Wednesday, April 24, 2024

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Vicious cycle: the unspoken struggle of female squash players

Now seems like a great time to write about a topic I’ve been thinking about for the last few months. I want to champion...

Are current fitness levels in world squash the same as Jahangir Khan era?

It is the most eagerly anticipated part of the draw in any major championship and the British Open quarter-finals are upon us at last. Yet...

British Open Squash 2023: The powerful combinations to boost home hopes

Lisa Opie, the 1991 British Open champion, believes that her modern day ‘Brit girl’ successors do not face the same pressure to win the...

Mostafa Asal: the boy of extremes who has polarised squash

Having a balanced view of squash’s most schismatic star Mostafa Asal is impossible. He polarises opinion like no other player in the game’s history....

‘Mostafa Asal is such a talent, but now’s the time to finally grow up’

The three-time world champion spoke to Squash Mad on squash's biggest controversy and says no one is winning from the World No.1's divisive fan...

Decisions, decisions: What the stats tell us about squash’s ‘interference offenders’

JAMIE ABBOTT, co-founder of squash data business Cross Court Analytics, crunches the numbers on refereeing decisions in the men’s and women’s games. Two feisty rivalries,...

Why revamped World Cup has place on squash calendar

There will be a squash World Cup in Chennai, India, this year. That is about as much as we know at this stage, other...

‘We need answers’: Sydney squash club feels council squeeze

Former Australian world champion Michelle Martin has long since battled to save squash courts from meddling councils and developers with little interest in the...

Nick Matthew exclusive: ‘Coaches who try to influence referees should be banned’

I attended the recent British Junior Open in Birmingham and came away with many observations which caused me concern. But let me begin with...

Birmingham theatre is perfect marriage for British Squash Open

Twelve years ago last month, I watched from non-plastic, comfy seats in Rotterdam’s spacious Luxor Theatre as Nick Matthew defended his world title on...

Like global warming, squash federations facing collapse need to act before it’s too late

COMMENT by ALAN THATCHER (Squash Mad Editor) The decline of squash is just like global warming. The evidence is staring us in the face, but...

New Zealand Open was a fun-filled festival of squash that had the whole nation buzzing

By ROD BANNISTER (Squash Mad Correspondent) Build it and they will come was certainly a relevant clarion call when it came to the New Zealand...

Padel at the Pyramids highlights the growing gulf between the two sports as squash numbers continue to fall

By MIKE DALE  Padel’s extraordinary boom reminds many of us old enough to remember a similar explosion in another rebound racket sport in the 1970s...

This gladiatorial warehouse arena, covered in graffiti, creates a unique atmosphere for squash in Nantes

‘I have never seen anything like this before – the louder the better, the drunker the better, it’s amazing,’ says Tesni Evans EXCLUSIVE By JEROME...

Mostafa Asal is a voice for calm as coaches are allowed back at courtside

EXCLUSIVE by ROD GILMOUR in Doha The Q Terminals Qatar Classic may be the first tournament back where coaches are allowed in players’ corners, but...

Nick Matthew’s Exclusive Commonwealth Games Review: So much more to come from golden girl Gina Kennedy

Experience, consistency and composure from James Willstrop and Declan James brought us another gold in the doubles By NICK MATTHEW (Squash Mad Special Columnist) England’s blend...

BBC answers furious complaints from squash fans about lack of coverage from the Commonwealth Games

EXCLUSIVE by ROD GILMOUR (Squash Mad Correspondent) The BBC has assured squash fans of coverage of their sport after an outpouring of dissatisfaction at no...

Geoff Hunt Exclusive: Mostafa Asal reminds me of the great Jahangir Khan

‘Asal is every bit as single-minded as Jahangir,’ says Aussie legend Hunt EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RJ MITCHELL (Squash Mad Correspondent) GEOFF HUNT has revealed that Mostafa...

Lee Witham Part 1: Covered outdoor courts are just the starting point for reviving squash

‘Pandemic helped me to focus on new ideas to help this great game of squash to bounce back’ By LEE WITHAM (Squash Mad Correspondent) Yesterday we...

Nick Matthew Exclusive: The rules need to be much clearer to avoid shocking injuries like this one when Nouran Gohar drilled Hania El Hammamy’s...

‘As Rodney Martin said, it was no good the referee telling Gohar to effectively play the ball by awarding a no-let in this situation...

State Of The Game: Busy Berko bounce back in buoyant style after lockdown

‘We had a low point in August but worked hard to engage with members, especially those who didn’t renew,’ says popular chair John Shaw By...

