Squash Player Magazine

The free-flowing Ali Farag is certainly one of those players who is able to punish opponents for any loose shot and he does this at pace as well, putting the ball into difficult areas with what seems like relative ease.

He explained: “The speed of the game is so fast now, with every ball being retrieved. For this reason, every fraction of a second you can take away from an opponent is a bonus.

“After a good shot, I look to anticipate the next shot. This allows me to jump on it early to apply pressure.”

Technically, Farag thinks a lot about positioning. He reasoned: “It’s tough, because you don’t know if you are going to hit the next shot on the volley, the half volley, off the bounce or on the rise.

“I make sure that my initial movement is to step up the court. If I can take the ball really early, I try to use my right leg, as this allows me to step further up the court; if the ball is through the middle of the court, then I use my back leg, but put extra focus on getting my shoulders side on.”

To practise taking the ball early, Farag stressed the importance of basic technique and having a good feeder.

“For me to take the ball early, I need to get my technique right,” he said. “I have spoken a lot about using my body and my suspension to help my shots and accuracy. The feeder plays a pivotal role in my practice, as they need to dig the returns out, so that I can work on being ready to take the ball as early as possible.”

Tips to play faster like Farag:

·        Take the ball early to reduce your opponent’s time

·        Anticipate the next shot, particularly after a good one

·        Turn your shoulders to the side in midcourt for a straight shot option

“I gave Nick a ball to hit and he would jump up after the shot,” he says of that first hour at Harrogate SC in 1998. “It looked like he had a carrot up his bottom! He had a sense of humour failure but I said he had a lot in terms of mentality but I knew we had to take him back to being a beginner and reshape his technique, movement  and swing patterns. He looked at me and went ‘okay then, let’s go for it’.”

For the next five years it was “heavy technical work” and for Pearson it was a “matter of tweaking it and getting on top of it.”

“Even as a junior, he hated losing and he was willing to change everything technically from the age of 18,” he adds. “He was prepared to put everything into it and it enabled him to flourish without getting frustrated."

Thus forged a 20-year career that ended last May prior to the World Series Finals, Matthew’s last event before retirement. “Even the last lesson I had with him he was still working on his grip,” Pearson smiles. “It sounds basic, but he was always willing to work. He has always been loyal and he’s picked people who have been loyal to him.

“He was squash intelligent and in as much as that he took away the information and practiced it. You could see the changes happening steadily. And coming from someone who was always told he wasn’t good enough and how he wanted to prove people wrong.”

The bottom line, according to Pearson, was that Matthew simply had a different “psyche” which took him to the level he reached.

At that top level, Pearson looks to the Qatar Classic in the early 2000’s when he faced the great Amr Shabana. “The Egyptians told me, as I got to know them better, they used to laugh at the way he played and had no chance. Well, the last laugh was on them!”

Open-minded. An eccentric. A tough bugger, with a slight awkwardness. Pearson produces many variables to describe Matthew over his two decade-long association. In Pearson’s eyes, it allowed him to “never bow down to anyone.”

He adds: “To be three times world champion, the way he played physically meant that many players couldn’t cope. His volleying and his presence, the Egyptians didn’t like it. He wasn’t a flashy player but they struggled with it.”

Then came the back-up network and Pearson is in agreement that Matthew is perhaps squash’s first true “professional”.

“He knew how to rehab without ruining his body,” he admits. “He was one of the first ones to use the support services to the best of their ability. He always did it with coaching as the core and knew how to get the best out of people.”

Turning in 2008 to Mark Campbell, the strength and conditioning specialist at the English Institute of Sport, added a world-beating string to Matthew’s bow.

“He wouldn’t question anything if it meant getting the best out of his performance,” says Campbell. “I saw him rehab for five weeks and then win Commonwealth gold. The most boring, mundane rehabilitation work in your life and he would do it.

“The biggest thing was his technical ability. I remember a match against Karim Darwish [then world no.1] in the 2009 Qatar final. He beat him in the front left hand corner and Darwish never got beaten there. I thought that my job was done as he was winning matches technically. It was immense attention to detail.”

At the sharp end of the sport, Darwish’s technique had been sliced open. Matthew’s temperament and skill had won through. And for that he benefited from another key relationship, having started working with Mark Bawden, the revered sports psychologist, who in turn help shape Matthew’s mind awareness.

“Once he decides he works on something, he wants to nail it,” Bawden told Squash Player. “From then on, he drove the car and our relationship was forged.”

Pearson, the EIS and Bawden; three loyal partnerships who played a telling part in Matthew’s rise. Meanwhile, other sporting greats know only too well of Matthew’s utter persistence.

The hunt began after the 1998 World Junior Championships when David Pearson dissected his game and implemented a rigorous change in both movement and technique for the next five years. He benefited immensely: between April 2004 and April 2018, he spent only three months outside the top 10.

One of those months was enforced due to a shoulder injury which kept him off court for eight months. This period spawned two further pivotal moments. He was nurtured back to fitness by Mark Campbell at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, while he started working with psychologist Mark Bawden, who also helped the England cricket team.

Matthew returned a new man, ready to conquer. At the end of 2009 he played Ramy Ashour in the Saudi International final, the winner guaranteed the world no. 1 ranking. The Englishman lost but for Matthew it felt like a “watershed moment”.

The floor felt like an ice rink with the humidity seeing both players’ shoes overfill with sweat. “I didn’t think that finishing the year as world No 2 would get any better. It was still unexpected,” recalls Matthew.

“It was the moment I believed I had what it takes to reach the top level. The belief came through then and you learn so much about yourself in those pressure environments.”

Spool forward six months to June 2010 and a previous occupant at Matthew's hotel room in Cairo had added " ... contemplating my future" beneath the 'Do not disturb' sign hanging from the England no.1's door.

It had come a year too late for Matthew’s own career-threatening injury. There was no stopping the Yorkshireman as he won the Sky Open and became the 16th world squash no.1 and only the second Englishman, after Lee Beachill in 2004, to top the rankings. He had done so by winning 28 matches in a row and landing six of eight titles.

