Another tremendous chat with Johnny Williams which basically amounts to a rapid fire recap of what we've seen from the men and women on the PSA tour after this season's first three big events. Don't forget to check out www.opensquash.org and get involved with the Fall Fundraiser event which kicks off on October 17th.

Jackson Bragman's Bragman Breakdown is eclectic, highly entertaining; not only does he lay out College Squash and most recently and prolifically the National Squash League, he also takes on the WWE, movie reviews, and a wide range of other pop culture topics. Meanwhile, he's a full time student playing college squash Denison. Clearly, impressive is an understatement. Jackson deep dives on the highly acclaimed new US pro squash league, the NSL, and I also get his take on the college squash landscape, including Denison's chances of making inroads towards the Potter Cup. Great chat!!

After leading the English junior boys to the World Team Championship in 2022, Josh Taylor's stock had risen significantly. At the time he saw his future growth still in England, but no doubt there were opportunities aplenty, and low and behold, Josh is stateside running and growing a tremendous squash academy which is turning into quite a hub for players of all levels, including the likes of Joel Makin and several others on the PSA tour. Josh talks about his decision to move stateside, Bee Squash and The St. James, his coaching philosophy, what it takes to develop top juniors, and much more. Don't forget to check out The Open Squash Classic which starts today, October 6th; for more details go to www.opensquash.org

Delaying play, player dissent, foot faults, and interference have all been part of the WSO's mission to clarify these rules through their 2023/24 directives. Lee Drew joins the pod to discuss these issues generally and what we've seen so far in the first two events of the season. Quick heads up—recorded this in my office, and the acoustics weren’t the best from the host side. Apologies in advance! Still, a great chat with Lee, who has that silver radio tongue and sounds fantastic. Huge shout out to Open Squash, www.opensquash.org. They have their bronze event coming up on Oct. 6th, so stay tuned for that.

One of the most intriguing, exciting and as it turns out successful player/coach dynamics on tour today is undeniably James Willstrop and Mostafa Asal. James took over has Mostafa's main coach just over a year ago, and the tremendous impact that it's had on Mostafa's squash is indeed palpable. The Marksman joins the pod to talk about the progress that they've made together and his thoughts on Mostafa early on. James also takes a deep dive on Pontefract and the Malcolm Willstrop ethos which remains its guiding force to this day.

Current World #11, recent winner of the European Closed championships, Victor Crouin is ready for some home cooking whilst playing in the Paris Squash 2024 PSA platinum event which kicks off tomorrow. Victor takes several thoughtful deep dives today including on his current form, winning the European closed, the door-slam incident with Mohammed El Shorbagy, the officiating "Directive, and much more.

Paris Squash 2024 kicks off in a few days time, and former world #2 Camille Serme is a big part of the team that got that ball rolling with a PSA event in Paris this time last year, and now we have a platinum event the very best in the game taking their talents to this one. Camile talks about Paris Squash 2024, last year's learning experience, being on the comeback trail as a new mother, and French interest in this year's event.

15 years at the helm of Harvard Squash where his teams have won at least 15 Potter and Howe Cups combined, an absolute legend of the college squash coaching ranks, it's hard to believe that there was once a day when Mike Way was in Jonathan Power's corner leading him to World #1 and to becoming North America's first and only World softball champion. Mike takes a look back at his 15 years at Harvard, what it takes to build a college squash team, the challenges behind the Crimson's recent season, Harvard and collegiate squash legend Amanda Sobhy, Ali Farag's incredible run of form and the Egyptian Open final, and much more. Big shout out to Open Squash, www.opensquash.org, where growing the game and making it more accessible and more affordable for everyone is what it's all about.

Nick Taylor's playing career was impressive, but his coaching accomplishments dating back to what he accomplished in Jersey as the Director of Squash could be even more noteworthy. This past August, US Squash announced Nick Taylor as their new national team head coach to succeed Ong Beng Hee. Nick and I talk about this next chapter, his coaching journey and the growth of his academy, and the vision and challenges that lie ahead in his new role which includes ramping up for LA 28. Great chat and many thanks to Open Squash, www.opensquash.org , where growing the game and making it more affordable for everyone is their mission.

2024 World Junior Championship runner up Ju Young Na shocked the squash world when he upset defending champion Hamza Khan in the quarter final, and then continued to play absolutely amazing squash straight to the final where he lost to world junior #1 Mohamed Zakaria. Ju Young's performance bled into the team event where he led Korea to trip to the final against Egypt. An unbelievable performance with an inspirational backstory. Ju Young Na joins the pod today to talk about this historic result at the world juniors, his squash story and much much more. Huge shout out to Sang Hoon Lee for translating and helping lay the groundwork, and to the great sponsors of this podcast www.opensquash.org and www.sunrise-courts.com

Numbers don't lie, especially when you've got a team of number crunching experts like the one assembled at Cross Court Analytics. The insight generated from the numbers clearly runs levels deeper than what is revealed to the naked eye whilst watching Squash TV or even watching back a match of your own. Jamie Harlington joins the pod again and breaks down a few of the many incredible analytics that he and his team have identified during the course of the 2023/23 PSA season, including what the numbers say about the two world championship finals, Sherbini v. Gohar and Elias v. Farag, how the length of a match impacts the number of officiating decisions, how certain players respond to breaks in play and much more. You can check out all of this and much more at www.crosscourtanalytics.com . Big time shout out to the sponsor of today's podcast www.sunrise-courts.com

Hadrian goes in depth on his technical philosophy in part two of our chat. Once again, Hadrian's thoughtful approach speaks volumes when it comes to explaining technique and training routines that work. Many thanks to www.opensquash.org for sponsoring this episode of the In Squash Podcast.

2023 US National Champion and 4x PSA tour title winner Andrew Douglas announced his retirement from PSA professional squash two weeks ago to pursue a law degree at NYU. Andrew's squash resume is impressive, from numerous junior accolades, to going to back to back Potter Cup finals while playing for Penn, and winning 4 PSA titles along with a US National championship. Andrew talks about his career, why he decided to step away and some of the decisions he had to navigate before deciding to embark on this new chapter.

Hadrian Stiff makes a triumphant return to the pod and in case you didn't know, he's taken over the high performance junior squash program at Heights Casino in Brooklyn New York from Jonathan Power. This first of two episodes highlights Hadrian's thought provoking and practical approach to the mental side of the game. He takes deep dives on everything from how crucial it is at the junior level to get this right and how he has seen process, patience and persistence lead to success with the some of the greats that he has worked with including Mohammed El Shorbagy, Joelle King and Eain Yow Ng. Part two focusses on technical side of the game and will be released soon.

British Nationals kick off today and the Malik clan is once again represented like no other. Curtis leads the Malik boys, with a world #40 PSA ranking and seeded 5/8 this week. Curtis had his best PSA season to date, finding his way into the main draw of several big time PSA events. We talk about the British Nationals for himself, his 3 brothers and sister Torrie, his progress on the PSA tour, the general behind the Malik success - father Camron and much more. Check out Sunrise Courts at www.sunrise-court.com to see all of the great growing the game initiatives they have on the go.

At 2-1 down and 10-10 in the fourth, the fate of the Korean junior men's team was hanging in the balance. Jeong Uk Ryu then went ahead and produced the point of the tournament and completed the comeback to put South Korea in the junior men's final where they lost to the heavily favored Egyptians. Jeong Uk and I take a look back at the world juniors and we talk about his squash story, the past, the present and the future. Great chat and many thanks to Sang Hoon Lee for providing translation during the episode :). Don't forget to check out our great sponsor Open Squash at www.opensquash.org

Ep. 317 is the first of two successive quick fire podcasts on Korean squash which created a tremendous buzz following Ju Young Na's 2nd place finish in the world junior boys' individual event and the Korean boys' incredible 2nd place finish in the world juniors team event. Sean comes on to talk Korean squash, what the scene is like there, both at the elite and squash enthusiast level. We also take a deep dive into their elite level program with respect to coaching, player development, officiating and much more.

From winning national championships at Princeton to promoting and growing the pro game through Squash Engine and so much more, John Nimick is one of the game's prolific trailblazers. John has dedicated his life to this great game of ours, and it was an honor to talk with him. We cover it all including his early days winning championships at Princeton and his time on the high profile pro hardball tour, the crossover days of the hardball and softball pro tours, the history and evolution of the Tournament of Champions, US College Squash, and some great thoughts on things squash needs to consider leading up to LA 28. Great great chat. Check out our tremendous Open Squash at www.opensquash.org

2023/24 was sneaky good! She reached a career high of 5 and winning both the Manchester and German Open titles, reached the World Tour final and had some confidence boosting wins over top 5 players. She'd also love to cap all of that off with her maiden British National title, and that event kicks off next week. Gina and I look back at last season, the ups and downs, her tribute to the recently retired Nour El Tayeb, the difficulties she's had staying healthy and of course her thoughts on the British Nationals. Great chat and a big shout out to our mutual sponsor, Open Squash, www.opensquash.org

Chris Gordon has been among the very best American pros since turning pro over 20 years ago. Clearly, he's been there, done that, including reaching as high as 44 in the world in 2013. Chris is well respected for his squash insight as is evident through regular squash tv commentating appearances for stateside PSA events, and he took the mic again for the recent World Junior Championships in Houston. Chris and I recap the event which turned out to be the most exciting WJC in recent memory. Many thanks to our sponsor, Sunrise Courts who are working towards growing the game. Check them out at www.sunrise-courts.com

Former world #3 Simon Rosner's PSA career may be over, but he's definitely not retired from the game. Simon is the head coach of the German junior men's and women's teams who competed for the past two weeks in the World Junior Championship in Houston. Simon talks about their performance and what needs to be done to make progress going forward. We also talk about the talk of the town, the Korean Junior boys, with his illustrious career and the work he has done over the past few years with up and coming Swiss talent Dimitri Steinmann. Great chat!! Check out our sponsor www.opensquash.org, where growing the game is the be all end all.

During this year's British Open the Squash Summit brought together people looking to grow the game from around the world. Damian Burgess took part in the event and provides a great recap on each of the key sessions including squash in the Olympics, challenges with regards to growing the sport, and Rob Owen's session on Independent squash minds and his thoughts on such topics as coaching standardization and gambling in the pro game. Speaking of growing the game, don't forget to check out Open Squash and everything that they are doing in this regard at www.opensquash.org

Amanda Sobhy had been in the form of her career in December 2023, reaching the final of the Hong Kong Open after taking out world #1 Nour El Sherbini in straight games. Game 1 of the final saw her go down with a ruptured right achilles; she ruptured her left achilles in 2017. Well, she's on her way back and with any luck we will see her on court again soon. Amanda talks about the misfortune in HK and her form leading up to that event, her rehab, her thoughts on the how things played out on the ladies tour this past season, and much more. Check our our great sponsor Open Squash at www.opensquash.org

Board member and Founder of Open Squash James Green caught my attention with a blog post on the PSA's Mostafa Asal Raging Bull documentary which he posted recently. The Asal Doc is relatively dated, but it's still well worth watching and or revisiting. James talks about his squash backstory, Open Squash, and we deep dive into the Asal documentary. Great chat. Check out open squash at www.opensquash.org and check out the Asal Raging Bull documentary via this link here: https://youtu.be/I-EvRC0gi2c?si=keatl_9IrunaBGCH

2023/24 saw Joel Makin finish in impressive fashion, playing in my opinion the best squash of his career. He's back to world #9 after finishing 2024 with a flurry; a win in Manchester and of course an extremely impressive British Open with wins over Tarek Momen, Yousef Ibrahim and the 2024 World champion Diego Elias. Joel and I talk about having to overcome injury woes earlier this season to finding the best version of himself when it mattered at the business end of 2024. We also deep dive on his epic battles with Yousef Ibrahim, Mostafa Asal, his win in Manchester and of course his epic British Open. Check out the pod's awesome sponsors, Open Squash at www.opensquash.org and Sunrise Courts at www.sunrise-courts.com

