In squash - The Podcast

The String Doctor Jon Sharpe leaves no stone unturned in this must- listen episode for all squash players on all things stringing. Jon earned the moniker for a reason: he knows his stuff and he's put in his time. If you're like me and you think you need more stringing knowledge, or even if you geek out on strings, you'll definitely find what you're looking for here. John takes us through the fundamentals, his latest review on the best playing strings out there, popular misconceptions on stringing and much more.

PSA CEO Alex Gough and his team have had their hands full trying to piece together everything that Covid-19 has thrown their way. Well, there may be light at the end of the tunnel, but that doesn't mean things will be back to normal anytime soon. In a very informative and candid conversation, Alex lays out all of the key variables required to get pro squash back up and running, including a potential date and location for long-awaited return. Although nothing is etched in stone, this is good news. Alex also provides a look into the various scenarios in terms of how and where we could be seeing more pro squash in the future, and what will need to take place in order for that to happen. I also took the opportunity to ask Alex for a few anecdotes from his glory days as a player which saw him reach top 5 in the world in 1998.

World Open finalist and semi-finalist in two of the past three World Opens just goes to show that Marwan El Shorbagy is on the cusp of taking his game to the highest level of all. He's reached #3 in the world, and now he's back to near his best form after going through a very difficult period in his career. Marwan looks back at his 2011/12 years where he parlayed a World Junior Championship into immediate professional success. What's it like to play your brother on the biggest stage in squash's most prestigious events? Marwan lays it out and he takes us into the unfounded doping allegations that derailed his squash in 2018 for several months. We also chop it up on how 2019/20 saw him bounce back in a major way, and he also pays tribute to Raneem El Weleily.

The Show Court (theshowcourt.com), provides fresh squash every other Friday, and the stories it's produced till now provide us with the type of squash writing that the squash world hasn't seen. The brainchild behind this, Alix Williams. Alix has only been playing squash for a few years, but she's all in now and her love and commitment to the game shine threw via the superb stories she's pieced together on The Show Court. Alix gives us a look into what she loves about the game, her squash journey and how this passion has manifested itself in fresh new squash on Fridays.

James Willstrop has provided the squash world with some of the most sublime performances, breathtaking exchanges and mind-blowing displays of shot making since he turned pro almost 20 years ago. His accomplishments speak for themselves: former world number 1, 3X and reigning British National Champion, winner of dozens of major PSA events. James is a role model for all of us in terms of the way he plays the game and his on court temperament and demeanor. James and I talk at length about his career, his influences, his fantastic book "Shot and a Ghost", and the vegan lifestyle.

2019/2020 PSA Female Challenger Series Player of the Year and winner of 3 or her last 4 challenger series events, last season generated some very positive momentum for Danielle. We talk about her Challenger series success and the value of the PSA challenger series events. We also discuss what she needs to do to make deeper runs in the PSA's major events. During this down time, Danielle's been enjoying the great outdoors that life in the Alberta Rockies provides, and she gives great insight on how to negotiate with various species of indigenous bears.

Raneem El Weleily shocked the squash world on June 25th by announcing her retirement from the game while sitting atop the PSA world rankings. Jenny Duncalf speaks about Raneem's incredible career looking back to her world jr. champion days, her early years on tour, Jenny's personal head to head with Raneem, the rivalry with Nicol David, and what makes Raneem such a majestic player and person who always gave back off the court.

SquashSkills "A Bronx Tale" gave the squash world a fantastic look into what can happen when you truly give back to the game. Bryan Patterson has been doing that for many years and then some. In case you didn't know, dare I say, there's a backstory to all of this though -- his playing career, which is equally as heartwarming and impressive. The anecdotes abound in this incredible chat with Bryan which covers his competitive years, his relationship with Jonah Barrington, the unprecedented Patrick squash shoe deal, and how he made his way across the pond. And of course, there's a fair bit of Bronx Tale in this as well.

The most dominant player of his generation, current world #1 Mohamed El Shorbagy has done it all, and he's got his sites firmly set on solidifying his hold on the #1 ranking when pro squash resumes. Mohamed describes his early struggles with motivation to train during the Covid-lockdown, losing the #1 spot and then regaining it at the end of the 2020 campaign, his battles with Rami Ashour, playing his brother Marwan in the 2017 World Open final and so much more.

"The man behind the scenes" is his moniker. Director of Events for the PSA Tim Garner had a very good pro career and then went the entrepreneurship route which saw him co-found Eventis (behind the Canary Wharf Classic and the English Open) , the British Squash Professional Association and several other ventures. Now, I dare say he's now working behind the scenes on what could be his most challenging task to date -- getting the pro tour back on its feet again.