“One of the things that I am most proud of is that I am one of if not the oldest first time world no. 1s. To get to the very top of the game at 30 was pretty late,” reflects Matthew.

“It shows that if you do have that dedication and willingness, get good advice along the way, put yourself in a good environment, have that drive and determination within you, then you can achieve if you set your mind to it.”

Watching the Cairo final that day back at Hallamshire, Nick’s father, Hedley, was forced away from the TV to shed a tear in the club’s car park. An only child, Hedley, along with wife Sue, had refrained from becoming pushy parents. As a PE teacher, Hedley had given his son perfect grounding. At junior events, the pair would warm up and warm down together as others left in their cars. There were to be no half-measures in Hedley’s ‘three Ds’ coaching manual: determination, dedication and discipline.

The Sky Open ignited further trophy riches in 2010 as he became world and Commonwealth champion. Two more world titles followed, he was voted as England’s flagbearer for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and became the first Englishman to win three British Open titles.

Soon enough, the women’s game saw late bloomer Laura Massaro reach the world no. 1 pinnacle.

“One thing Laura and I have is that drive,” says Matthew. “That sort of story will hopefully be a great inspiration in the years to come, that you don’t have to be the best when you’re 12, 13 or even aged 25. It’s part of the journey, doing the right things, being motivated and setting yourself apart. That can happen later and people develop at different times.

“There’s not one path you have to take. We have taken very different paths, but we are our own individual people who blaze our own trails.

Matthew: longevity in numbers

Second most-capped England player (behind James Willstrop), with 134 appearances between 2003 and 2018

In Nov 2017, he became the oldest player to achieve a World top 5 ranking (man or woman) at 37 years, 3 months

Ranking streaks:  He currently boasts the second longest in the Men’s Top 50 (behind Amr Shabana) of 17 years, 1 month (Jun 2001 - Jun 2018) – AND the second longest in the Men’s Top 100 (behind Olli Tuominen) of 19 years, 1 month (Jun 1999 - Jun 2018)

PSA record

705 matches 35 PSA World Tour titles 19 months at world no.1

Timeline of a champion

2018: Wins record 10th national championship  2015: Awarded OBE in Queen’s Birthday Honours 2014: England flag-bearer at Commonwealth Games in Glasgow; wins a third singles gold  2013: Wins third world title after 2010 and 2011 victories 2012: Becomes first Englishman to win the British Open three times 2006: First home-grown winner of the British Open for 67 years 1999: British junior champion

My top five career rivals

A Briton, European and three Egyptians are Nick Matthew’s unrivalled choices over his 20-year career

James Willstrop Our 2010 Canary Wharf semi-final encapsulated in one match everything to do with our rivalry: our differences as players, In the end we were teetering on the brink but the competitiveness saw us compete for over two hours.

Gregory Gaultier The 2013 world final summed up the England-France rivalry. It was live on BBC, with a home crowd pulling me through in Manchester, my most successful venue. I managed to break Greg in the fifth after having match ball to win 3/0.

Amr Shabana We had two amazing five-game tussles at the Tournament of Champions which went either way. It was a 50-50 rivalry, with a pure contrast in styles when we played. We got closer as we got older. A brilliant player.

Ramy Ashour The Saudi International final winner went to world no.1. There was huge respect despite our differences in character while our clash in styles was never more evident than that day – despite defeat.

Mohamed Elshorbagy I always felt I was fighting a tough battle against him. It was a total endorsement on the physicality he possessed at such a young age. I’d like to have been five years younger. It was always a clash of the ages.

Two steps to success

Having the right team

It was something I picked up from Peter Nicol, taking a little bit from all the great players around me at the time.

England Squash made him aware of having a team around you, an extra physio, strength and conditioning, nutrition and psychology.

You are the thing that pulls it together and I’d like to think I would have made it without the support.

But squash teaches you that when the door closes you are on you own. Ultimately, you can have a great team but the responsibility for your career falls to you and you have to grasp it with both arms.

Having the right coach

It was the most important part of my career when David changed my approach to mind and body, technique and tactics.

It’s not how you grip the racket, it’s about making the person tick as a player. I learnt as much at the dinner table with DP through the whole holistic approach.

He is old school in some ways but he used video analysis in breaking down movement into slow motion which was ahead of its time.

I have described it as a technical change over the years but now I see it was more than that. It shaped me as a squash player and now as a coach.

Train like a champion

Mark Campbell, Nick Matthew’s S&C coach, devised ‘The Rumble’ in 2008, which Men’s Health Magazine deeming the “downright sadistic” circuit as “one of the most gruelling cardio workouts we’ve ever published.” Here, Campbell explains the process.

It can range between 40-60 minutes. I have the whole gym to myself and it’s all about continuous aerobic work. I generally left Nick in a bit of a mess but it’s exactly the sort of thing squash players need to deliver on court.

It might be on a bike for two minutes, then a mix of pushing a prowler sled, skipping, chin ups and press ups. When he was capable I would open the fire doors and tell him to run around the building. Or running up the internal stairs to the gym, missing two steps, lunging up them. And when we had access to it, I would tell him to sprint the 200m on the EIS indoor running track.

I have always enjoyed playing at a fast pace. But as I have started to play players who are more accurate and fitter, I have developed several strategies to adapt to playing the top players.

One of the strategies my coach Rob Owen and I have worked on a lot over the last year has been implementing height from different areas of the court. I have become used to varying the pace of the ball, hitting drives both cross court and straight, but now I have started to use the height on the front wall.

I feel many players only use height on the front wall when they are under pressure at the front or at the back of the court. I have tried to use this height as an attacking weapon from all areas of the court. This has enabled me to disrupt opponents' patterns of play, as well as frustrate them.