Ong Beng Hee is moving on from his role as US National Team Head Coach to start another chapter in his post playing career in Beijing China where he'll be heading up the Dream Squash Academy. Beng Hee is pleased with what the US National Team accomplished under his watch, namely the women's incredible runner up finish in the 2022 World Women's Team Championship and seeing the team gel as a unit at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia. Beng Hee takes a deep dive into his tenure with US Squash and then we flesh out the amazing challenge that lies ahead in Beijing with the Dream Squash Academy in Beijing. Many thanks to the sponsors of this podcast, www.opensquash.org and www.sunrise-courts.com

Fresh off British Open commentating duties, former world #4 and Squash and SquashTV legend Paul Johnson returns to the pod to talk about the incredible end to the 2023/24 season which saw dramatic results in both the World Championships and the British Open. PJ breaks it all down and we also talk a bit about the JB PJ Squash camps which are fast approaching. Check out the great sponsors of this pod, Open Squash and Sunrise Courts at www.opensquash.org and www.sunrise-courts.com

2023/24 did not begin on the right foot for Nouran Gohar, having to withdraw from the US Open in October with a serious plantar fascia tear and thus unable to compete until the new year. Well, she ultimately wound up finding the best form of her career once all was said and done. She couldn't have written the script any better, winning her first World Championship and 2nd British Open titles. Nouran talks about the tumultuous start to the season and ultimately how she found this season ending impeccable form on ep. 306. Check our sponsors www.opensquash.org and www.sunrise-courts.com

It's been a long time coming, but the US finally has a professional squash league (The National Squash League) and it's something outside the box that is set to really take off in 2024. The brains behind it all include two talented Americans, World #29 Timmy Brownell and World #67 and 2023 US National Championship runner up Spencer Lovejoy. They take us through season one of the NSL, how the league came to fruition, the unique playing format behind it all and much more. We also take a quick look at their respective 2023/24 PSA campaigns, and Timmy and I do a quick recap of the British Open. Check out the NSL homepage at www.nslsport.com

The 2024 British Open is upon us and the two world number ones are your reigning, defending champions, Ali Farag and Nour El Sherbini. Play kicks off in Birmingham today and Johnny Williams breaks it all down with me on Episode 304. Check out our great sponsors, Open Squash www.opensquash.org and Sunrise Courts, www.sunrise-courts.com

Reigning 2 time world junior champion Amina Orfi had nothing less than an impressive season on the PSA tour, reaching as high as 11 in the world at the age of 16, and winning her first big PSA title at the Squash on Fire event in Washington, taking out Tinne Gilis 11-9 in the 5th. We talk about how she views her experience on tour this season, the ups and downs, the learning experiences and how she prepares herself mentally and physically for playing at the senior level. Also, Amina eloquently explains why basing herself in Egypt rather than taking the US college option makes the best sense. There's much more as well, from role models, players she looks up to, goals that remain in her junior career. Great chat ! Please check out our sponsor, www.opensquash.org and www.sunrise-courts.com

We battled through some wifi issues, but this PSA World Championships recap was well worth the effort. Always a pleasure to have Ahad Raza break things down, as we take a close look at what led to the crowning of two first-ever world champions, Diego Elias and Nouran Gohar. We also take a quick look at the upcoming British Open. Check out our new sponsor, www.sunrise-courts.com along with www.opensquash.org.

Amr Khalifa's squash resume prior to leaving the pro game for other professional pursuits speaks for itself: 2010 World Junior Champion and 2014 US College Squash Individual Champion, and on both occasions he defeated current world #1 Ali Farag, in the final and semi-final of those prestigious events respectively. Amr is now Open Squash's Director of Squash at its Fidi location in NYC's financial district. We talk about his old rivalry with Ali Farag which dates back to their very early junior days, the influence of Amr Shabana, leaving the pro game, the Open Squash vision and much more.

Ep. 300, thought long and hard about this one, and at the end of the day, not a difficult choice at all. Rob Dinerman's pods have received critical acclaim since his first appearance 5 years back on ep. 20. It's no hyperbole to say he's gotten better with each ep and you don't want to miss this. Rob and I catch up a bit and then get into his two latest books, A History of Squash: Trinity College and his epic 100 Years of College Squash. We take deep dives into both, plus I'd have been remiss not to talk the pro doubles tour and how everything has played out till now this season. Incredible chat with Rob. You can find excerpts from all of Rob's books at www.robdinerman.com Also, don't forget to check out what's happening at Open Squash at www.opensquash.org

Another fantastic chat with Jesse Englebrecht who has fast become squash's resident mental game guru. We recently witnessed Siva Subramanium's unbelievable performance at the London Squash Classic and Jesse was in her corner preaching, mildly, the mental practices that they've been working on for the past little while. We talk about all of that plus I attempt to deep dive on squash and mental game, and Jesse obliges big time with some real, practical knowledge that you won't want to miss. Check out all the great stuff Jesse is doing with respect to the mental game at https://sportmind.io/ and also as we're all into making squash more accessible and affordable for everyone, check out the great things going on at Open Squash, www.opensquash.org

Luke Butterworth, for such a young man, has a coaching resume that is highly impressive. After a few years on the PSA tour, Luke has poured all his energy into the coaching game which sees him now as the US Junior National Team Head Coach. His coaching philosophy is something all coaches should aspire to, and Luke breaks all of that down along with his backstory and his early coaching influences, how his coaching has evolved over the years, and a great breakdown of the current US Junior national team. Also, please check out the great sponsor of this pod, www.opensquash.org, as they have several amazing summer camps on offer if you're in and around NYC.

Fresh off a magnificent runner up result at the German Open a few weeks back, Dimitri Steinmann is into the 2nd round at El Ghouna where he finds himself playing some of the best squash of his career. It's been a bit of personal battle for Dimitri though. Last October's US Open saw Dimitri get hit with an 8 week suspension for an incident during his match with Timmy Brownell. Dimitri talks about his current form, the unfortunate incident against Timmy in terms of what he learned and how he hopes to grow from the experience. We also talk about LA 28 and how he hopes to carry on the Olympic tradition for the Steinmann family. Great catching up with Dimitri and also great being a part of the Open Squash family where growing the game is the vision. Check out Open Squash at www.opensquash.org

Fresh off the biggest win of her career at the London Squash Classic and her highest ever world ranking of 13, Sivasangari Subramanium is making serious inroads towards the very top of the game. Wins over world #1 Nour El Sherbini and World #2 Hania El Hammamy will no doubt give her that self-belief that perhaps has eluded her in the past. As many of you know, in June 2022 Siva was involved in a serious car accident that sidelined her for seven months, but as we talk about on the pod that time rehabbing also allowed her to reevaluate things and she's come back playing the best squash of her career. We talk about all of this on EP. 296 Also, don't forget to keep up with how to grow the game at www.opensquash.org

US squash had a comparatively low profile globally in the 80s and early 90s. This has without question changed dramatically as they without question lead the way globally and always seem poised to take on new initiatives domestically which translate at a global scale. Kevin Klipstein has led this charge for the past 20 years, and this December marks his 20 year anniversary as CEO and President of US Squash. Kevin talks about his squash backstory and how he eventually took over as US Squash CEO. We also look at two major moments that he and US Squash contributed to, LA 28 and the Specter Center (US National Team Training Center). We also talk growing the game, Team US and his expectation and much more. Great chat with the CEO. In terms of growing the game, check out the great stuff going on at Open Squash, www.opensquash.org

Satomi Watanabe made Japanese squash history becoming the first Japanese player, male or female, to win a PSA event of the magnitude of the Optasia Squash Championships. It can be said that Satomi burst onto the PSA scene last season with several epic performances, but those in the know, including Jonah Barrington, had her pegged early on for what we've seen of late. Satomi along with her coach Tiago Goriely talk about her first big PSA win, what it took to get there, and what it's going to take to capitalize on this momentum and take it to the next level. We also take a look at her backstory, which includes her connection with Sivasangari Subramanium which dates back to the early junior days in Malaysia. Don't forget to check out our sponsor Open Squash and www.opensquash.org where you can check out all of their tremendous game growth initiatives.

Simon Parke, former British National Champion and world #3, played through several of the most intriguing eras of squash including the Jansher Khan era as well as the early days of the Power/Nicol rivalry. Simon talks about how he sees the game today and in doing so I selfishly request that he reflect back on his time on court which for me is a kid in a candy store scenario. We also talk about his recent and upcoming SquashTV duties which includes the Squash in Land event in Cleveland and the PSA's return to Egypt with Blackball. Great chat and check out what it means to grow the game at www.opensquash.org

The University of Pennsylvania won its first ever US Collegiate Squash National Championship (Potter Cup) a few weeks back with head coach Gilly Lane leading the way for the Quakers. Gilly talks about the big win and how some ups and downs this season and in recent seasons laid the groundwork. We also talk about his maturity as coach, butting heads each week with some of the games greats, how the college game compares to his days as a player while at Penn and much more.

For the past 15 years, the game of professional squash has been synonymous with the name Joey Barrington. Joey has been the lead commentator and face of PSA Squash TV for close to 15 years, and it goes without saying part of squash royalty, the son of living legend Jonah Barrington. Joey's youthful exuberance combined with incredible squash IQ is on display whenever he takes the mic, and it certainly brushes off on the stellar co commentating team Squash TV assembles for each event. Joey takes a look back at the early Squash TV days, the exciting men's and women's finals at Optasia, the upcoming London Squash Classic and this summer's JB PJ elite junior squash camps at the storied squash facility of Millfield School.

Squash's inclusion in the LA 28 Olympic Games has ignited an even greater fire within the squash community towards growing the game. This June alongside the British Open in Birmingham, the PSA Foundation Squash Summit will take place bringing together squash minds from across the board to discuss the way forward for our great game. Adriana Olaya is the Head of the PSA Foundation and she breaks it all down on Ep. 290.

Jethro Binns and the crew at SquashSkills were the first to go all in on a one-stop-shop for squash coaching for the entire squash community. Since then, he continues his effort to find the next innovation along those lines, and Jethro comes on to bring us up to speed in terms of Squash Levels, LevelTech and the DoubleDot AI Squash Coach. The fire burns like never before and we discuss these and other projects that we can look forward to. Check out Squash Levels at https://www.squashlevels.com/home, LevelTech at https://leveltech.io/ and our tremendous sponsor Open Squash at www.opensquash.org

After decades of failed Olympic bids, squash reached the promised land back in October of last year with its successful LA 2028 bid, thus injecting a newfound positive momentum that our game desperately needed. WSF President Zena Wooldridge talks about this historic moment for squash and what it means for the future of our great game. We talk about the bid itself, how the stars seemed to align, the WSF team and how they are knuckling down with their long term vision. In terms of growing the game, check all the great things the WSF is working towards at www.worldsquash.org as well as the sponsor of this podcast Open Squash at www.opensquash.org

The Canadian Open kicks off on March 3rd at a squash venue that has taken the city of Calgary by storm, the Bow Valley Athletic Club. Connor Turk is the head squash pro at BVAC, and it's great to finally get him on the pod. Son of Canadian squash legend Gene Turk, Connor's backstory is obviously an interesting one. We talk about Bow Valley, the Canadian Open and his first round match, growing up the son of Gene Turk and uncle Billy, and much more. Check our sponsor www.opensquash.org and also drop a donation to the pod via the paypal link :) . Great Chat!!!

RJ Mitchell has produced some of the finest squash journalism that we've seen in past few years during his tenure with Squash Mad. He's recently moved on to take up a new and exciting post with Squash Player Magazine, their new website in particular, which was recently taken over by the PSA. RJ and I discuss the excitement of the PSA tour this season and then he takes us into what we can look forward to on the soon to be unveiled Squash Player website. Please check out our great sponsor www.opensquash.org where growing the game and making it accessible to one and all is the OpenSquash mission.

