Egyptian ace looks for the positives after climbing to world No.6
By Alan Thatcher, Squash Mad Editor
Tarek Momen has revealed the torment caused by a run of disappointing results prior to a surge in form in recent months that has taken him to a career-best position of No.6 in the world rankings.
He admitted that he was adopting a negative approach to life, focusing more on a run of poor results that ended up putting him in a bad mood all of the time.
It was not until November, when he reached the semi-finals of the World Championship in Seattle, that things began to turn round.
He followed that up by reaching the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open, but produced a disastrous display when he lost in the first round of the Tournament of Champions, losing 11-4, 11-3, 11-3 to Australia’s Cameron Pilley.
However, he raised his game in the Swedish Open to beat top seed Simon Rosner, going down to fellow Egyptian Karim Abdel Gawad in the final.
He then reached the semi-final in Colombia, gaining revenge on Pilley by reversing that 3-0 scoreline in his favour, with the accumulation of points moving him up from 11 in the world to number six.
In a post on Facebook, he told his followers: “This season has turned out to be so many things that can’t be described in simple words or short sentences!
“It’s been disappointing for the most part, especially the first few months (very bad form), then gradually things got better, and when I found my form again I narrowly missed out on so many opportunities that could have gone my way.
“When you train so hard and prepare well for a season it’s hard to accept any of the outcomes above.
“You could even reach the point where it’s possible to overlook the achievements you’ve accomplished in that period just because you’re in a bad mood all the time.
“So, in order not to fall in this trap, I need to remind myself of my biggest moments in 2015-2016. Making the semi-finals of the World Championships in Seattle was a huge thing for me. It was my first semi-final at the most important tournament of the year and it came right after a series of poor results.
“And just today I had a big leap in the rankings from No.11 to a new career-high for me of World No.6 because of my good performances in Sweden and Colombia.
“Now I’m very close to realizing my goals in this sport, I can see that my mind was focused on the chances I’ve missed and made me forget the chances I took to reach this point.
“I guess now is the time to look at the glass half full to get myself going and have a better 2016-17. Wish me luck.” ?
Picture by STEVE LINE (www.squashpics.com) courtesy of Windy City Open