Often players want to hit the ball aggressively and hard. And if I can take the pace off the ball they are likely to not only lose their rhythm but also their accuracy. It gives me an opportunity to get in front of my opponent and put in a quick attack if their ball is either too loose or lands short of the back of the court.

I have developed this skill so that I can use the height both straight and cross court from all areas of the court and is something I practice regularly. It's part of my basic strategy now. 

Two players who have used this mix of both height and pace brilliantly in recent times are Nick Mathew and James Willstrop. They both attack with height and then push forward looking to volley the next shot, often winning the rally within the next few shots as a result of the quality of the lob they have used. 

To execute this tactic takes a lot of skill and practice. Poor use of height can lose the rally just as easily as an accurate lob can set you up to win it.

From his Birmingham base, Makin, 24, has been honing his craft for the last five years at Rob Owen's coaching academy at West Warwickshire Club. He put his university degree on hold to try and make the grade in pro squash and his sheer drive and mettle to succeed saw him rewarded with a breakthrough year.

This season, all and sundry now know that other than keeping the world's best on court, he can also beat them. Mohamed El shorbagy and Miguel Angel Rodriguez, the world and British Open champions respectively, can testify to that.

"Beating the world no.1 in three tie breaks was about being consistent," Makin recalls of his Channel Vas Championship second round win over El shorbagy in October. "I knew he wasn't at his best and was tired but the one thing I took away is that tonnes of times before he has been in a similar position and come through the match. 

"It was about keeping in the belief of what I was doing, keep it as solid as I could, attack at the right times and not make mistakes."

Makin, now a world top 30 player, has the physical form after spending over five hours on court in six matches during his Commonwealth Games singles' tilt.

His match against El shorbagy also hinged on a mammoth rally - lasting four minutes, eight seconds - which Makin won, the game ending on a conduct stroke against the Egyptian.

The Welshman recalled: "I didn't want to interact, I didn't want to give him any cheap points. It really was particularly brutal. From the outside, you don't look like you are showing physical discomfort. It's those kind of rallies when you have to be as tough as you can be."

These moments have only served to lift Makin's game. Last December, he lost 3/0 over an hour at the World Championships to eventual winner El shorbagy.

The Welshman knew he could get closer to him the next time they played and convert when presented with game balls.

He hasn't done it alone, of course. Principal carrier has been Owen, the former professional who played alongside the great Jonah Barrington.

"Rob has told me that Jonah was always saying to keep a record and analyse all your players, especially the top guys if this is who you want to replicate," said Makin.

"It's always something we've taken time to do and watch back matches. Especially with Mohamed's intensity, ability to volley and taking the ball early in the middle of the court, he's taken the game on."

Makin has taken his own game on thrillingly since leaving Aberdare, aged 18, where both his parents are teachers.

By his own admission, he didn't play competitive squash until he was 16. Born in Pembrokeshire and then growing up in the Welsh valleys, he had a penchant for physical enjoyment, namely rugby and gym training. But he hadn't been properly coached by the time he hooked up with Owen.

"I was way behind at junior level and Rob spent a lot of time with me when I wasn't very good," he admitted.

Since then it's been a concoction of discipline and structure, repetition of hitting, hours of solo practice, coupled with hard and consistent work over five years. "Big results had been coming," he admitted. "I felt that my squash has been able to catch up with my physicality."

Not good enough to play full-time, he took the "big decision" to defer his geography degree at the University of Birmingham "to give squash every chance".

He started coaching to pay for his accommodation. "It was the hardest time knowing the work I needed to put in. It was hard trying to train and coach."

But Owen, who is also a professional gambler, saw in Makin "relentless determination and had something other players didn't. He got everything back and was a runner. He wasn't a quick learner but he practiced."

Owen adds that that his intelligence on and off the court has also helped him adapt to his coach's tactical changes.

Makin is now lighter on feet and hits a better weight of shot. There are options in his play, and his adoption of getting his racket up early has clearly helped.

All this has helped him, even at this stage, to become an early front-runner for the 2022 Commonwealth singles' title in his adopted home under the Welsh flag.

Player of the Year 

Spare a thought here for Simon Rosner. In his 15th year on the circuit, 2018 proved to be a breakthrough year: a first PSA World Series title win in New York and three further finals' berths into his 32nd year. But one of the hallmarks of a great champion is how to overcome the hard times and remain at the top of the game. Mohamed ElShorbagy, knows more than most. He has been consistent throughout his career in suffering early round knocks - everyone want to beat him, after all - and then winning big titles. Yet, he continues to adapt, learn and embrace being Egypt's world no.1 male. Through 2018, he did indeed dip but won the US Open, World Series Finals, Windy City Open and Canary Wharf Classic and continues to revel being trained and coached by David Palmer. Meanwhile, compatriot Nour El Sherbini once again earns our award as top female player. She started the year by collecting the Arab Outstanding Athlete Award in Dubai and then showed the world why she remains above the rest on the global stage. She now exudes confidence as world no.1, typified by her brilliant Allam British Open win in May - and continues to be a fans' favourite for her genteel mannerisms, both on and off court. 

 Young Players of the Year

If 2017 proved an award entree in this category for Diego Elias, 2018 set in stone that the Peruvian has a big future in the game. Sure, his only victories came by virtue of three Pan and South American titles, but he continues to make inroads on the PSA Tour. That was highlighted in October at the Qatar Classic with a sparkling, five-game win over the world no.1 to become the first Peruvian to reach the last four of a major PSA event. It was no fluke, the match was as a pure spectacle and suggests a first major title looms for the 23-year-old. On the women's side, the emergence of another young Egyptian should not be a great surprise and Hania el Hammamy, who turned 18 this year, is already showing great potential. In between her world junior runner-up prize, she made a plethora of PSA World Series main draws and signs are that she will take these experiences and make further headway in 2019.