We're back ! Episode 285 and our new segment, the monthly whip around kicks off with AR Proformance's Ahad Raza who will join me each month for a look at the pro game and then some. Many thanks to our Sponsor Open Squash and you can check them out at www.opensquash.org

Declan James made his return to the PSA tour last week in Qatar after being sidelined for 9 months due to a ruptured Achilles suffered in November of last year. Declan talks about how that all went down, and the perseverance, patience and self-belief it took to get him back to PSA playing shape once again. We also look back at his 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medal winning performance alongside doubles partner James Willstrop, and much much more.

Nick Matthew is without question one of the greats of the game. His accomplishments at the highest level are impressive: Former World #1, 3X British Open and World Open champion, and that's the abridged version. Nick and I look back at a very special title, his 2006 British Open win. We also talk about the Nicol/Power generation which welcomed him to the tour, the special talent of Ramy Ashour, Mostafa Asal's situation, and of course his thoughts on the US Open. Check out our sponsor Open Squash at www.opensquash.org for all of their exciting growing the game initiatives.

Squash Stories is the squash platform that has it all really; it's unique, it's polarizing, it's encyclopedic, it's relevant, and it's Jamie Maddox who is front and center behind it all. We talk about the evolution of Squash Stories over the years, and this bleeds into a serious debate over the current member of the year short list. Jamie and I also exchange views on the Mostafa Asal saga, how we see the top of the men's game right now, and we pay a mini tribute to a mutual squash hero, Qamar Zaman. Check out our sponsor, www.opensquash.org for everything new and exciting going on there.

With 6 PSA titles to her name already and a successful junior campaign which saw her win the British Junior Open and British U19 Nationals in her last junior year, Torrie Malik is making serious inroads towards the top of the women's game. We talk about her junior days, her early PSA success and Team Malik. More importantly though, this episode is dedicated to her younger brother Sumner who passed away 5 years to the day, and Torrie talks about how special he was and the impact he's having on her squash.

Chris Walker's pro squash career speaks for itself; two time World Championship semi - finalist, 2 time World Team Championship winner, multiple commonwealth games medals, and the resume goes on...Chris is now based in New York City as the Director of Squash at the River Club, and took on duties as Head Coach for the Indian National Team close to two years ago, shortly after his last appearance here. Chris and I flesh out how the Indian National Team position came to be and how it has gone thus far. We also discuss a number of other topics including the recent Mostafa Asal ban and how to tweak your game and your training as a 50 plus player.

Mohamed Elkeiy burst onto the PSA coaching scene following the British Open as the man tasked with helping Mostafa Asal going forward. Highly respected by his peers and those in the know in the squash world, Mohamed has relished the opportunity despite all the scrutiny that is bound to come with it. Mohamed discusses how he is approaching all of this and what Mostafa needs to work on in an effort to overcome the on court issues that have plagued him for the past several seasons.

REAKT is a performance training app with some incredible features for players, pros and coaches alike. Tiago Goriely heads up the squash side of the app, and he breaks it all down with respect to how it can be of use to everyone, and it seems to me there is some great value here. Download the app by searching REAKT in your app store. Also, at the end of the pod I have a few thoughts on comments that have been made on social media in the aftermath of the season relating to "cheating" and "cheaters" in the game of squash. What does it mean exactly to "cheat"? For what it's worth, I provide my two cents worth. Many thanks to our sponsors, www.opensquash.org

At 27 years of age, 7 World Championships, 4 British Opens and at least 22 PSA titles to her name, Nour El Sherbini's accomplishments in the game are mind blowing. And amazingly, this chapter of her career, the one which has her winning the most prestigious events in the sport consistently, is far from over. Nour and I talk about her highly successful 2022/23 campaign, the women's game, the passion of Gregory Gaultier, Nicol David, and much more.

Fram Gommendy knows her squash and has more insight on the players than perhaps anyone else out there; her takes on several topics on this episode reflect that. This is a season recap that you don't want to miss and we also go into so much more. Many thanks to our sponsor Open Squash www.opensquash.org

Jamie Abbott of Cross Court Analytics first appeared on Episode 167 shortly after their launch, and since then they've been crunching the squash digits big time! The chat today with Jamie bears that out along with plenty of food for thought. On this ep we discuss several areas that they're analyzing: officiating decisions by numbers, the lack of stats utilized in pro game commentary, the numbers behind Karim Abdel Gawad's incredible comeback this season, some of the pro players that they are working with, and much more. Check out Cross Court Analytics at https://crosscourtanalytics.com/ and check out our sponsor Open Squash at https://opensquash.org/

There are some prolific, big name coaches on the PSA tour right now, but you would be hard pressed to find one who has had more success than Omar Abdel Aziz. The list of players that he's worked with and their accomplishments over the last several years is impressive and they include, amongst others, the likes of Hania El Hammamy, Tarek Momen, Karim Abdel Gawad, Nouran Gohar and Youssef Ibrahim. Omar talks about his early days on the PSA tour, the influence of Karim Darwish, Amr Shabana and Ahmad Barada, Hania and Nouran, how the season has played out with his current group of players and much more.

Youssef Ibrahim was in the ascendancy a year ago; playing scintillating squash which saw him reach world #11 before having to step away from the game due to serious knee issue. He's back, and if his form at the recent World Championships is any indication, he's not far off that world #11 form. Youssef talks about the injury, his rehab and comeback, the great match v. Mohamed El Shorbagy in Chicago along with where the backhand topspin winner that went viral came from, and much more. Check out our sponsor, Open Squash, at www.opensquash.org

Class is in session once again with Rob Dinerman. Rob provides a tremendous tribute to Paul Assaiante, a breakdown of the most recent US College Squash season, a recap of the US Pro Doubles season, his take on the PSA from the American perspective and of course his latest book A History of the Briggs Cup. For those of you interested in any of Rob's books check out www.robdinerman.com or contact https://www.mpcprinting.com/

Ali Farag and Nour El Sherbini are your 2023 World Open Champions, and RJ Mitchell and I break down their victories and how everything played out in Chicago. Check out our sponsor, Open Squash, www.opensquash.org

Double champs at the European Team Championships last week, England National Team Head Coach David Campion joins the pod to break it all down; from the ladies impressive win, to the men's inspirational win, Mohammed El Shorbagy's unbelievable comeback against Victor Crouin in the final and MES' impact on the team as a whole, and the culture the David is attempting to cultivate within the team. Really great chat!

Reigning World Open and British Open champ Ali Farag proved that he is back, playing sublime squash on his way to winning his first ever British Open last month. Now, he's a few days away from embarking on a World Open Championship three-peat. Ali talks about over coming injury, working his way back to his best form, his British Open win, the upcoming World Open, Open Squash and much more. Check out our sponsor www.opensquash.org

Who better to break down the upcoming World Open than SquashTv's First though, Johnny talks about England's big win at the European Teams in Helsinki along with Switzerland's historic 3rd place finish with their win over Wales. Johnny then deep dives on both the men's and women's events at the World's, and caps it off by predicting the winners. Many thanks to our sponsors #Weareopensquash www.opensquash.org

Squash Canada Hall of Fame 2023 inductee Jamie Crombie makes a glorious return to the pod to look back at his illustrious squash story. Jamie takes us back to his junior days, the countless caps he's had representing Canada at the World Team champs from 1985 through to 1995 and the Pan Am Games, his relationship with fellow Calgarian and Squash Canada Hall of Famer Dale Styner, as well as a tribute to his late great coach at Western University, Jack Fairs.

Leading Trinity to 17 national titles which included 13 on the trot during "the streak", Paul Assaiante is without question one of the greatest coaches in US Collegiate sports history. Shortly following the end of this season which saw his Trinity Bantams surprise many by reaching the Potter Cup final, Paul announced that he would be stepping down as head coach after 30 glorious years at the helm. This chat covers it all, and it truly captures what makes Coach Assaiante an absolute national treasure for US Squash. Please check out our sponsor www.opensquash.org for more details on the great summer coaching camp offers.

Squash Mad's RJ Mitchell returns to the Pod on the eve of the British Open to break it all down, and to talk about his Squash Mad interview with the great Jahangir Khan. Check out our sponsor www.opensquash.org

Uncertain as to whether he'd ever play PSA squash again, Karem Abdel Gawad let it be known via his Optasia Championship victory that he's well on his way back to the form that saw him win the World Championship and reach world #1 in 2017. Karem talks about his Optasia success, and the brutal heel injury and the complicated journey back to playing squash again. Great chat with the baby-faced assassin. Check out our sponsor, www.opensquash.org and you can reach me at [email protected] if you'd like to reach out.

Tomato Ho's 2022/23 campaign has been eye opening to say the least. Currently ranked #32, she's had big wins over the likes SJ Perry, Tesni Evans, Jasmine Hutton and in doing so has reached the semis in Cleveland and Calgary, and the last 16 at the TOC. On top of that, Tomato (Tze Lok) recently changed her name for PSA purposes, and she tells the incredible story behind the change. We also take a deep dive into her breakout season, Hong Kong squash, and we also talk about her squash idol, James Willstrop. Please check out our sponsor www.opensquash.org and for comments on the podcast or to reach out, contact Gerry at [email protected]

We're at the business end of the 2022/23 PSA with the British Open and World Championships just around the corner. PSA CEO Alex Gough joins the pod to talk about what he describes as perhaps the busiest season in PSA history. We also talk officiating in terms of what Lee Drew and the team have been facing and the move to have paid full-time officials on tour. Also, we get into the Olympic bid, the PSA Foundation, the Challenger Series, qualifying for the World Champs, and of course that elephant in the room the Mostafa Asal ban. Check out our sponsor Open Squash at www.opensquash.org

When Jonathon Power made his mark on the pro tour by winning the 1996 Tournament of Champions, the years that followed were unlike anything professional squash had witnessed prior. JP emerged as a real breath of fresh air; a braggadocios brand of squash, appealing both in terms of the squash itself and the theater that JP brought with it. Jethro Binns and the fellas at Squash Skills capture all of this in their 3 Part Jonathon Power documentary, a documentary which was long overdue. Jethro and I take a JP deep dive talking about the JPs early years which are the focus of Part 1 right up to the 1996 TOC. We also look ahead to part 2: the JP /Peter Nicol rivalry. Jethro also gives his thoughts on the Mostafa Asal ban at the end of the episode. Great chat with Jethro and also many thanks to www.opensquash.org for sponsoring the pod.

