Team close to two years ago, shortly after his last appearance here. Chris and I flesh out how the Indian National Team position came to be and how it has gone thus far. We also discuss a number of other topics including the recent Mostafa Asal ban and how to tweak your game and your training as a 50 plus player.

Mohamed Elkeiy burst onto the PSA coaching scene following the British Open as the man tasked with helping Mostafa Asal going forward. Highly respected by his peers and those in the know in the squash world, Mohamed has relished the opportunity despite all the scrutiny that is bound to come with it. Mohamed discusses how he is approaching all of this and what Mostafa needs to work on in an effort to overcome the on court issues that have plagued him for the past several seasons.

REAKT is a performance training app with some incredible features for players, pros and coaches alike. Tiago Goriely heads up the squash side of the app, and he breaks it all down with respect to how it can be of use to everyone, and it seems to me there is some great value here. Download the app by searching REAKT in your app store. Also, at the end of the pod I have a few thoughts on comments that have been made on social media in the aftermath of the season relating to "cheating" and "cheaters" in the game of squash. What does it mean exactly to "cheat"? For what it's worth, I provide my two cents worth. Many thanks to our sponsors, www.opensquash.org

At 27 years of age, 7 World Championships, 4 British Opens and at least 22 PSA titles to her name, Nour El Sherbini's accomplishments in the game are mind blowing. And amazingly, this chapter of her career, the one which has her winning the most prestigious events in the sport consistently, is far from over. Nour and I talk about her highly successful 2022/23 campaign, the women's game, the passion of Gregory Gaultier, Nicol David, and much more.

Fram Gommendy knows her squash and has more insight on the players than perhaps anyone else out there; her takes on several topics on this episode reflect that. This is a season recap that you don't want to miss and we also go into so much more. Many thanks to our sponsor Open Squash www.opensquash.org