 Surprise of the Year

South America and "Historico!" are becoming common place in squash. None more so than when Colombian Miguel Angel Rodriguez made history to become the first South American player to win the British Open title in May. Victories included Ramy Ashour, Omar Mosaad, Ali Farag and then Mohamed ElShorbagy in the final. He did so as a 32-year-old and unseeded. His final victory was remarkable, a 102-minute thriller against a tiring Egyptian. The Colombian's renowned fitness had won the day.  “It’s huge, this is like winning the ‘Wimbledon of Squash’, I’m a legend I think I can say," he mused. The 2018 Cairns Squash International will also be remembered for an equally enthralling story. World no. 494 Darren Chan, a former Malaysian junior, happened to be on holiday in Cairns before entering the tournament where the 22-year-old proceeded to upset world no. 95, Evan Williams to claim the title. With his win, he rose over 200 places in the world rankings.

Highlight of the Year

He has been so close to a major title throughout an otherwise illustrious career, but the stars finally aligned for James Willstrop's golden success at the Commonwealth Games. There was to be no final game heartbreak here. The former world no.1 was simply unstoppable in the final on the Gold Coast after a brutal display of accuracy to topple Kiwi Paul Coll. "Shots went in. It just came together," said the Yorkshireman, whose emotional bear hug with manager Mick Todd was equally memorable. While there was no competitive action, the sight of squash being part of the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires was seen as a "great milestone" for the sport. "I hope we will look back upon this as a great step on our Olympic journey," said Andrew Shelley, WSF's chief executive. We await how the sport's administrators, along with its public relations team, tackle the complexities of convincing Paris 2024 officials that it finally merits a place at the top table.

Comeback of the Year

Returning in July after 20 months out with a serious knee injury, not even Low Wee Wern expected such a rapid return to success. The 28-year-old Malaysian went on a 19-match unbeaten streak to win four PSA Tour titles in Malaysia and Australia before returning to World Series events in November. A ruptured achilles at a tournament in Colombia in March 2017 also started a gruelling process of recovery for charismatic American, Amanda Sobhy. One year later, after three tentative events in early 2018, she was back to winning ways to become US national champion. A return to the top 10 also beckons in 2019.

Most improved players of the Year

Another year, another set of athletes who want to muscle their way into squash's ever-expanding game. Our correspondents have chosen an array of names and to pick a standout proved as tough as these committed stars. There's Tesni Evans, entering into the world's top 10 after a stellar year which included the British national title. We have rapidly rising Egyptian Mohamed Abouelghar, 25, who won the China Open for the biggest title of the year. Qatar's Abdulla Al-Tamimi has certainly added dimension to his game after a stable 2017. But plaudits must go to Simon Rosner. Granted, he's always been world class but 2018 added a new level.

Team of the Year: 

It all started with an email from a proud father. Do Clive Ewins’ 18 men’s county squash titles in Dorset constitute a record, wondered his dad, Michael? The question prompted a search which elicited responses from across the world. Historical statistics, trophies and honours boards were dusted off, and there was much fond reminiscing of past glories.

Ewins, the former Germany women’s national coach from Bournemouth, first became Dorset champion in 1998 and has retained his title every year since, apart from 2012 and 2013.

Although we discovered that his tally of 18 is not, in fact, an English county record, he may yet claim the crown if he maintains his Dorset domination for three more years. Aged only 44 and having won the trophy for the last four years, it is certainly not impossible.

We believe the current English record-holder to be Alan Purnell, who won 20 Worcestershire county closed titles between 1966-83 and 1985-86.

Purnell, now 72, puts the one-year gap in his otherwise unblemished sequence down to an illness in 1984, when he lost in the final to Steve Partridge.

Even Purnell’s achievement is eclipsed by one Jimmy Wells, pictured below.

The 55-year-old confirmed his tally of 21 county titles in Dumfries and Galloway, making him – as far as we can ascertain – the British record-holder.

As well as county trophies dating back to 1985, Wells has six Scottish National Masters titles in three different age groups and has won the Dumfries Sports Club Championship 21 times. He has just returned to the court following lengthy rehab after hip replacement surgery. “Thanks so much for your interest. It’s been a long slog!” he quipped.

Talk of age-group honours takes us to Lincolnshire, where Mark Hildred from Boston has won a grand total of 30 county titles: three at under-16 (1977-79), three at U19 (1979-81), eight men’s (1982-88 and 2010), 11 at over-35 (2000-08, 2010 and 2011) and five at O45 (2010-11 and 2013-15, with the gap in 2012 due to injury). Several national records are probably contained therein, including what is surely the longest gap between men’s county titles of 22 years!

We are keen to unearth more records and especially want to hear about prolific women’s and Masters title winners in county/state/province squash across the world.

Raneem El Welily seemed different. Sometimes indiscreet with shot selection, she had picked her most ambitious moments well. Inclined to be tense, she had been more relaxed. And when the showdown moments arrived, she handled them well.

So, does it feel different to be world champion? “Not at all,” El Welily replied, so swiftly it was almost a retort. “You don’t change the world by becoming world champion.”

That is El Welily. A person of fine sensibilities, a player of delightful but occasionally variable talents, a bit of an enigma and a paradox. So often a paradox.

Although only 10 years old when she first represented Egypt, not until she was within a few days of her 29th birthday did she become world champion.

She has entranced spectators with her wrong-footing creativity, yet consistency can be elusive. The first Egyptian woman in any sport to become the world no.1, not until now has she won squash’s ultimate title.

One of the reasons for this, according to El Welily, is that the considerable talent she inherited from her parents has been “a blessing and a curse”. It has been a hidden influence on the ups and downs of her career.

“I have the ability to hit shots in 10 different ways,” she explains. That is the blessing. “But 10 different ways is not best for me because I am not very good when it comes to choice. One or two would be better. So I have to be careful with my stroke technique. I have to find another way to do it.” That is the curse.

Decision-making can be even more complex in an era which has tended to generate more adventurous styles, because it can confront El Welily with still more choices. Reading a match’s patterns whilst judging the climate of her mood causes complications. In Manchester she achieved both.