Danny Lee talks about the event that he has put so much time and effort into over the years, the Optasia Squash Championship, previously named the Chanel VAS Championships. Danny talks about this year's event, his son Charlie's first round win, world #1 implications and of course some more great anecdotes about "The Shark". Please check out what's going on at Open Squash at www.opensquash.org

On September 16th, 2022, Alex Preston and Michael Pearce played squash for 40 hours, 1 minute and 59 seconds, breaking the world record by 2 minutes. Alex Preston talks about the record, where the idea was borne from, the prep, the team involved, the marathon itself, and the aftermath. Alex and I flesh out this accomplishment, and everything in and around it is mind-blowing; a tremendous chat about a tremendous accomplishment. I also give my recap of Canary Wharf at the conclusion of my chat with Alex. For all the details on the world record, check out this link: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-squash-marathon-(singles) Many thanks to our sponsor www.opensquash.org

Charlie Lee is making his move; winner of two Challenger Series events within the past month, including the Guilfoyle Classic in Toronto, Charlie's got is sights set on riding this wave on up the PSA rankings. Charlie and I have chill out Canadian style as he's been acclimatizing to life in the Great White North for the past few weeks. We talk about his Guilfoyle win and his win in Philly previously, his battles with fatigue and adjustments he had to make, the impact his dad Danny Lee has had on his growth along with his older brother Joe and Tom Richards. We also talk about the Optasia Classic event coming up at the end of the month at his home in London. Great chat and first podcast effort with Charlie Lee. Please check out our Sponsor www.opensquash.org

The in form player on women's tour right now has to be Olivia Clyne; a tremendous February has arguably been the best squash of her career. We have a great chat about her growth as player over the past year, both physically and mentally. We also talk about her string of great results, Team USA's amazing second place finish at the World Teams and US Women's squash in general, and a discussion about on the recent on court behavior issues at junior events. Check out our sponsor www.opensquash.org

The sights were set on gold from well before the games, and to make it happen is a testament to the player/coach relationship Ben Ford and Gina Kennedy have established for several years now. Ben talks about his growth as a professional coach, the early days with Gina, her injury struggles before and after the games, and his thoughts on the women's game. Great chat and many thanks to www.opensquash.org

This discussion brought together 5 extremely passionate members of our squash community, all of whom have dedicated much of their recent time to identifying ways forward towards growing the game. This panel discussion was meant to discuss various initiatives, issues, shortcomings and potential solutions to helping squash regain footing and head back towards a period of growth. The panel includes: 1. Zena Wooldridge - President of the World Squash Federation - https://www.worldsquash.org/ 2. Peter Marshall -Part of the Independent Squash Minds group and former World #2 3. Robert Eberhard - Squash entrepreneur, CEO of ActiveScout and author of soon to released book on growing the game of squash 4. Cleve Miller - Excecutive Director Open Squash - www.opensquash.org 5. Ed Alvarez - Unionville Athletic Club President and Squash Mad contributor on growing the game www.unionvilleac.com

Victor Crouin has picked up exactly where he left off at the end of 2021/22, on an upward trajectory and playing some inspired and impressive squash. This episode drops as Victor has reached another final, the Canadian Open where he meets number 2 seed Joel Makin in what should be a great match. Victor talks about the Canadian Open, his season to date, the officiating dialogue in the aftermath of Aly Abu's tweet suggestions, and he also sets the record straight on the Squash Mad article which cited his thoughts on world #1 Mostafa Asal. Great chat as always, and please visit the www.opensquash.org website for details on their growing the game vision.

The Oxford Properties Canadian Open brings world class squash back to the Great White North. Bow Valley Athletic Club is hosting the event, and club CEO Dean Brown returns to the pod to break it all down!! Check out BVAC https://www.bowvalleyathleticclub.com and the pod sponsor Open Squash at www.opensquash.org

Squash Mad's RJ Mitchell comes on to recap the start of the 2023 season, and then we take a deep dive into the Mostafa Asal situation, and RJ is an authority given his two recent interviews with Mostafa combined with his Victor Crouin, Marwan El Shorbagy and Jansher Khan stories, all of whom had a bit to say about the current world #1. We also talk about the rising star of Diego Elias, the future rivalry b/t Elias and Asal, and Gina Kennedy's return to health and form to begin 2023. Great chat. Please check out what our sponsor www.opensquash.org is up to.

Jackson Bragman from the Bragman Breakdown helps me to breakdown the Tournament of Champions which concluded a few days back in New York City. We talk about the stellar performances throughout the event from the two eventual winners, Diego Elias and Nour El Sherbini. Finals day was a bit anti climactic, but overall the event had plenty of great moments, including the play of the Colombian Cannonball Miguel Rodriguez, and we talk about what's made him such a special player over the years. We also talk a bit about the performances of the US women and the promise of the US men who are on the cusp of making a move into the prime time of the PSA rankings. Check out the Bragman Breakdown here https://thebragmanbreakdown.buzzsprout.com/ and check out the goings on our sponsor www.opensquash.org

Hard to believe it was 4 years back, shortly after retirement, that the Wolf, Nick Matthew, first appeared on this podcast. Former World #1, 3 x British and World Open Champ and 3x Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Nick shows up like the legend he truly is. Nick gives great insight into everything we touched on: the recent British Junior Open including British success at U19, the first ever US male winner in any age group, coaching and officiating issues, and of course the Egyptian dominance over-all. Nick gives his TOC predictions, great insight on new world #1 Mostafa Asal, and how he and his peers back in the day would have played v. Asal, both mentally and from a tactical standpoint. Ep 250 is indeed pure gold. Many thanks to our sponsors at www.opensquash.org

2022 has been a breakout year for another one of the game's rising young talents. Reigning US National champion Timmy Brownell is on the cusp of regular gold and platinum event status. Currently at his highest ever world ranking of 52, Timmy's just outside the number that would guarantee him spots in those big event draws, but he knows it's just a matter of time. Timmy talks about his great season to date including his SL Green US Nationals victory along with Challenger Series wins in Vancouver and Louisville. We also look back to last year's TOC where he won the qualifying event and then went on to win his first round. Timmy also talks about how proud he is represent the US and how US men's squash is not far off replicating the success of the US women. Squash talk doesn't get much better than this. Open Squash is our podcast sponsor, so please check out their homepage at www.opensquash.org

Aly Abu Elenein is without question one of the bright young talents on the tour, with impressive results over some of the best in the game in his first half-year on tour. Aly finds himself poised to take a legitimate run at reaching the top 10 in the near future. Aly and I talk about his season to date, and how it's inspired him going forward. Aly also discusses his squash backstory which for an Egyptian standout junior was somewhat unconventional. We also talk about his 4 exceptional years at Penn, and the highlight of his squash career till now, clinching the Ivy League title for Penn in February, 2022. We also discuss how unique the varsity squash is and how the team aspect of the game has helped him to develop as a player. Many thanks to our sponsor Open Squash, www.opensquash.org

Earlier this month, Squash Mad's founder and Editor in Chief Alan Thatcher decided to relinquish the reins at the publication for health reasons. Yet, the publication is in very good spot going forward with the team he has assembled. Alan and I talk about his decision to step aside for the time being, the growth of Squash Mad and its team of writers. We also take a World Squash Day deep dive by looking back at the beginnings, its growth since then, and the struggles he's had in getting some national and international governing bodies to support the day. Overall, a tremendous chat with someone who's spent a lifetime working towards growing the game of squash. Please check out our sponsors at www.Opensquash.org

Ending the first half of the 2022/23 PSA with a victory at the Hong Kong Football Club Open, Marwan El Shorbagy finds himself back to playing his best squash. Not only that, he finds himself back in the mix again at #6 in the world, with all to play for with some big events fast approaching in 2023. This is a great chat about the season to date, joining forces with the all time great Rodney Martin, and his takes on officiating and the need to have the very best officials at all the major events. We also talk about big bro Mohammed representing England now and how supportive he and his family were with that big move. Our sponsor is Open Squash, visit their website at www.opensquash.org

One of the most inspirational squash stories you'll hear, Wee Wern Low has undergone 4 knee surgeries throughout her pro squash career, and has just embarked on a comeback that this time has nothing to do with getting back to the top 10 or winning tournaments; it's about inspiring others and proving that if you put your mind to something you can be successful. Wee Wern opens up about her career, reaching the top 5 in the world and then shortly thereafter having to undergo the first of four eventual knee surgeries. The 2018 comeback at the Malaysian Open after her third surgery is an incredible story and she looks back on that. Also, we discuss the frustration and disappointment she's experienced after having been dropped from the Malaysian National Team over the summer, and of course she gives huge props to world squash and Malaysian legends Nicol David and Ong Beng Hee for how instrumental they have been in her career, along with her long time coach Aaron Soyza. Check out the In Squash Podcast sponsor website www.opensquash.org

Throughout the 2021/22 season, Nathan Lake was hitting his stride; promising results, his first ever English cap as a senior team member, and an injection of self-confidence heading into the tail end of the season. Unfortunately, a jam packed schedule caught up with him and he was forced to retire due to injury in round 1 of the Tournament of Champions back in May of this year. Since then, he's found his game again and is ready to hit the ground running when the season resumes in 2023. Nathan talks about the ups of last season, and the frustration of having it end the way it did. We also talk about his squash backstory, meeting Haley Mendez at the world juniors several years back, grueling sparring seasons with George Parker and Joel Makin, and his newfound passion for American sports. Also, Nathan Lake is sponsored by Open Squash, check them out at www.opensquash.org

The season has had its ups and downs, but Mostafa Asal always finds a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. He did that once again by finishing the year with a huge win at the tradition laden Hong Kong Open. At 0-2 and 9-10 match ball down, Mostafa played a shot that seemingly only he could pull off, and from that point it was game on. Despite the officiating dramatics, we were treated to tremendous squash the rest of the way with Mostafa proving just how badly he wanted that title. Mostafa talks about the win, the decision to go for that shot at match ball down, and his mental struggles leading up to HK. He also talks about the team that's been behind him for several years, the respect he has for the likes of Paul Coll, Mohammed El Shorbagy and Diego Elias, and he responds to some of the harsh criticism that has been aimed at him in recent months on this podcast and in the Squashmad publication. Many thanks to our tremendous sponsor www.opensquash.org

As you might expect, Squash TVs Johnny Williams gives a very insightful recap of the HK Open finals and the first half of the 2022/23 season. We talk about Asal's unbelievable comeback and HK Open victory, how Diego let this one get away from him, the several officiating missteps, the fact that Hania's definitely trending towards #1, who he expects to end the season at the top of the heap in the men's and women's, and who is coming through that could find themselves in the mix at the top of game. OPEN SQUASH sponsors this podcast, so check them out at www.opensquash.org

Former World Junior Champion, reigning Malaysian National, reigning Asian Squash Championships Champion and current world #20, Eain Yow Ng is without question a force not to be overlooked on the tour. His current ranking of 20 certainly understates his potential, as has been evident with his performances over the past few seasons. Eain admits though that he needs a bit more consistency and self-belief to take his game to the top 10. This was a great chat that covers his successful season till now including his victory in Cleveland and win over world #2 Paul Coll. Eain also speaks to the importance of winning his first Malaysian Nationals and in getting a Malaysian winner at the Asian Squash Championship after an 11 year absence. We also talk about his recent trip to Korea and the unique pro squash scene that exists there. Also, don't miss the premier of the Jamie Maddox Mohammed El Shorbagy Song, the sequel to the classic of four years ago. Many thanks to the sponsor of the In Squash Podcast Open Squash, www.opensquash.org

This is a recap of the Singapore Open and the 2022/23 season till now. Gerry opines on the Singapore Open event, Mohamed El Shorbagy and Joelle King's impressive performances along with the drama of the men's semi final b/t Diego Elias and Mostafa Asal. On top of that, Gerry gives his thoughts on the season till now in both the men's and women's game. Check out www.opensquash.org

Since his retirement in 2014, former world #1 and current World Squash Federation VP Karim Darwish has been just has impressive off the court as he was while playing the PSA. Karim reached world #1 in 2009, becoming only the 2nd Egyptian to do so, and during an era which included the likes of Amr Shabana, Thierry Lincou, David Palmer, Jonathan Power, Nick Matthew, Peter Nicol amongst many other greats. Karim speaks about the glory days on tour and the post PSA chapter which includes spearheading the incredible growth of Wadi Daegla Darwish Squash Academies, growing the game throughout Egypt and his thoughts on global growth, the current PSA tour and the story behind IOC Chairman Thomas Bach's visit to the Egyptian Open, the recent WSF AGM and his take aways from that, and much more. Many thanks to our sponsor www.opensquash.org

In 2018, Open Squash's vision was to "build a center designed and targeted for squash players and make it available to all socio-economic segments of the local community by keeping our outreach broad and by making court time affordable" (https://opensquash.org/2018/10/). That vision remains front and center to this day. Open Squash Executive Director Cleve Miller talks about his unique squash backstory, Open Squash's early days vision, its execution and evolution, growing the game via the Open Squash vision, and the growth possibilities going forward. An absolute must listen for all of us in the squash community. Check out www.opensquash.org

10X Scottish National Champion and former world #24 Alan Clyne has called it a career on the PSA tour. The next chapter is an exciting one as Assistant Coach at Princeton. Alan looks back at his decision to retire from the PSA, his PSA career, his 10 Scottish national championships, playing for Scotland in the future, and the exciting next chapter at Princeton. Check out www.opensquash.org

