Squash Player Podcast

In 2022, Sivasangari Subramaniam was preparing to carry the Malaysian flag at the Commonwealth Games when a life-threatening car accident changed everything.

She woke in hospital with a fractured C1 vertebra, little memory of what had happened and no certainty that she would ever play professional squash again.

She did.

Sivasangari joins the Squash Player Podcast to discuss surviving the crash, the brutal physical and psychological process of rebuilding her career, winning Asian Games gold and the extraordinary London Classic victory that proved she could once again beat the best players in the world.

But success brought a different challenge: expectation.

Siva talks candidly about perfectionism, putting too much pressure on herself, comparisons with Malaysian icon Nicol David, learning from some of the game's greatest champions and why the accident fundamentally changed her perspective on losing.

And with squash heading to LA28, she explains why becoming World No.1 and winning Malaysia's first Olympic gold medal are now the ultimate goals.

A conversation about survival, ambition, pressure — and remembering that sometimes it really is only squash.

French squash star Melissa Alves joins the Squash Player Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about her remarkable journey from French Guiana to the professional squash tour via Paris, the Ivy League and the University of Pennsylvania.

In the latest episode of the Squash Player Podcast, former World No.16 Greg Lobban peaks with striking honesty about a career built not on romance, but on work.

He has never felt entirely comfortable on court. He never saw himself as one of the game’s natural artists. He did not arrive as a junior prodigy. His best finish at the British Junior Open was 67th.

And yet he built a top-20 career.

That is what makes this conversation so compelling.

It is not the story of someone born for squash.

It is the story of someone who made himself hard to beat.

Greg talks about fatherhood, the professional grind, the pressure behind the rankings, leaving Scotland to represent Australia, and the Olympic dream that has given him fresh energy ahead of LA28.

The result is one of the most honest conversations we have recorded so far.

Because not every athlete is living a dream.

Some are doing a job.

Is squash the most physically demanding sport on earth? Declan James breaks down the frightening data of elite match play and explains why he’s not finished yet.

From revealing his Jamaican Olympic ambitions to discussing the "accumulation of marginal gains" with coach Nick Matthew, Declan provides a raw look at the discipline required to stay at the top.

A deep dive into the "Dark Knight’s" tactical evolution and his path to LA28

Diego Elias joins the podcast to discuss his journey from Lima to the top of the world rankings. He opens up about his on-court efficiency, his responses to TV commentators, and the turning point that forced him to swap beers for professional discipline. Discover the mindset of South America’s greatest-ever squash player.

Laura Massaro is one of England’s greatest ever squash players — a World Champion, 2x British Open winner, World No.1 and a competitor defined by relentless standards and mental toughness.

In this episode of the Squash Player Podcast, Laura reflects on the unseen side of elite success: the pressure of expectation, the emotional cost of chasing perfection, developing her persona, competing against two of the greatest ever (Nicol David and Nour El Sherbini) and how her relationship with squash has evolved since retiring from the professional tour.

We talk about the difference between winning and fulfilment, how injuries and burnout reshaped her mindset and why walking away from the tour wasn’t the end of her connection to the sport — but the start of a healthier one.

Laura also opens up about identity after sport, learning to let go of control, and what she wishes she had understood earlier in her career.

Hania El Hammamy is the new Women’s World No.1 — but reaching the top wasn’t the fairytale moment many imagine.

In the latest episode of the Squash Player Podcast, Hania opens up about pressure, psychology, rivalry, maturity and identity, explaining why becoming World No.1 mid-season was emotionally unsettling rather than euphoric.

She reflects on her fierce rivalry with Nouran Gohar, the hunger that rivalry created, and why part of her felt lost when Gohar stepped away from the tour. Hania explains how desperation once drove her — and how letting go of that desperation ultimately unlocked her best squash.

We go beyond results and rankings. Hania speaks candidly about:

• Learning to manage expectation and external “noise”

• The psychological toll of World Championship defeats

• Why mental health and sports psychology transformed her game

• Working with Laura Massaro and Danny Massaro for emotional balance

• Identity beyond squash and stepping back from the sport

• Why rivalry is essential for greatness

If you want to understand what elite performance really costs, and what it takes to evolve from prodigy to champion, this is one of the most honest interviews you’ll hear.

Peter Marshall was once the future of English squash — World No.2 at just 23 years old, the only man pushing Jansher Khan during his era of dominance and the most recognisable player on tour with his double-handed technique. Then, almost overnight, his career collapsed.In this deeply personal and revealing conversation, Peter shares the full untold story: rising through the junior ranks under Jonah Barrington, battling chronic fatigue syndrome at the peak of his career, refusing a £250,000 insurance payout that would have ended his playing days forever and mounting two incredible comebacks against all odds.We discuss identity, ambition, illness, psychology, overtraining and what it truly takes to return when the world has moved on. Peter reflects on playing Jansher and Jahangir, the brutal training methods of the 90s, the rise of Egyptian squash and how he eventually rediscovered his love for the game.------The Squash Player Podcast brings you long-form, in-depth conversations with the biggest names in the sport — exploring mindset, performance, adversity, culture, training and the stories behind the world’s best players.Previous guests include Ali Farag, Gina Kennedy, Mohamed ElShorbagy, Joey Barrington, Joel Makin, George Parker and more.

He’s been called a troublemaker, a talent, and a ticking time bomb. George Parker joins the Squash Player Podcast to set the record straight — on the bans, the battles, and the peace he’s finally finding.

What happens when the success comes too quickly—and then stops?

From Commonwealth glory to the brutal realities of life with ulcerative colitis, Gina Kennedy opens up about her meteoric rise, unexpected setbacks, and her quest to rediscover joy in the game.

This is a story about elite sport, pressure, and the strength to start over.