Indian ace Ghosal aims to get 2014 campaign on track at Grand Central Station
By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor
Saurav Ghosal, the highest-ranked Indian player of all time, is hoping to build on a successful 2013 by getting his 2014 campaign off to a winning start at the iconic Tournament of Champions next week.
Ghosal made history in 2013 by becoming the first Indian player ever to reach the quarter-final stage of the World Squash Championship before reaching a career high world number 15 ranking in December and the former Pontefract-based player is hungry to continue his rise in 2014.
“Twenty thirteen was a good year for me and I have progressed up the rankings but I’m not going to get complacent because I want to keep improving and getting better as a player,” said Ghosal.
“I had a fantastic eight years of living in Leeds and training in Pontefract with Malcolm Willstrop, but I made a decision to move back to India in the summer of 2013.
“It’s been great to be closer to my family and friends and that might be reflecting in my performances on the court. However, I do miss the squash in Pontefract and try to go back there whenever I can.
“But the aim for me now is to keep training hard and pushing myself all the time and hopefully I can maintain that attitude throughout the year and look to break into the top 10.
“It all begins in New York so a good performance there will be the perfect start for me and give me the confidence to keep pushing myself throughout the coming months.”
The PSA World Tour gets back underway at the Tournament of Champions which takes place in the stunning setting of New York’s Grand Central Terminal from January 17-24, a location Ghosal says is one of the most impressive in world sport.
“Playing the Tournament of Champions at Grand Central Station in New York is just unbelievable,” he said.
“The aura of the location is very special and the vibe that you get from being there as a player, with big crowds watching and the atmosphere of activity within the station, is second to none and it always makes the occasion feel like a real show-time event.
“To be able to begin 2014 by playing in such an amazing event in New York, which as a city is one of the best in the world, is a great way to start the year.”
The 2014 Tournament of Champions takes place in Grand Central Terminal, New York, from January 17-24 with tickets costing from just $8 and available to purchase at www.tocsquash.com/