Why squash will not recover from this spiral of decline that has been accelerated by pickleball and Covid

‘Squash has taken so many wrong turns during the 50-year cycle of life I have observed here in North America, one of them being...

Yes, it rained on our parade but an open-air court in Vancouver can only help squash to recover in Canada

We were unlucky with the weather but we need more events like this to raise the profile of our sport By ROBERT EBERHARD (Squash Mad...

Mohamed ElShorbagy has sat on the throne of squash for so long and Egyptians will always be proud of him

‘He is one of the most distinguished masters of the game,’ says Black Ball CEO Mohamed Raef By ALAN THATCHER (Squash Mad Editor) Mohamed ElShorbagy deserves...

Exclusive: Nick Matthew backs Mohamed ElShorbagy swapping The Pyramids for the Three Lions as he switches international allegiance from Egypt to England

‘I have always had great support from England Squash and as a British citizen I will give it my all playing under the English...

The Rise, Fall and Future Of Squash: A documentary by Daniel Gothard

I learned a lot about the game from interviews with stars and key squash figures By DANIEL GOTHARD (Squash Mad Correspondent) I am Daniel Gothard, a...

‘I love squash so much but I can do without this casual, ingrained sexism,’ says coach Nicky Horn

‘I left because I was treated differently as a woman and paid less than the men’ By NICKY HORN (Squash Mad Correspondent) Andre Agassi once said:...

Nick Matthew’s Commonwealth Games Countdown: England have five-year plan to revive men’s elite squad but please be patient

Joel Makin will go flat out to prove a point if he meets Mostafa Asal in El Gouna EXCLUSIVE: By NICK MATTHEW HISTORY was made in...

Exclusive: Ali Farag now one of the all-time greats, Jansher Khan tells RJ Mitchell

‘He showed quality and character to bounce back after losing 3-0 to Paul Coll in British Open final’ says Jansher EXCLUSIVE By RJ Mitchell JANSHER KHAN...

Exclusive: Jansher Khan talks to Squash Mad about today’s top stars and his friendship with Mohamed ElShorbagy

‘Having French legend Gregory Gaultier in his corner is a shrewd move for Mohamed’ SQUASH MAD EXCLUSIVE By RJ Mitchell JANSHER KHAN believes that Mohamed El...

World Championships success: Karim’s magnificent Museum piece is a festival of fun for squash lovers

Karim’s Cairo carnival of squash raises the bar after months of innovative planning By ALAN THATCHER (Squash Mad Editor)  Karim Darwish is one of the key...

Padel and pickleball boom leaves squash standing still

Having downgraded squash, LifeTime aims to build 600-700 pickleball courts across USA By ALAN THATCHER (Squash Mad Editor) As Covid regulations are being relaxed in many...

Squash numbers fall as padel helps Edinburgh to recover after lockdown

Squash Mad’s post-Covid analysis of the state of the game By ALAN THATCHER - Squash Mad Editor A global review of the effects on squash caused...

Mohamed ElShorbagy the latest of Egypt’s trio of world champions to express outrage against Israel

By ALAN THATCHER - Squash Mad Editor Mohamed ElShorbagy is the latest Egyptian squash superstar to comment on political issues involving the Arab world and...

PSA link up with Jesse Engelbrecht to promote psychological training app called SquashMind

By ALAN THATCHER - Squash Mad Editor When discussing mental health issues, those of us involved in squash for many decades will recall the tragic...

Nick Matthew’s Countdown to the Commonwealth Games

Crucial time for international players to hit peak form ahead of Birmingham By NICK MATTHEW I am really excited by the prospect of some high-quality...

Squash gets the green (and gold) light as 2026 Commonwealth Games confirmed for Australian state of Victoria

Squash Oz celebrates as Bendigo is chosen as Games venue By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor Many squash federations breathed a collective sigh of relief...

Nations Cup to trial new scoring system in New Zealand as SMM looks at innovative ways of promoting squash

New format trials eight teams of male and female players from the same nation By ALAN THATCHER - Squash Mad Editor The PSA’s new marketing division...

International Women’s Day: Time to Rally Together to break the bias in squash

England Squash strategy calls for a radical advance in equality, inclusion and diversity By ANNA VAUGHAN-HAWKINS – Squash Mad Guest Blogger The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is quoted...

Likeable, impeccable world number one Paul Coll is an ideal role model who can change the face of squash

Conquering Kiwi is a fitting face to front campaigns that can raise the profile of the game the world over By ALAN THATCHER - Squash...