The only man to beat Jahangir and Jansher Khan in the same event, the 1991 World Open, Rodney Martin has parlayed a great playing career into a coaching a career that sees him as one of the very best in the game. Rodney talks about the key figures in his stable currently, women's world #1 Noran Gohar, men's #6 Marwan El Shorbagi and men's #28 Abdullah Al Tamimi. We get into his thoughts on the technical side of things, and why squash players need to be wary of the over abundance of what he terms "gimmicky" coaching that's out there. Rodney's awareness of the Mostafa Asal on court issues dates back several years, and he provides his insight into this and his thoughts on what those of us on social media think of the issue. And, we also discuss the problems Australian squash has had in reliving its glory days when it was producing the game's very best players . Rodney hits this one out of the park. Great chat. Many thanks to our sponsors www.opensquash.org

2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Gina Kennedy couldn't have written a better script for the 2021/22 squash season. She reached #8 in the world after starting the season miles below that, she reached the season finale pro tour finals in her first full season as a pro, and to cap it off Gina brought home Commonwealth gold in the ladies squash singles. Meanwhile, 2022 has gotten off to a slow start due to a few nagging injuries, but her performance at the recent Grasshopper Cup bodes well. Gina and I talk about all of the above and more, and we talk about her coach Ben Ford, who sadly lost his wife earlier this month. Our deepest condolences go out to Ben and his family. Also, I provide my two cents worth on the Rob Owen/Joel Makin controversy that erupted following episode 233 with Rob Owen. This comes in the conclusion to this episode. Many thanks to our sponsor www.opensquash.org

June 14th of this past summer was a sad day for the squash world as Camille Serme announced her PSA retirement due a pair of serious achilles injuries. Camille retired as one of the best players of her generation, reaching world #2 and winning the British Open, the US Open and the Tournament of Champions twice. Camille tells us about the struggles she had in attempting to recover from injury, her illustrious career and its highlights, her relationship with several players including Raneem El Welily, and what her sights are set on going forward, and her sights are set on bringing the PSA spotlight to Paris next summer with the venue being the Palais de Tokyo. And, judging from this conversation and what we know of Camille, we're in for a real treat. Tremendous chat with Camille Serme. Check out our sponsor, www.opensquash.org

Without question, Rob Owen is among the very best coaches in the pro game today. That is non-negotiable. The success that he's had with players in his stable is impressive: former world #1 and current #2 Paul Coll, SJ Perry, Joel Makin, George Parker, Nele Giles, Jasmine Hutton, Dimitri Steinmann, a number of England's top juniors, and the list goes on. Rob's approach to the game and vision for the game is unique, and needs to be heard. We talk about his career, many of his current and past players, the pro game and a few of its cast of characters, officiating, coaching certification and his approach to coaching, playing in outdoor venues, and much more. Many thanks to our tremendous sponsor opensquash.org

The Jet, Dimitri Steinmann has kicked off his 2022/23 campaign by reaching the third round in Qatar, round 2 in Cairo, winning his second Swiss National title, and he's kicked off the US Open with a first round victory. This all bodes well for Dimitri as he sets out to build on his current world ranking of #40. We talk about his start in the game, his parents who both represented Switzerland in the Olympic Games, his coaches Rob Owen and Rod Martin, the impact the Swiss Rocket Nicolas Mueller has had on his squash, winning the Swiss Nationals for a second time, and the Top Gun 1 remake, with a squash twist, in which he plays the starring role. Fantastic young talent and a great chat on ep. 232. Many thanks to our great sponsors https://opensquash.org/

PSA Refereeing Director and former England Junior National Coach Lee Drew makes a triumphant return to the podcast. We look back at his tenure at Squash England where he ran England's National Junior Team, and how proud he is of everyone involved after the men's junior team title victory over the summer. Lee also takes a deep dive on PSA officiating, in particular helping us get our heads around let call nuances, as well as the new 4 review + 1 in the fifth system that was introduced recently. He also gives his thoughts on the PSA season to date, and how he feels about weather and other elements impacting pro squash outdoor venues. Great chat.

Abdullah Al Tamimi reached the last 16 of the 2017 World Championships in Manchester, and a year later reached a career high of 23 in the world. Since then, he's had to overcome a litany of injuries, but what we saw last season and certainly in the first two events of this season bodes very well for a return to his earlier form and then some. Abdullah and I take a look back at the early days where his dream was to play professional football. His relationship with Geoff Hunt eventually guided him to where he is today(on the squash court), and we talk about this and is current coach Rodney Martin. We also take a look at his recent impressive Qatar Classic performance, his thoughts on the men's game today, the nuances of movement and subtleties of blocking, and so much more. Many thanks to our sponsor https://opensquash.org/

Sadly, US Squash has lost two legends of the game, Pete Bostwick and Sam Howe. Rob pays tribute to these two American greats.

To many, England winning the Men's World Junior Team Championships this summer came as a huge surprise. To head coach Josh Taylor, he felt it was there for the taking. What a finale it was to his tenure with Squash England. We talk about the big win and the cast of characters on the team, along with Finnlay Withington's runner up finish in the men's individual and Saran Nghiem's near upset in the women's quarter's to #1 seed Kenyz Ayman. Josh also looks back to his early coaching days, his thoughts on how to inspire and bring the best out of young talented juniors, and his plans going forward which include launching his own academy.

He rose to the very top of the PSA, world champion, world #1, over 40 PSA titles. Don't look now, he might be doing just the same in the coaching game. He helped Nour El Sherbini secure the PSA Tour Championship at the end of last season, and he's got Mohammed El Shorbagy, winner of the season opening Qatar Classic, playing some of his best squash in years. Gregory talks about his approach to the coaching game, and the attention to detail that he expects of himself and the players he works with. We talk about the resurgence of Mohammed El Shorbagy, being a part of Team Sherbini, his work with Saurav Ghosal prior to the Commonwealth Games, and a brilliant look back at some memories of his playing days. Thanks to our sponsor https://sprout.link/weareopensquash/

2011 British National Champion, 3 X Commonwealth Games medalist, 2013 World Team Championship winner with England, and a tremendously successful PSA career which saw him win 13 titles and reach world #9, Daryl Selby can retire from the PSA a very happy man. Daryl talks at length about his squash career and the aforementioned accomplishments, including which one he holds dearest. We also get into the upcoming season, who his odds on favorites are on the men's and women's sides, England winning the men's World Junior Team Championship, and a tremendous anecdote about playing golf with British Open legend Tom Watson.

Saurav Ghosal, at the age of 36, is playing some of the best squash of his PSA career. 2021/22 was one of his best seasons, if not his best, with impressive results throughout the year including a TOC semi final appearance and earning the bronze medal at Commonwealth Games. He's also taken on the role of PSA's Men's President from his predecessor Ali Farag. We flesh out about all of the above and then some. Many thanks to our sponsor https://opensquash.org/

Nouran Gohar just completed one of the most impressive season's of squash in recent memory: reaching the final of every PSA event on her 2021/22 calendar, finishing the year as world #1 and earning PSA Player of the Year honors. Nouran is box office each time she steps on the court, and she's a big reason why so many of us can't wait for the start of the 2022/23 season. Nouran looks back on her best year of squash to date, her recent run of training, the unfortunate incident in the Tour Final event v. Hania El Hammamy, and how excited she is about women's squash heading into the new season.

There's a new podcast in town, 32 episodes deep; The Rally Report. Sean Choi, former Wesleyan University #1 got the podcast ball rolling last November, and he hasn't looked back. It was great to compare notes with Sean in terms of our respective pod experiences, but the squash talk was the highlight. Sean and I fleshed out growing the game, the unique Korean squash scene, squash media and our PSA thoughts, both last season and for 2022/23.

It's that time of year, about a month before most of our squash seasons commence. With that, it goes without saying that we'd ask Gary Nisbet to drop by, and he did so with some pure gold. Gary's been busy this summer putting together a squash training camp with CWG gold medalist Gina Kennedy, and he takes us through that and his thoughts on Gina's unparalleled strength and condition. Gary provides some tremendous insight on how we ought to be ramping up for the squash season which lies ahead, and we get into circuit training ideas, nutrition, and the benefits of sleep and creatine supplements. Another glorious ep with SquashSkills own Gary Nisbet.

When SquashSkills launched 10 years ago, it was a long overdue and much needed resource for the squash world, and I'm not overstating that. Jethro Binns returns to the pod to mark the 10 year anniversary and fleshes out some incredible new SquashSkills resources (including the new SquashSkills Training App) for players of all levels, coaches and squash management. We go well beyond that though, as Jethro loves to talk squash. We touch on the several aspects of the game today, the Commonwealth Games, growing the game, junior squash and much more.

Fresh off her 3rd Canadian National championship in Vancouver, Hollie received the news that she'd been selected, not surprisingly so, to represent Canada at the upcoming Birmingham Commonwealth Games. It may have been a foregone conclusion, but after not having been chosen in 2018, it must have felt great to receive that phone call. Hollie and I talk about winning her third national title, the excitement of playing the Commonwealth Games and going for a medal, training under Malcolm Willstrop and the Pontefract stable, and her assessment of the 2021/22 season.

At her highest ever world ranking of 43, Nicole Bunyan's 2021/22 campaign is about to come to a glorious ending: representing Canada at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Nicole takes us through a bit of her backstory, and the 2021/22 season which saw her in the main draw of several major tournaments. She also lays out her Squashletic squash fitness app (https://www.nicolebunyan.com/squashletic) which has it all if you're looking for expert squash fitness guidance. Great chat!! Photo credit: Corina Lynn

This episode drops on Canada Day, and Nick Sachvie joins us to celebrate accordingly. The 2X Canadian National Champion received the news a few weeks ago that he'd been chosen to represent Canada at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Only the Canadian women were chosen to take part in 2018 in Australia, so the wait was a long one, but definitely worth it. Nick talks about the Games coming up, his preparations, the 2022 Canadian Nationals in Vancouver, training at White Oaks Niagara-on-the-Lake, the ups and downs of his PSA career and his father the late great Mark Sachvie. Great catching up with the two time national champion.

Qamar Zaman is one of the all time greats; that's a given. Winner of the 1975 British Open and reaching world #1 in that same year, Zaman was truly the pioneer of shot making squash. He turned the game on its head and his contemporaries had to rethink squash strategy as a result. Not only that, Zaman combined this pioneering shot making with a sense of humor which made him the box office player of his day. Qamar talks about the great battles with the likes of Geoff Hunt, Gogi Allaudin, Jonah Barrington and many of the other legends of his time. We also look at the his unique brand of squash, how it came to be and how he had to develop the other more conventional parts of the game that may have been lacking. Qamar also provides some not to be missed words of wisdom for anyone out there looking to improve their games. It was an absolute honor to speak with the great Qamar Zaman.

Delighted to have Joel Makin on the pod for episode 216. 2022 marks his best season to date; winner of the Manchester Open, reaching his highest ever world ranking of 7, and very promising results across the board. Joel discusses his season up until now. There's plenty of squash left in 2022 as well, including two blockbuster events in the British Nationals and the Commonwealth. Joel and I take deep dives laying out how important these events are to him, and just how stacked the British Nationals are this year. Joel also speaks candidly about his game and the games of his biggest rivals on the tour. We even get into how he feels about officiating changes and coaching during and between games.

From one of the best players of his generation to one of the most sought after coaches of the current, Wael El Hindi makes a triumphant debut on the In Squash Podcast. We take a deep dive into the current situation on the pro tour in terms of improvements in adjudicating lets and strokes, the thankless job of officiating, and some of the recent drama in the World Championships and El Guona. Wael also speaks candidly on several other topics including the recent performances of Amanda Sobhy and Diego Elias, his impressive pro career, the growth of padel and how squash needs to change, the legend that is Jonah Barrington, and so much more. Huge props to Wael for the must listen pod that this one truly is.

