Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Features

‘I don’t need to retire at the top’: James Willstrop on playing, coaching Mostafa Asal

“My squash brain is the best it’s ever been by a mile,” says James Willstrop. As an early 40-something, the Yorkshireman still has plenty of skin in the game,...

Membership or pay-and-play in squash? ‘Mixture is best way forward’

Irishman Vincent Bradley (pictured above) has been head squash coach and part of the management team at OASE sports and fitness club in Bochum,...

Meet the UK’s only squash club with a waiting list… possibly

  Towers Health & Racquets Club is one of very few squash facilities in the UK that has a waiting list to become a member....

Life as a squash pro: ‘We should just spread joy and entertainment’

Melissa Alves, the European silver medallist, had a racket in her hand from the age of five on one of the three courts on...

Right Ball: How UK squash club temperature checker is boosting numbers

At Grove Park Squash Club in Cheadle, we are passionate about getting new players into the game, writes Chris Sargent. One of the biggest...

From lockdown squash court, Will Salter starts to build pro career

During Covid, a then teenage Englishman Will Salter built a squash court in a farm building where he was in lockdown with his parents. When...

Mohamed ElShorbagy: I still have hunger to compete with squash top order

When Mohamed ElShorbagy dipped out of the world’s top five for the first time in a decade, for the Englishman it felt like a...

How mountainbiking Swiss Alps propelled Nicolas Mueller to Qatar Squash Classic highs

Doha -- Nicolas Mueller spent two weeks in the mountains surrounding St Moritz over the summer putting in the altitude training hard yards. “You...

The ‘brutal Catch-22’ of world squash tour’s 32 draws laid bare in Doha

Doha -- The ball was zipping off the front wall on Court 2 at the Khalifa Tennis & Squash Complex from the moment Jasmine...

Chris Dittmar: Humidity chambers and a burning desire to beat the Khans

Twice before - in 1983 and 1987, Chris Dittmar had fought for the world squash title and lost. Twice in the 1989 final, that...

LA 2028 Olympics: ‘The challenge for squash is to make sure it’s not a one-off’

Olympic expert Michael Payne, former head of marketing at the IOC for 20 years, shares his views on what squash has in store as...

‘How I got squash fit to beat Jahangir Khan’

“The person who beats Khan will be the person who out-Jahangir's Jahangir!” proclaimed Ross Norman, when asked what it would take to beat the...

‘Players say ‘no way’ and get penalised – we shouldn’t make squash refereeing robotic’

Squash Mad speaks to top players and seeks their verdict on the referee rule changes sweeping onto the PSA World Squash Tour Is there another...

Ross Norman: The Kiwi squash No.1 who ended Jahangir Khan’s unbeaten run

New Zealand's Ross Norman recalls how he was able to topple Jahangir Khan and claim the 1986 world squash title in Toulouse Here’s a...

Mostafa Asal timeline: The squash career of Egypt star

Egypt's Mostafa Asal had a junior career suggesting there would be a fine senior career ahead. Few could have believed the events which have...

Great squash duels: Jonah Barrington v Geoff Hunt

Jonah Barrington recalls his epic duels with Australian rival Geoff Hunt in the early 1970s JONAH BARRINGTON (Ireland/England) 1972 British Open final, Abbeydale Beat Geoff Hunt 0–9,...

How the first of squash’s grudge rivalries was spawned

Dicky Rutnagur, one of the big hitters in squash journalism for magazines and newspapers for nearly 50 years until his death in 2013, analysed...

Olivia Weaver: How philosophy, team changes and coaching has shaped US Squash star

Birmingham -- Sitting in The Rep lobby, it was perhaps no surprise to hear Danny Massaro discussing philosophers Sartre and Nietzsche. Squash Mad was...

British Open Squash 2024: Joel Makin puts Youssef Ibrahim on canvas in classic

Birmingham -- Joel Makin uses boxing off-court in his pursuit to be the best in the game. On Tuesday, the teak-tough Welshman also had...

British Open Squash 2024: Nouran Gohar and Diego Elias on life as world champions

Birmingham -- It’s been a tale of two different fortnights for squash’s pair of world champions since Nouran Gohar and Diego Elias lifted their...

Katie Malliff: ‘I played lots of sports as a kid but I remember thinking squash had everything’

Katie Malliff started the year with her biggest tournament win in Ipswich and will end the season on the glass court theatre stage at...