However, sometimes she doesn’t. “I have always been tense,” she admits. “The pressure has got to me more than once, so I try to enjoy my moments on court more.”  This is what happened during the World Championship triumph, she suggests.

When El Welily seems unable to relax, her coaches encourage her to enjoy what she is doing. “I’m hoping that’s going to happen more now,” she said, adding with a half laugh. “But I can’t see it yet.”

The pressure she felt in her two previous world finals was understandable, for each were played before expectant Egyptian home crowds. But why so much improvement in Manchester? Why not in Cayman or Penang or Kuala Lumpur?

“I believe it will only happen when it is meant to be,” she said. “If it’s not meant to be, it isn’t going to be and that’s why this time I was more relaxed. Now it feels like it was only a matter of time.”

If that sounds like abandonment to the arbitrary tides of the unconscious, don’t imagine El Welily isn’t a rational thinker. For nine years she was educated at a German school in Alexandria. This, she claims, caused “the girls around me to think I am too organised and strict, but I think I’m normal!”  

She is unafraid to be herself. El Welily proved that again by moving on to the Arab Academy for Science and Technology, where she became a Bachelor of Trade Logistics and International Trade Management. Squash isn’t the only important thing in life.

At the same time, she comprehends squash’s complexities. “So many details make the difference. Talent is never enough,” she says. “It’s about focusing on three aspects – techniques and tactics, physical fitness and mental strength. Master all three and you have the ideal combination.”

She has achieved these things best since joining the Wadi Degla club in Cairo, which she describes as “by far the most professional and supportive club in my career”. Whilst her birthplace and formative years were in Alexandria, she has developed into a great player during the last few years in the Egyptian capital.

It means she only sees her mother, Reeme – to whom she owes everything, she has claimed – about three times a week, when she comes to Cairo. Sometimes El Welily makes the 140-mile journey to Alexandria instead.  

“I prefer living in Alexandria because it’s cooler,” she says. “The air is cleaner, there’s access to a beach and it’s more relaxing. People are more laid-back. Everything’s hot in Cairo and the pace is really quick.”

Despite that, she trains six days a week, with Friday her day off. “Men have to go and pray in the mosque, but for me it is a day where I sleep in, more of a family day, not necessarily religious,” she says. “But we do pray every day.” Does she pray by herself? “I try to,” she replies.

Thus many perspectives have influenced her life. These have increased her maturity – something contributing to the mental improvements which helped make her world champion. 

“I hope that is the reason, but I am the oldest Egyptian player now and I am not very happy about that. You look at the others,” she added, referring to Nour El Sherbini, Nouran Gohar and Nour El Tayeb. “They achieved mental stability quite early.”

The development of those younger players may have been influenced by a transformation in the women’s game. This process accelerated not long after a dramatic December night in Cairo in 2014, when El Welily’s four match-points in the world final slipped agonisingly away against a resourceful Nicol David.

“Now, we play alongside the men,” El Welily pointed out. “And the tin is lower.” One couldn’t help wondering if one of those match-points lost, with a volleyed backhand service return which just touched the tin, would have produced a winner with today’s 17-inch version.

El Welily is more interested in the future, though. “Everything is moving faster and change is faster,” she said. “Everyone is physically stronger. Our matches are visible on SQUASHTV. Everyone is keen.

“There is also more prize money and equal prize money. The women are more passionate about it. The difference (in standard) between many women is very small now. But there can be so much more money in the sport. It’s just a matter of time.”

Would that encourage her to compete for longer? “It’s never been about money for me,” she responded at once. “I’m not materialistic. It’s been about the journey I’ve enjoyed, about setting goals and going after them, about growing, about people, and making others happy.”

Maturity poured through this revelation. El Welily is now the senior player among her touring compatriots, though that makes her uneasy. “I’m not happy I’m the oldest Egyptian,” she revealed.

Reminded that players are often at their best between the ages of 30 and 35 these days, she avoided saying whether she would like to become one of them or what she might do in retirement. It was evident, though, that she had thought of it.

“I think Egypt now is unfortunate. People are confused with regard to values and ethics, and I hope that will change,” she commented. “I’ve always wished to do something which will help others and make others happy.”  

The name of Jahangir Khan – the most successful, most publicised, most feted, most dynamic and possibly greatest player of all time – has retained much of its resonance because he has managed to remain in or close to the limelight for almost 40 years.

Pundits, journalists and bloggers still debate whether it was actually more than 500 consecutive matches he won, whether Jahangir really was better than Jansher Khan and whether his ferociously high-paced, relentlessly disciplined style would have overwhelmed so many opponents with the different scoring, different rackets, shorter matches and tactical variety of today’s squash.      

These irreconcilable issues have kept their fascination partly because during the last decade and a half Jahangir has had a very different incarnation, as one of the sport’s leaders and twice the president of the World Squash Federation.

Somehow a slightly shy, rather impassive, unnervingly well-muscled young athlete evolved into a burly, gregarious, cosmopolitan and popular ambassador, who encouraged the International Olympic Committee to look more closely at squash’s Olympic bids and was celebrated almost everywhere he went. It created many opportunities to repeat and embellish his legend.

This includes – to remind anyone who has been living on planet Zog – a record five years and seven months unbeaten, a record 10 British Open titles, becoming the youngest world amateur champion aged 15, becoming the youngest World Open champion aged 17, six World Open titles and 12 out of 13 titles in American hardball squash, also a record. All that, and a lot more, made Jahangir one of the most successful figures in sporting history.

It earned all sorts of awards from outside the game. Athlete of the Millennium was one of several from the Pakistani government, an honorary doctorate from London Metropolitan University was another, the accolade of ‘One of Asia's Greatest Heroes of the Last 60 years’ from Time magazine was yet another. Only last December the Japanese government paid tribute by issuing a commemorative stamp in Jahangir’s name.