David Baillargeon defends his title in Vancouver this week at the 2022 Oxford Properties Canadian Nationals. David is fresh off his first appearance at the World Open where he faced the best shot maker in the world, Mezan Hesham in the first round, and gave him a real run for his money. David and I talk about the significance of the Canadian Nationals, his World Open appearance, the Commonwealth Games and the benefits of training in both Montreal and Bristol. Of course, I would be remiss if I also didn't ask him for a Shawn Delierre anecdote, and he did not disappoint.

Vancouver Lawn and Tennis is hosting the 2022 Oxford Properties Canadian National Squash Championships, June 1st-5th. Van Lawn and Tennis' Head Squash Professional and good friend Viktor Berg gives us the low down on the event, which is the biggest Canadian Nationals in terms of numbers since the turn of the millennium. I also take the opportunity to look back on Viktor's impressive, eclectic professional squash career which saw him reach 44 in the PSA Rankings and # 1 in the world on the SDA hardball doubles tour. Viktor and I also take some time to catch up and relive some of the good old days.

As humble as they come, and a talent ready to make a move into the top 10, Patrick Rooney's stock has without question risen of late. With a number of big wins and well fought battles against the best of the best, Patrick is on his way to contending in all the major events. Patrick gives an honest appraisal of his game. We also discuss the current squash calendar which is running thick and heavy, Malcolm Willstrop's tremendous influence on him as a person and a player, the significance of the British Nationals, and much more.

Thierry Lincou achieved every pro squash player's dream: reaching world #1 and hoisting the PSA World Championship trophy. A tremendous career that saw him play in the Power/Nicol era through to the Ashour/Elshorbagy era, Thierry is now the head coach for the MIT Engineers CSA men's team, and they're fresh off their best ever season. Thierry and I talk about the Engineer's recent season and his past 9 years as head coach. Obviously, being the gentlemen that he is, Thierry indulged the host's laundry list of questions about his golden years, and as expected, his responses were pure gold. Everything from playing Jonathan Power, making necessary adjustments to get to the next level, getting to world #1 and of course his final event as a pro, The Bluenose Classic, an event which he went on to win. Incredible chat with one of our game's greats.

Squash Stories, without question, is the largest, most knowledgeable and most eclectic collection of squash enthusiasts on social media. Jamie Maddox is the mastermind behind it all and it's always insightful and highly entertaining whenever we get the chance to catch up. Jamie and I take a deep dive on the PSA season up until now and on the growth of Squash Stories over the past few years.

The Oxford Properties Canadian Open kicks off on April 11th, and CEO of Calgary's Bow Valley Athletic Club, host club for the event, drops by to to chat about the event. The men's and women's events boast world class talent inclusive of several current and past Canadian national champions. Local interest is there as well in the women's event with reigning Canadian women's national champion Danielle Letourneau and two time men's national champion Andrew Schnell, both Calgary natives.

John White led the Drexel Dragons men's and women's squash teams to landmark seasons in 2022, with the women reaching the Howe Cup final and the men finishing 7th overall. John looks back at how all of this unfolded, and how he's evolved as a coach since 2007 when he began on the US College squash scene. We also take a trip down memory lane by looking back at his illustrious playing career which saw him reach world #1 in 2004. John also gives his take on today's pro game and how the game has changed in terms of officiating.

Always a great chat, Jon Sharpe, aka the String Doctor, makes a return visit to the pod and I highly recommend taking notes. Jon takes us through what we all need to know when it comes to stringing our rackets, and perhaps most interestingly, how we should prepare ourselves when we visit our local stringer. We also discuss some of the pro player tendencies including whether there's any truth to the story that The French General strings his rackets at 16lbs. We end the pod with a quick look at the latest PSA tour events.

2022 Windy City Open emcee and Squash Radio pod partner in crime Bill Buckingham (aka William Cunningham) makes his In Squash pod debut and does not disappoint. Bill breaks down his Windy City experience and we take a look at how the event played out as a whole. Bill also gives us his squash backstory along with how he stumbled into the emcee game. Great chat with Bill Buckingham.

With Harvard winning both the men's and women's CSA (College Squash Association) titles yet again within the last few few weeks, the release of Rob Dinerman's latest book, A History of Harvard Squash: The Mike Way Coaching Era, couldn't be more timely. Rob, as always, provides tremendous insight through meticulous detail and research which reveals the intriguing backstory behind Harvard's most recent squash success stories, and the General behind it all Mike Way. For anyone interested in purchasing the book, please do so here: [email protected]

There's a new kid in town on the Squash Youtube/podcast and analysis front, from the technical side to PSA player analysis to the squash mindset. Ahad's AR Performance Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/ARProformance) is well worth perusing. Ahad hit my radar with his first of two Mostafa Asal movement analysis videos, which he freely admits was a bit harsh in hindsight. The second is absolutely spot on and highly recommended viewing. Ahad and I talk about his unique squash backstory, our PSA 2022/23 forecast, Mostafa Asal's movement and the PSA ban, and much more.

There's not a more timely episode than this one. Eduardo Alvarez is a Toronto squash club owner and health club consultant who is leading the desperate call to action in an effort to grow the game of squash. Eduardo and I flesh out solutions to many of the serious concerns that he has about the state of the game today. Check out his vision for squash article on Squash Mad here: https://squashmad.com/growing-the-game/club-owner-eduardo-alvarez-has-a-vision-for-a-squash-revolution-make-the-game-public-visible-and-affordable/

Happy New Year !! 2021 brought with it some of the most exciting squash we've seen in some time, and given the circumstances there certainly was a thirst for it from both a players and an enthusiasts perspective. Episode 202 is sort of a look back at the year through acknowledging the accolades, the exceptional play and the love for the game that the pro game has given to us this year. In this year in review we are recognizing the following: Female Prospect of the Year Male Prospect of the Year Squash Person of the Year Female Player of the Year Male Player of the Year

The long-awaited resumption of US collegiate squash takes place November 20th at Rochester for Mike Way and the Harvard Crimson. Mike talks about just how excited he and men's and women's teams are to be back playing collegiate competition again. We look ahead to this season and what his vision for "success" is based upon. We also talk about the pro success of Sabrina Sobhy and Gina Kennedy, his recent appearance at the World's in support of Ali Farag, and his thoughts on the evolution of officiating as compared to the iconic days working with Jonathan Power. Great chat with Mike Way!!

With impressive victories over Karim Abdul Gawad, Mohamed Aboulghar and a nail biting 5 set loss to Joel Makin in the semi at the Manchester Open, Yousef Ibrahim is most definitely in the ascendancy and without question the player to watch over the next year as he currently sits at 18 in the world. Yousef is preparing to resume studies and squash at Princeton next week, and he's very much looking forward to that. We talk about his recent great run of form, his decision to take the US collegiate route, and much more. Great chat!!

Winner of the 2021 PSA Tour Final last month and most definitely in the ascendancy in the world's top 10, Mostafa Asal has shown that he's primed for a run at the world number 1 spot. Unfortunately, travel visa issues led to his withdraw from the World Championships in Chicago. Yet, Mostafa sees this as an opportunity to prepare going forward and isn't going to dwell on it. Mostafa and I battled through a few minor wifi issues, but in the end this was a tremendous conversation. We discuss the travel visa debacle and all those the really supported him during that misadventure, his incredible performance in the Tour Final, his hero Mohammed El Shorbagy, Tarek Momen's tweet, and how he hopes his spirit on and off the court will bring a more youthful image to the game of squash.

With a recent PSA title under his belt and a victory over James Willstrop in the process, Victor is definitely in the ascendancy with the World Championships kicking off today in Chicago. Victor discusses his recent PSA Squash On Fire victory, the World Championships in Chicago, the unique talents of Ryosei Kobayashi, his thoughts on the current officiating debate and much more.

Having made serious inroads since taking on the pro game full-time, former Harvard standout Gina Kennedy is no doubt a force to be reckoned with at the highest levels on the PSA Tour. With her victory at the Pro Squash Challenge and an impressive runner-up finish at the Squash On Fire event in Washington last week, to the outsider it might seem unfair not to see her name in the World Championship draw. Gina's taking this all in her stride though, and we have a great chat about how pleased she is with where her game is today.

Former World #1 Laura Massaro's autobiography All In was released a short while ago, and it's received tremendous reviews across the board. We take a dive into several topics in the book particularly those that had an influence on her goal to reach #1 in the world. We also talk about working with Joelle King, the recent World Tour Finals and the current player v. referee situation. Great Chat with the former World #1! You can pick up the book here: https://lauramassaro.co.uk/product/book/

Sabrina Sobhy is only two years removed from Harvard graduating class of 2019, and she already finds herself at number 21 in the world and most definitely in the ascendancy. Sabrina talks about the Sobhy squash tradition, 4 glorious years at Harvard under the guidance of Mike Way, the decision to turn pro and how things have played out for her on tour.

David Campion, stepson to Malcolm Willstrop and Head Coach of the England National Team, caps off our tribute to Malcolm Willstrop in style.

Nick Taylor marks the podcast's 2nd of 3 tributes to Malcolm Willstrop. Nick first worked with Malcolm at the age of 17, and from that point onward Malcolm was influential in shaping Nick's squash, not only his playing career, but perhaps even more now as a coach. Nick takes us back to those early days and provides some fond memories of his experiences with Malcolm. To top it off, NIck explains how as a coach many of Malcolm's pillars shape the way he approaches working with his juniors.

The passing of Malcolm Willstrop hit the squash world very hard last week. For those who were close to him though, it's obviously been extremely difficult. Simon Parke began receiving coaching from Malcolm at the age of 10, and the impact he would have on Simon was far reaching. Simon pays a wonderful tribute to Malcolm on episode 192, and we also take a look back at his impressive squash career.

On July 10th, 17 year olds Max Good and Caleb Boateng will bike from Philadelphia to Brooklyn to raise money for the Squash and Education Alliance. Max and Caleb's story behind this is pure and simple; a love for the game of squash, and giving back to the game at such a young age seems like a no brainer for them. It was a pleasure talking with the boys about their squash and the Squash Century Bikeathon. To help them reach their goal of $25,000 visit their link and donate: https://donate.squashandeducation.org/campaign/bike-a-thon-for-sea/c325445

Marwan El Shorbagy has graced us with squash of the very highest order of late. Winner of the 2021 Blackball in Cairo and back in the world's top 5, Marwan has produced his best squash in years . We talk about how this came to fruition, his recent win at Blackball, coming to grips with officiating, the rise of padel as compared to squash, and much more.

At the age of 23, Peter Marshall was on the cusp of succeeding Jansher Khan as world number 1; a tightly fought 1994 World Open final proved it. What happened after that is nothing less than tragic. Marshall, in his prime, had to step away from the game for an extended period in order to deal with chronic fatique syndrome. What he accomplished leading up to that and upon his return speaks to his greatness as player and as a competitor. Peter looks back at all of this on ep. 189.

The World Squash Officiating (WSO)website is set to soft launch in a few days time, and it's been a passion project of Roy Gingell's for the past 5 years if not more. As Director of the WSO, Roy has good reason to proud of the end product; it's exactly what the squash world needs in terms of spreading awareness and consistency in officiating and the game. Roy's been at it for 40 years, much of that at the very highest level. He shares his insight and some incredible anecdotes on his development over the years, his first high stakes matches, changes over the generations, the matches he'd love to have back, the characters he's had to grapple with, and much much more.

After a highly successful 4 years of US varsity squash at Trinity College, and a budding pro squash career, Kanzy Defrawy retired from professional squash to pursue other endeavors which led her to the wonder city of Dubai in 2018. Kanzy talks about her vision of injecting new life into the game in Dubai and the untapped potential for squash in the super city. We also look back at her varsity and pro career, why she decided to retire, and we get her take on the current "go pro or go US varsity" debate.

Racquet Proz is an exciting new squash and racquet sports app that is unlike any squash app out there at the moment. The content is exciting and covers everything from the latest in the pro game, squash legends, Jonathan Power's insights and much much more. Eric Watson is the man behind the app, and this podcast is a reflection of the outside the box content and platform that Racquet Proz is.