British Open Squash: the rollercoaster journey to Birmingham Rep

The venerable tournament has endured an up and down past since the turn of the century, until the calm years of being staged in...

The making of Gina Kennedy: GB Squash No.1

Georgina Kennedy was born without her neck having to be supported in any way. Then, at four months old, she could sit unsupported. She...

Life at Bexley Squash Club: Home to Britain’s rising player Gina Kennedy

It’s not just the Gina Kennedy effect which makes Bexley Squash Club’s courts one of the most active in the UK. It’s about an...

Nouran Gohar: ‘There’s been no other squash player today with that relentless ‘all in’ element’

Laura Massaro recalled in her autobiography how a young Egyptian had total disregard for older opponents when she came over for the former world...

The rise of Diego Elias: From being hit by police car to Peru’s world squash champion

When Diego Elias made history by winning the 2014 men’s world junior title in Namibia without dropping a game to become Peru’s first ever...

Clash between two old stagers on Rotterdam plaster court is one of my favourite squash matches

Picking the right match to watch in the early stages of a bustling World Championship can be a tricky call at times. On the...

Great squash duels: Nick Matthew v James Willstrop

James Willstrop recalls the classic Canary Wharf encounter in 2010 against his rival Nick Matthew Canary Wharf Classic semi-final, London, 2010 Lost to Nick Matthew 11-7,...

‘Not many sports like squash can showcase itself in iconic locations’

Spurred on by the sport’s newly-found Olympic status and growing UK tournaments, England No.4 and double British champion Jasmine Hutton took to the streets...

London Squash Classic: ‘More tournaments should be run like this’

The squash bug first hit Rory Gillen, squash’s latest tournament sponsor, in Freshers’ Week in the late 70s.  The Irishman was looking for a new...

‘Squash is primed to grow’: Cleveland promoter enthused on sport’s future

The Cleveland promoter behind the ongoing Squash in the Land says the sport is “primed to grow further” over the next few years following...

National Squash League: US city team drafts, running clocks and fan led

If you’ve been a part of the squash social media ethos as of late (outside the trick shots), you’ve likely encountered promotions for an...

Squash’s top photographer hopes to capture LA 2028 Olympics

Steve Line, squash’s top snapper, hopes to capture the sport’s history-making entrance at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics after doing so for 40 years...

Great squash duels: ‘Coping with world No.1 was horrendous’

England's Lee Beachill recalls beating Peter Nicol to win the 2004 US Open final in Boston Getting to world No.1 was the pinnacle for me....

How Hamburg’s Kaifu Lodge fuses squash, fitness and fun

The mix of squash, fitness and a vibrant social scene has proven to be a successful recipe for Kaifu Lodge in Hamburg, Germany, since...

‘When Olympic cricket was mentioned, it was a big distraction for squash’

Professional Squash Association (PSA) chief executive Alex Gough says he got “goosebumps” watching the sport’s presentation bid to LA2028 chiefs, but revealed he feared...

Great squash duels: Thierry Lincou and doing the double in Doha

LONG READ: Thierry Lincou recalls his 2004 men's world triumph in Qatar to become the first Frenchman to win showpiece  The change of scoring to...

Lessons for squash: How Olympic inclusion helped Rugby Sevens

For rugby the road to Olympic inclusion was completed when Sevens was admitted to the Rio games in 2016. In its full 15-a-side format Rugby...

Squash Junkies: Meet the Brit who conjured the sport’s most fun and brutal event

It takes a brave man to quit his job, pack up his old squash kit bag and head for Europe on a wing and...

‘How can we convince people to play squash beyond US college system?’

Sean Choi speaks to recently-retired American Olivia Blatchford Clyne on her decision, the future of US Squash, tour moments and her biggest rivals On December...

Five ways Olympic inclusion will change squash

"When I heard the news, I cried," England's top junior Asia Harris told Squash Mad recently of the moment she found out about squash's...

2023: Squash Mad’s most read stories of year

From BJO to British Open and a host of talking point stories featuring a year to forget for one star Egyptian 10- County Scene: Delving...

Eyewitness: How Sarah Fitz-Gerald won 1998 world squash title

'Give that match to a sports psychologist to explain,' was one seasoned observer's comment. It was the match of the year, no doubt about...