His extraordinary achievements enabled Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistan President, to claim “Hashim Khan, Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan are the best squash players the world has ever known, with Jahangir the best of the three” – offering Hosni Mubarak, the former Egypt President, a chance to amicably disagree.

As Pakistan is the only nation created in the name of Islam, Jahangir became an icon for huge numbers of Muslims around the world, some of whom had no other connection with squash.

More directly significant for the sport itself was Jahangir’s six-year world domination happening during the hitherto fastest period of growth for squash – in the UK and in Europe especially, but also in pockets around the world. It included technological progress with transparent demountable courts, synthetic rackets, a lower tin for men and an increasing number of televised tournaments. All this meant Jahangir received more attention than previous super-legends such as Hashim or Azam Khan, Geoff Hunt or Heather McKay, and even the one with media magic, Jonah Barrington.

Surprising to some was that Jahangir became a beacon of hope for the sick and the poor, as well as the young. As a child, he had a persistent hernia and doctors advised him to avoid strenuous activity. His father, Roshan Khan, himself once a British Open champion, wondered if giving Jahangir a name meaning, more or less, “the conqueror” had been a bit optimistic.

“I was the smallest, feeblest and sickest of the family,” Jahangir confirmed. ”No-one thought I’d become a good player. So I hope what happened offers hope to millions around the world who are poor, sick or bereaved. I’ve been all three.” This mention of bereavement was an allusion to the death of Jahangir’s oldest brother, Torsam Khan, from a heart attack on court in 1979.

That caused their cousin, Rahmat Khan, to retire from competition and take on a coaching role to accelerate the teenaged Jahangir’s progress. They lived together with Rahmat’s wife and daughter in a flat in Wembley, Jahangir following a spartan training regime and a lifestyle of heroic self-denial. 

Except Mohamed knew exactly what to do. Still in his match kit, he tapped in David Palmer’s number and called the great Australian barely five minutes later.

"I was literally still in my sweaty clothes,” Elshorbagy reveals to Squash Player. “We only spoke twice before in my life and I told him that I was having a bit of a tough time in my career and needed a change.

“There is always a difference with a player who has actually lived something like that. He lived at the top of the ranking, lost motivation and dealt with things off court.

"He was very welcoming, knew exactly how I felt and sometimes you need that excitement to get you refreshed.”

- Read more tips and features on Mohamed Elshorbagy

For a player who came to the UK aged 15 and has been working with the same stable for 11 years – namely his mentor Jonah Barrington, his mother Basma and coach Hadrian Stiff –  it is an eye-opening changing of the guard as he attempts to land a first world title in Manchester.

Yet Elshorbagy had been mooting this change for some time last season. "The guys who have trained me will always be there,” he says. “I never call Jonah my squash coach, he is like my squash godfather and every athlete goes through change in their career.”

Some 6,000 miles away at Cornell University, near New York, Palmer still keeps in touch with the world game on television in his office, in between coaching students in the head coach role he has been in since last October.

Palmer just happened to be watching Elshorbagy’s defeat, too. “The next thing it is Mohamed on the phone. I was thinking ‘oh, that’s strange’,” explains the 41-year-old.

“It was a bit of shock but I was never going to turn it down and it is a great, exciting opportunity.”

The pair then thrashed out a schedule, which would see Elshorbagy train with Palmer for a month leading up to the Netsuite Open in San Francisco, his first event of the season.

But before Elshorbagy hung up, he said: "You know, David, I don't accept being no.3, I only accept being no.1. When I told him this, he understood my mentality and the kind of challenge he would have to work with me."

What Elshorbagy meant by “no.1” was to challenge himself to win. "Last season I didn't play like a winner,” he adds. “I don't mind losing if I give my best on court. But I was mentally not there."

By the time Elshorbagy had ended the call, he already felt motivated. It had come after a trying period in the 26-year-old’s life. "We are all human beings and I had a few things to deal with last season," he says.

Elshorbagy won’t divulge these personal issues, but admits that the off-court problems were new to him, at a time when his on-court form was in decline. "It felt like life was going against me,” he reflects from his home in Bristol.

Yet, it matured the Egyptian no bounds. "It made me realise how to separate life from my work," he says. "It was part of maturity and growing up."

His training with Palmer firmed up in the diary, he won June’s World Series Finals in Dubai. He wasn't physically at his best there, but he certainly looked hungry for the title. Two months later, Elshorbagy was on a plane to the US.

Palmer reveals: “I wasn’t quite sure how his day-to-day outlook was, having not worked with top Egyptians. But he was very organised, did his own thing and was content with himself.”

The Australian also knew what Elshorbagy was going through. “For so long Jonah and Hadrian have done a fantastic job where he was clearly the best and unbeatable for nearly two years. But it’s almost impossible to hold it nowadays and you naturally come off the boil.”

“It’s one thing to get to no.1, it’s how long you can stay there for that’s the challenge with everyone trying to beat you.

“I went off track as I was worried too much, calculating the points and the matches. It affected me and I went away and returned to focus one match at a time."

History has clearly played a part in the pair's bonding. Growing up, Elshorbagy knew that the squash rivalry then was all about Jonathon Power and Peter Nicol. In Elshorbagy’s eyes, Palmer was attracting less recognition.

"The older I got the more I looked at how much more he achieved than them. It's unbelievable how he got four British and two world titles. He was so tough to play and was a step ahead of both of them in the big matches. It takes so much character to deal with these things, ignore them and still be a winner."

Perhaps this connection is why Palmer hasn't missed one game of Elshorbagy's this season since they joined forces. With tournaments in Hong Kong or Qatar, Palmer has also risen at 3am for Elshorbagy's matches.

Elshorbagy's resurgent form this season has seen him lose just one match and secure four titles ahead of the World Championships. A return to world no.1 after losing top spot in March could also be imminent.

"There is no better feeling than winning a tournament with a tough draw,” says Elshorbagy. “All the players are unbeatable on their day. It won't be easy but I'm going to give it my best.”