One ep. didn't do it justice. Rodney Martin returns to talk his British U23 success, 3 British Open finals, Geoff Hunt, and he takes several deep dives on coaching and technique which are absolute gold.

The Squash Summit kicks off on March 5th, and Zushan Hashmi breaks it all down. The two-day event features keynote speakers Alex Gough, PSA CEO and newly elected WSF President Zena Woolbridge, along with a host of incredible guest speakers. The theme of the event is obviously growing the game, and Zushan lets us know what to expect and how the summit came about. We also talk at length about his incredibly dynamic sports media platform Sportageous.

For nearly 4 decades, the Bow Valley Athletic Club was one of the centerpieces of the iconic Calgary squash scene. Late last summer, the club's ownership group announced that it would close its doors permanently. Behind the scenes a team of investors led by Dean Brown and Darren Thomson were laying the groundwork to save the club. In less than than three months from now, the club will reopen. Dean and Darren discuss the reopening, the years leading up to last summer's announcement, their vision for the club and the growth of squash therein, as well as bringing squash back to what it used to be in the hotbed of squash which is Calgary.

Rodney Martin played in arguably the deepest, most talented generation that professional squash has ever seen. Winner of the 1991 World Open Champion, 3 time World Team Champion and former world #2, Rodney proved that he was among the best of that generation, and a player that many who followed would model themselves after. Rodney takes a look back at his amazing 1991 World Open win, the ultra-talented Australian teams that won the 3 world team championships, and his impressive coaching career. Rodney's approach to coaching and his thoughts on the game are pure gold, and he lays it all out here on ep. 182.

Resident US Squash historian Rob Dinerman has a new book, A History of Squash at Brunswick School. It's a detailed, fascinating and well-documented look back at the school's fledgling early days, struggling with the infancy of its program and what it took to reach today's heights where it finds itself as the preeminent US National High School squash powerhouse. Rob tells it with a flavor and detail like none other. He also pays homage to recently retired Yale Squash head coach Dave Talbot.

Without question among the best of his generation, Simon Rosner surprised many when he retired from professional squash on Dec. 21st. An incredible career that included 9 career titles, 11 German national titles on the trot, the 2018 Tournament of Champions title and 2 trips to the World Open semi-finals. Simon dives deep on his reason for retiring, his plans to continue playing, the groundwork he's laid for the future, Paderborn, and his biggest rival over the years.

Whistler Squash and ActivScout's Rob Eberhard has a passion; that passion is growing the game of squash and he's been hard it for over 20 years. Rob's passion for this combined with ability to think outside the box has brought us the ActivScout app which we flesh out a bit in this chat. Even more we take a deep dive into several achievable game growth ideas. This is another incredible chat with plenty of food for thought in terms of growing the game.

Amidst Covid Squash as we know it has practically come to a standstill, both at the club and pro level. Danny Lee, Head Squash Pro at St. George's Hill, Surrey, and the man behind the prestigious Channel Vas PSA event each and every year, has launched the Pro Squash Challenge. Danny fleshes out this initiative for us, and how it has given pros in the area something to play for, and thoughts on growing the Challenge globally. We also discuss other such initiatives that could potentially work to keep professional squash's head above water, and we look back at his pro career during the Jansher and Jahangir era.

2020 Black Ball Open Women's Champion waved good-bye to 2020 in epic fashion with perhaps the women's tour performance of the year. Sarah-Jane talks about the win, the months leading up to it and much more including the story behind the sleeves.

Ladies professional squash in the US is brimming with talent, and Haley Mendez is among this talented lot. Hayley grew up playing her squash in Brooklyn, New York at the iconic Heights Casino, and we look back at those days, and the first time she met her idol Nicol David. Currently, at 41 in the world, the future is nothing less than exciting given the depth of competition in the ladies game. Haley talks about this and what she needs to do to keep moving on that upward trajectory. Most importantly though, we revisit her unforgettable 2020 Thanksgiving Day. Great chat with Haley across the board!

What a refreshingly candid conversation this is. George Parker has rediscovered the form that saw him reach 31 in the world in 2019, and this includes some big wins and promising results in recent events. George talks about the progress he's made with his game of late. We also talk about the Black Ball event, his illustrious junior squash career, Mostafa Asal, and his past issues with officials and bans from the game.

Another kid in a candy store moment for the podcast, former world #7, world jr. champion, and Malaysian squash legend Ong Beng Hee spoke to the podcast a few weeks after the dust had settled at the Qatar Classic. An incredibly successful PSA event, Beng Hee talks about the huge amount of team work that went into hosting the event, and how proud he is of everyone involved. Of course, we went full on backstory though, looking back at his heyday, the good times and the challenges. What an amazing chat with Beng Hee.

Squash Mind the app rolled out a few weeks back, the brainchild of Jesse Englebrecht. Jesse has created an app that focuses solely on mental training for squash which at this degree of detail and insight is a first for the game. Jesse gives us a tour of the app, and we take several deep dives into the areas where we can up our mental game, both on and off the court. Friend of the pod, this is Jesse's 4th appearance, and it's definitely a show stopper.

Lisa Aitken's squash career was almost derailed by complications surrounding a two year struggle with dengue fever. She battled through very challenging circumstances, and has emerged to find herself playing some of the best squash of her career. Not only that, she's fresh off a successful debut in the SquashTV commentator's booth.

Ryosei Kobayashi makes a triumphant return to the podcast after winning the Swiss Open, his return event a few weeks back following the resumption of the PSA Tour. Ryosei's been training hard in Aix En Provence with Renan Lavigne and several of the top French players, and he talks about how this has helped his game of late. We also talk at length about his squash vision and what lies ahead on his unique squash roadmap.

In this the third recent episode dedicated to growing the game, Ben Thomas of the Whistler Racket Club lays out his vision, which could very well (fingers crossed) become a template, for growing the game. Whistler squash has had its sights set on adding squash to its tennis facility for some time now. Meanwhile, pickle ball has stepped in become all the rage there, but with that Ben and the WRC team have a view towards bringing squash into the fold. Ben's insight into this touches on many key aspects of what squash might want to consider in terms of growing the game.

Peter Genever was recently appointed Head Coach of Hong Kong's National Squash Team. This is a new challenge, a challenge that he's no doubt ready for after guiding Malaysia for 7 glorious years. Peter describes the new challenges the lie ahead in HK,and we look back at how he landed here, as a sought after and highly respected national team head coach after what he deemed an unfulfilled playing career. Peter leaves us with some very insightful thoughts on Egypt's dominance in the game and compares what they're doing to a traditional, perhaps outdated approach to coaching and playing the game.

Across the Pond is where we pick things up in part 2 with English great Chris Walker. Chris and I have a tremendous chat about the CIB Egyptian Open, the Mostafa Asal celebration moment in particular. Then we look back at his time as US National Team head coach as well as his foray onto the pro hardball doubles scene which saw him land at number one in the world for a time. Even more noteworthy perhaps were his years playing alongside the one and only Viktor Berg of whom he shares a few classic anecdotes. We definitely get our feet wet in this ep, "across the pond" with Chris Walker.

Jamie Abbott, the main behind the exciting new squash data analytics venture, lays out what he and his partners are bringing to the game of squash in today's 2nd of 2 World Squash Day special episodes. Jamie lays out what Cross Court Analytics is and how what they do could take your squash game to the next level.

Jaymie Haycocks had a very good career on the PSA tour and he's parlayed that into success as a coach, hardball doubles player and with his squash podcast Squash Tourist and Friends. Jaymie and I chat about all of this on this, the first of two, World Squash Day feature episodes #worldsquashday

This coming Saturday, October 10th, is World Squash Day, and the man who's put this all together is none other than Alan Thatcher. Alan wears his heart on his sleeve in this ep, laying out what squash has to do to avoid the black swan. In a nutshell, World Squash Day is a day for the squash community to come together, celebrate our great game and thereafter work towards addressing many of the issues that have stifled the growth of squash in recent years. Alan and I flesh out some of these issues and ponder several others all with a view towards celebrating our game this Saturday.

It used to be Shabana, but these days it's this man, world #3 Karim Abdel Gawad to whom I go to for my pre-match inspiration. Karim's in the prime of his career right now, both mentally and physically, and last season was a clear indication of that as he rose back to #3 in the rankings after briefly holding the #1 spot back in 2017. He talks candidly about a tough recovery period after the 2017season, what it means to be back on court again, his current majestic play, and the myth behind his so-called love of pizza.

Campbell Grayson surprised many in the squash community a few weeks ago when he announced his retirement from the pro tour. It was a decision made difficult given what he had achieved in the 2019/20 campaign: his highest world ranking of 24, winning 2 of his 14 career PSA titles and his biggest ever in the Houston Open, and a 5th place finish at the World Team Championship playing for New Zealand. Campbell speaks to what led to his decision, the difficulties making it, and of course a great look back at his career.

Chris Walker reached the world's top 5, the World Open semi, the British Open final, and has the honor of being Jahangir Khan's final professional scalp. In part 1 of this two part chat, Chris provides all of us plenty of food for thought through some incredible anecdotes, insight and inspiration from his playing days.

Women's squash has a new world #1, Nouran Gohar, and her journey was not as straightforward as you may think. Yes, she's a two-time world junior champ. Yes, Nouran had immediate success upon turning pro winning the Hong Kong Open shortly after her second world junior title, but getting to the top of the professional mountain meant overcoming a few twists, turns and obstacles along the way. Nouran talks about her journey to #1 in a very enjoyable and insightful chat.

Having spent more than 12 unforgettable years immersed in Korea's nascent squash scene and development, I owe University of Toronto Varsity Squash coach Sean Oh a tremendous debt of gratitude for having indulged me on this episode. Korean squash's development since 1988 has been nothing less than impressive, albeit there have been growing pains along the way as one might expect. Sean helps me relive several great memories during my time there, but more importantly he breaks down the impressive growth of the game in this country, what makes Korean squash unique and what their future holds.

University of Pennsylvania and Squash Canada standout James Flynn performed at perhaps his highest level to date in 2019/20 with a win over Victor Crouin in the US collegiate individual event and stretching Sam Todd to 5 games in the Dutch Junior Open quarter final. James is proud of the way last season turned out, but he's under no illusions that he and his Penn teammates will be back on court soon. This fun chat looks at all of the above, his take on the current College Squash Association situation, and also James' vision on life after college squash.

A level-headed, straight-shooter with plenty of squash in his veins, Richard Millman provides a much needed dose of reality in this episode which delivers plenty of food for thought. Richard and I discuss the difficult road ahead for squash, particularly in terms of the pro game, normalcy at the club level, and the US varsity squash scene which has taken a bit of a hit recently. Richard is also an investor in iMask, and we discuss its merits as the best safety option for preventing the spread of covid whilst on the court. And, on October 10th it's World Squash Day, and Richard gives us a nice thumbnail of how we can get involved.

At her highest ever world ranking of 16, Nele is coming off of a fantastic 2019/20 season which saw her reach the quarters of the British Open and the final of the Detroit Classic among other promising results. Nele is in a great frame of mind right now and this comes out in a really fun chat about her squash past and present.

The String Doctor Jon Sharpe leaves no stone unturned in this must- listen episode for all squash players on all things stringing. Jon earned the moniker for a reason: he knows his stuff and he's put in his time. If you're like me and you think you need more stringing knowledge, or even if you geek out on strings, you'll definitely find what you're looking for here. John takes us through the fundamentals, his latest review on the best playing strings out there, popular misconceptions on stringing and much more.

PSA CEO Alex Gough and his team have had their hands full trying to piece together everything that Covid-19 has thrown their way. Well, there may be light at the end of the tunnel, but that doesn't mean things will be back to normal anytime soon. In a very informative and candid conversation, Alex lays out all of the key variables required to get pro squash back up and running, including a potential date and location for long-awaited return. Although nothing is etched in stone, this is good news. Alex also provides a look into the various scenarios in terms of how and where we could be seeing more pro squash in the future, and what will need to take place in order for that to happen. I also took the opportunity to ask Alex for a few anecdotes from his glory days as a player which saw him reach top 5 in the world in 1998.