Meanwhile, Palmer, who may be in Manchester for the quarter-final onwards, adds: “He is desperate to get that world no.1 back but it’s about not getting too fixated on it and going one match at a time. If he keeps the pattern he has, he will get there again.”

This is the age of the ‘quantified self’, where almost every aspect of athletic performance is measured and benchmarked by strapping tiny devices to the body.

These devices – familiar to most runners and cyclists – can measure outputs such as distance travelled, top/average speed, rate of acceleration and deceleration, calories burned, fatigue levels, sleep patterns, heart rate, recovery rate, step count and cadence. By cross-referencing some of those stats, brands such as Catapult can accurately measure how hard a player is working.

Tennis brand Babolat has even come up with a sensor, placed inside the racket handle, which sends real-time data about racket speed, spin, ball serve speed, ball impact location and more to an app on the user’s (or coach’s) phone.

Most sports (football, rugby union and tennis, for example) generally permit this technology being worn in competition, but outlaw players receiving or using the information it produces while a match is in progress, either directly or via coaching staff.

In June the WSF addressed the issue for the first time by adding Appendix 10 – Coaching Limitations to the Rules of Squash. It states: “Player analysis technology may record and/or store information. Such information may not be accessed by a player during a match.”

Policing this rule, however, is very difficult. Players on the PSA Tour are sometimes seen these days speaking to coaches via mobile phone between games. Nothing untoward is being suggested, but wearable technology would, in theory, enable those off-site coaches to be sitting in front of highly insightful real-time player performance data, upon which they could base their advice.

The idea behind foam rolling is to use body weight against the roller to deliver a compressive massage to soft tissues that are perceived to be tight and painful. Some recent research has shown that using foam rollers can result in physical performance improvements that should be of benefit to squash players, such as improving mobility of the hips, quadricep, hamstring and calf muscles, and of reducing muscle soreness that follows tough bouts of exercise. The improvements in flexibility, however, tend to be short term.

Despite the favourable experiences of many squash players who use foam rollers and of the scientific studies that point to useful physical improvements, many questions remain. Two obvious ones are how often and how much foam rolling is needed to achieve the best results, and whether or not foam rolling has any potential down sides?

Regarding the last question, I have concerns about what could be viewed as excessive use of foam rolling. This could be obsessive daily use or sessions that involve very strong self massage. This type of foam rolling is sometimes used by people who have particularly painful and stubborn areas of soft tissue pain and stiffness. My concern in such cases is that aggressive and frequent use of foam rolling could result in soft tissue sensitivity, and actually become something that perpetuates the problem.

To get the benefits of foam rolling and to avoid some possible downsides, I recommend following these dos and don’ts:

Do:

●     Use foam rolling alongside traditional warm-up and warm-down exercise routines

●     Expect flexibility improvements to be short term

●     Foam roll for 10-20 minutes (total session) to reduce post-exercise muscle soreness

Don’t:

●     Substitute warm-up/warm-down exercise sessions with just foam rolling

●     Become obsessive and over-reliant on foam rollers

“People really think I am Rod Stewart!” he says. “They often stare and whisper. It’s happened for 25 years, in airports and at tournaments. It doesn’t bother me at all, but whoever I happen to be travelling with usually finds it strange. I like his music, but you won’t find me at any of his concerts!”

Just like the world-famous crooner, Vlassaks spends plenty of time on the road. He lives in the village of Bocholt in Belgium and commutes every week to his two jobs – firstly 200km to Hoofddorp near Amsterdam, where he is head coach at the Dutch Squash Federation 24 hours a week. Then onward a further 390km to Germany, where he is head coach at Paderborn Squash Club, the eight-time European club champions.

In various capacities he coaches some of Europe’s finest players. When we speak, he has just finished a session with world no.12 Simon Rösner, whom he describes as “in very good shape and very motivated”, having just returned from his first ever PSA World Series semi-final in Qatar.

Vlassaks has coached Belgian sisters Nele and Tinne Gilis since they were juniors, describing himself as “like a father” to them.

Swiss no.1 Nicolas Müller and Germany’s world no.41, Raphael Kandra – both based at Paderborn - also receive his tutelage, as well as Latvia’s Ineta Mackevica (WR88), a recent civil engineering graduate whose squash career is flourishing.

However, Vlassaks highlights Fleur Maas – European no.1 at under-17 level despite being only 15 – as one of the most promising juniors in the Dutch Squash Association Academy he runs with Tommy Berden, the PSA’s chief commercial officer.

The 53-year-old squeezes in one more role – Belgian national coach, although as there’s no national programme, this involves only a few coaching sessions per year and leadership at international team tournaments.

The Belgian’s background is not that of your typical elite-level squash coach. He didn’t hit a squash ball until he was 26, having spent his formative years as a professional cyclist.

He won 176 races at junior and amateur level, and earned many podium finishes on the Andalusian and Mediterranean Tours, as well as victory in the 1988 Veenendaal-Veenendaal Dutch Classic.

However, disillusioned by the way professional cyclists were treated by their teams and by the widespread doping in the sport, he changed career completely after meeting a woman who at the time managed a squash club in Holland. He quickly fell in love with the game (and her – they later married).

“It was the physical side I liked most. You have to go for it full-paced,” he says. “In the beginning, there were 65-year-olds with big beer bellies who beat me really easily. I thought ‘This would never happen in cycling!’ It annoyed me so much that I had to do something about it!”

He travelled to England to do his coaching courses and took just three years to get to UKCC Level 4, mentored by former England coach Paul Wright. He then got a job on the junior programme at the Dutch Squash Federation, before working in his native Belgium for 13 years. He then returned to Holland as national coach in 2010, as well as working privately with many top players.

He started at Paderborn in the summer of 2015 and his liking for the place, managing director Norman Farthing and chairman Andreas Preising is palpable. “It’s the best squash club I ever saw in my whole life,” he beams.

“Everyone breathes sport in the city and they support squash tremendously, even the mayor, who I have met four or five times.”

Those receiving Vlassaks’ expertise know the importance he places on perception. “Many players’ problems come from seeing the action of their opponent too late,” he explains. “Poor perception loses them time, making their racket preparation and ball-striking too rushed.”

The cream of Europe’s squash talent are fortunate indeed to benefit from the skill, enthusiasm and dedication of the man with the rock-star hair. Some guys have all the luck!

But Ali Farag and Nour El Tayeb, the two new U.S. Open squash champions, certainly had. The Egyptian couple coped with the benefits and burdens of marriage with great resilience as they carried squash into sporting history - winning titles within a couple of hours of each other on an extraordinary October day in Philadelphia.

Don’t imagine for a moment that marriage confers automatic advantages over the singletons on tour. Sharing the ups and downs of a spouse’s crises during a World Series match whilst dealing with your nerves as you prepare for your own is a volatile cocktail of demands.

Farag had to interrupt his warm-up for the men’s final to run into the arena and hug El Tayeb after her victory over Raneem El Welily; then he hurried backstage to prepare for his introduction to the crowd and for his showdown with Mohamed ElShorbagy. El Tayeb also had the two roles, performing and supporting, during the tournament – but in that significantly different order. 

The two clever and improving Egyptians managed it all superbly, aided maybe by their American empathies. El Tayeb is an economics graduate from the American University in Cairo, while Farag has a Harvard engineering degree; both have learned a thing or two about dealing with difficult problems.

“It was a roller coaster of emotions, but I think I dealt with it really well,” Farag said during the endorphin-charged moments after completing the improbable romantic double. 

“We are a bit popular at the moment,” El Tayeb said a few days after her hard-fought final win over El Welily. “I didn’t expect all this. There’s been interest from different places.”

So there should be. No husband and wife have achieved anything like this before. The first suggestion that any squash players might do it was when Rhonda Thorne became world champion in 1981 and her husband, Ross, later reached world no.4, though there were few chances of simultaneous success back then, because the men’s and women’s tours were mostly separate. 

Karim Darwish and Engy Kheirallah, who married a decade ago, both won world team titles with Egyptian squads, but in different years – Darwish in 2009 and 2011, and Kheirallah in 2008. Their compatriots, El Welily and Tarek Momen, won the Malaysian Open titles simultaneously in 2012, though it was only a $50,000 tournament and they did not marry till two years later. However, they remain in contention for a marital double.

Farag and El Tayeb have survived the stresses because their relationship is so deeply-rooted. They have known each other since they were wide-eyed five- and six-year-old squash beginners in Cairo, and “got closer at 12”, according to El Tayeb.

At 14 or 15 they were good friends, but, she believes, were “too close” by the time Farag left for Harvard. She would even call him between games. By the end of 2012 it was “something more than friendship”.

How difficult is providing support whilst competing in the same tournament?  “Since we were married, the first match has always been mine,” El Tayeb confessed. “I’m sure it’s hard for him. I focused on my match, he coached me between games and then I watched how he handled the final. So I learned more.”

She tries to atone by bolstering his confidence. “That is a huge factor,” she says. “We see each other’s potential. It helps so much when someone you love says that.”

It sounds as if she has succeeded. “Words will never do her justice,” Farag responds. “Having such a supportive woman who’s got a great understanding of the game and, more importantly, a great understanding of who I am makes my career 10 times easier.”

But until recently their fortunes differed. For much of the year Farag has been within striking distance of the summit, while El Tayeb, who has just re-entered the world top 10 after almost a year’s absence, had to convince herself that she too still had the ability to reach the top.

Very different and false impressions might have been conveyed had either been observed at their lowest moments.

Tension and disappointing results brought El Tayeb to a point where she considered quitting. A tearful Farag en route to Doha airport after losing a re-match with ElShorbagy in November might have appeared as if his career was in ruins instead of close to greatness. But these setbacks were twin imposters.

Farag doubted he could compete in the U.S. Open because of a knee problem and without fitness coach Hossan Sahedad he would not have done. “I played so many brutal matches,” Farag said. 

It took a while to increase his physical strength after graduating in 2014. Not till 2016 did he play a full season, by which time his light-footed movement was brilliantly supplementing his quick squash brain. “I was on the right track, so it just needed perseverance and faith that it would pay off,” he said.

Farag is occasionally labelled ‘Mr Fantastic’ after the American comic book character and it is increasingly evident that he has many of the qualities needed to reach no.1.

Firstly, he really believes he can. He also combines great movement with a long retrieving stride and attacking reach. Though not the heaviest hitter, he creates situations where he takes the ball in short and tight, and uses a nice feel with drop-shots. 

El Tayeb’s crisis has been more serious. She injured her shoulder when she was world no.5 and after restarting, she became too anxious to do well, particularly from mid-2016 to April this year. Her mother suggested that if she was not enjoying it, she should not be playing.

“Even when I played well, I was more nervous than I should have been,” El Tayeb acknowledges. Reassurance came from Haitham Effat, her long-time coach. “You are improving,” he insisted. “It’s gradual, but it is happening - and your character is now stronger.”

This was not immediately apparent during a straight-games loss to Nouran Gohar in the World Championship at El Gouna in April, but Hatem Hassan, the Heliopolis Club head coach, suggested that she was stifling the spontaneous side of her character. “You have unorthodox shots, you have been happy on court - but I didn’t see any of this,” he said.

The comment clicked. “I still sometimes feel upset, but after that I told myself I want to enjoy it - and that’s why I’m playing again,” El Tayeb said.

She became more disciplined in her life too, something which she claims helps her relax. This in turn has aided the rediscovery of a more attacking style, which suits her.

Few disagree that Farag has improved sufficiently to become a contender at this month’s World Championship in Manchester. Suddenly his wife has too. 

Her interview with Squash Player may even have helped a little. “Everyone asks how it feels to win a tournament alongside Ali,” she says. “No-one asked before about why I won at the U.S. Open.