World Open finalist and semi-finalist in two of the past three World Opens just goes to show that Marwan El Shorbagy is on the cusp of taking his game to the highest level of all. He's reached #3 in the world, and now he's back to near his best form after going through a very difficult period in his career. Marwan looks back at his 2011/12 years where he parlayed a World Junior Championship into immediate professional success. What's it like to play your brother on the biggest stage in squash's most prestigious events? Marwan lays it out and he takes us into the unfounded doping allegations that derailed his squash in 2018 for several months. We also chop it up on how 2019/20 saw him bounce back in a major way, and he also pays tribute to Raneem El Weleily.

The Show Court (theshowcourt.com), provides fresh squash every other Friday, and the stories it's produced till now provide us with the type of squash writing that the squash world hasn't seen. The brainchild behind this, Alix Williams. Alix has only been playing squash for a few years, but she's all in now and her love and commitment to the game shine threw via the superb stories she's pieced together on The Show Court. Alix gives us a look into what she loves about the game, her squash journey and how this passion has manifested itself in fresh new squash on Fridays.

James Willstrop has provided the squash world with some of the most sublime performances, breathtaking exchanges and mind-blowing displays of shot making since he turned pro almost 20 years ago. His accomplishments speak for themselves: former world number 1, 3X and reigning British National Champion, winner of dozens of major PSA events. James is a role model for all of us in terms of the way he plays the game and his on court temperament and demeanor. James and I talk at length about his career, his influences, his fantastic book "Shot and a Ghost", and the vegan lifestyle.

2019/2020 PSA Female Challenger Series Player of the Year and winner of 3 or her last 4 challenger series events, last season generated some very positive momentum for Danielle. We talk about her Challenger series success and the value of the PSA challenger series events. We also discuss what she needs to do to make deeper runs in the PSA's major events. During this down time, Danielle's been enjoying the great outdoors that life in the Alberta Rockies provides, and she gives great insight on how to negotiate with various species of indigenous bears.

Raneem El Weleily shocked the squash world on June 25th by announcing her retirement from the game while sitting atop the PSA world rankings. Jenny Duncalf speaks about Raneem's incredible career looking back to her world jr. champion days, her early years on tour, Jenny's personal head to head with Raneem, the rivalry with Nicol David, and what makes Raneem such a majestic player and person who always gave back off the court.

SquashSkills "A Bronx Tale" gave the squash world a fantastic look into what can happen when you truly give back to the game. Bryan Patterson has been doing that for many years and then some. In case you didn't know, dare I say, there's a backstory to all of this though -- his playing career, which is equally as heartwarming and impressive. The anecdotes abound in this incredible chat with Bryan which covers his competitive years, his relationship with Jonah Barrington, the unprecedented Patrick squash shoe deal, and how he made his way across the pond. And of course, there's a fair bit of Bronx Tale in this as well.

The most dominant player of his generation, current world #1 Mohamed El Shorbagy has done it all, and he's got his sites firmly set on solidifying his hold on the #1 ranking when pro squash resumes. Mohamed describes his early struggles with motivation to train during the Covid-lockdown, losing the #1 spot and then regaining it at the end of the 2020 campaign, his battles with Rami Ashour, playing his brother Marwan in the 2017 World Open final and so much more.

"The man behind the scenes" is his moniker. Director of Events for the PSA Tim Garner had a very good pro career and then went the entrepreneurship route which saw him co-found Eventis (behind the Canary Wharf Classic and the English Open) , the British Squash Professional Association and several other ventures. Now, I dare say he's now working behind the scenes on what could be his most challenging task to date -- getting the pro tour back on its feet again.

Host of the Around the Court Podcast, the Peter Nicol Squash Academy Director of Squash, Reigning and 8 x Irish National Champion Arthur Gaskin is producing squash at the highest level across the spectrum. Arthur and I look back at his early days, his first Irish National Championship, Irish legends of the game, the podcast game, coaching during this pandemic and much more.

Always enjoy having friend of the podcast Rob Dinerman on to talk squash. Prolific squash historian, particularly with respect to stateside varsity, pro doubles and hardball squash history, Rob discusses the latest on Brown University's varsity squash situation in the aftermath of being 1 of 11 programs cut by the university. Rob's knowledge of the varsity and hardball games are unparalleled, and it was a pleasure to hear him break down both in terms of last season and what he expects going forward. Rob also proves very insightful on how things have played out for US squash thus far during unfortunate Covid -19 circumstances.

Reigning World Open Champion Tarek Momen wasn't going to let anything stop him from hoisting the 2019 World Open Championship; not poor form, plantar fasciitis, or a 1-2 2-6 in the fourth deficit in the third round. He summoned what it took and then some, recovering from that deficit to go on to win his first World title while only dropping 1 game from the quarters on. Tarek opens up about the challenges he faced in the years, months and days leading up to that event. He also gives some candid thoughts on the covid-19 situation and his beef with recent officiating changes. Oh, and did I mention he and his wife Raneem El Welily are now in the Guinness Book of World Records?

He's a two time British National finalists, European individual winner, and the world 45plus masters twice over, and did I mention a coaching sensation? Nick Taylor provides food for thought for days on topics ranging from squash under our challenging pandemic circumstances, coaching juniors, the state of the game in North America and much more. The Nick Taylor Squash Academy opened its doors recently, and Nick gives some honest perspective on gently resuming our squash lives on court. I took the opportunity to dive into Nick's professional memories a bit, and what he came up with were two tremendous anecdotes that are further proof why Nick is at the top of the coaching game. Apologies for the occasional lag in the audio :) .

Chris has carved out a very well-rounded coaching resume to date, and last week after being name Head Squash Coach for the University of Western Ontario Mustangs, he may have landed the coaching position he's always wanted. Former member of the Mustangs several years back, Chris has since developed into one of the game's most innovative and exciting young squash instructors. He's honed his skills in such places as Moncton, New Brunswick, Saint Michaels University School in Victoria, BC and interestingly on the island of Turks and Caicos. He also founded Serious Squash which is an incredible collection of coaching videos and other insights that Chris has into the game. It was great chatting with Chris about all of the above.

In February, 1998 Peter Nicol reached world #1 supplanting legend Jansher Khan, and thereafter along with Jonathan Power, gave us one of the most memorable eras in the game's history. He went on to hold the number 1 ranking several times throughout his illustrious career,at one point for 24 successive months b/t January 2002 and December 2003, placing him firmly among the greatest to ever play the game. Peter talks about his career, the JP rivalry, snatching the #1 ranking from Jansher, SquashSkills and the New York based Peter Nicol Squash Academy. Speaking to that he gives great insight on the Covid 19 situation in terms of when and how to get back on court.

From Butt to Binnie, Rene Denis has been coach to world class squash players since the early 80s. Protege of Canada's founding father of squash coaching Tony Swift, Rene has been coaching Canadian National Teams and Jamaican National Teams for the past 30 plus years. Needless to say, Rene has been there, done that, and has so many stories to tell about his experiences, squash and life, through all of this.

139 episodes in and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone as passionate about his craft than Jesse Englebrecht. With each episode, this being his third, he's always equipped with new and innovative coaching techniques and unique outside-the- box observations about the game And, what's more, he's seemingly on a constant search for ways to enhance player development. This episode speaks to all of the above. As I said, shot out of a cannon, Jesse is a must listen.

This Super Squash Saturdays Bonus Episode with Graham Ryding is epic. We took a deep dive into Graham's squash career, his junior days, playing alongside JP for so many years, the Winterpeg squash hotbed, and of course Super Squash Saturdays with a prediction for the rubber between Diego and JP.

An illustrious squash career came to an end last week when 4x Canadian National Champion Sam Cornett announced her retirement. With 14 PSA titles, 8 Pan-Am Games medals and reaching world #23, there are few if any all-Canadian girls with that type of squash pedigree. Sam and I talk about her squash career across the board, and we want to wish all the success again in her life after pro squash.

From married life to a heartfelt testimonial for the recently retired Sam Cornett, Shawn delivers like only he can. 2x Canadian National Champion and runner up last year, Shawn would very much like to collect a 3rd national championship before he calls it a day, and I wouldn't bet against it. He has his sights set on that and hitting the ground running whenever play resumes. He's in a very good place right now, and his outlook on life is infectious, so don't miss this one.

The Diego Elias V. Jonathan Power Super Squash Saturdays series successfully kicked off last Saturday, and JP is set to defend his hardball crown later today. Dean Brown is no stranger to the squash court and has some impressive pedigree as a hardball player and squash broadcast color commentator as well. Dean and I catch up after 24 years and talk Super Squash Saturdays, and in doing so look a bit at his squash backstory.

Reigning and 10X Scottish National Champion Alan Clyne is currently recovering from a rib cage stress fracture, but that didn't stop him from chopping it up on the In Squash Podcast. Alan's had an amazing career representing Scotland on the world stage, 150 caps and a recent 7th place finish at the World Team Championships. We look back at all of this and look at what lies ahead for him and Scottish squash.

Matt Easingwood, former NS provincial #1 and current Head Squash Professional at the White Oaks Resort at Niagara-on-the-Lake, is a veritable blast from my past. Matt has been with White Oaks for 20 years, and prior to that had himself a very good competitive stint reaching #1 in NS and playing for the very strong University of Toronto varsity team. Matt and I take a deep dive into our squash past, his influences which include his father David, Willey Hosey, Mike Way and Mark Savie, and how his coaching career ultimately led to his long tenure at White Oaks. A cathartic and enjoyable chat with my old nemeses, Matt Easingwood.

Alison Waters has an impressive resume: multiple British caps, 4x British National Champion, former world number 3 and still a threat to any woman playing the game today. An ankle injury forced her to withdraw from the Windy City Open in Feb, so this unfortunate suspension of play on the PSA tour has given her a bit time to rehab and recover. Alison takes a look back at her years at #3 in world during the Nicol David era, and what the future holds with the new up and coming young stars breaking through. She also tips her hat to her close friend Vicky Lust.

The 2019/2020 has seen the maturation of Greg Lobban in my estimation; he's competing at the game's highest level and that's been evident with each passing event. Greg and I talk about his fantastic season to date which includes wins over Mezan Hesham, Paul Coll and Kareem Abdul Gawad, his experience dealing with covid-19 circumstances and its impact on his squash, and what is indubitably the toilet paper challenge championship shot till now, see here: https://twitter.com/LobSquash/status/1247115836420210689

Squashskills co-founder Jethro Binns makes a triumphant return to the mighty In Squash Podcast. He's back from a bit of R&R in Mexico, and he gives us plenty to ponder as regards how to stay focused on the game. The cardio and physical side of things are a bit easier to manage, and Jethro has some interesting thoughts on how to keep the squash side of things on the forefront.

2019 US Varsity Squash individual champion and member of the 2020 Harvard Crimson Potter Cup championship team, Victor is a proud member of the Harvard Crimson and one of the PSA players to watch in next few years. Victor is home in France now resuming his Harvard lectures online and training in isolation with his father/head coach Emmanuel. Victor and I have a great chat about his squash career till now.

Max made a name for himself on the global squash scene as Miguel Rodriguez's mental coach in the years leading up to his 2018 British Open victory, but he'd been a big time squash player for many years prior to that. Max still spends a great deal of time around the squash courts, but it's his entrepreneurial endeavors that make him tick these days. We talk about the mental game and how important it is under the current Covid-19 circumstances, and he's got some great advice in terms of staying focused while away from the court. He also takes us into a few of his entrepreneurial ideas that could help us get through these times of distress and difficulty.

Court closures, gym closures, social distancing and self-isolation are the measures we must take to stem the spread of Covid-19. Gary Nisbet of Squashskills takes us through how we can navigate this with an aim towards eventually hitting the courts running . There's plenty here to chew on, plenty of food for thought from one of the game's best squash physical strength and cardio gurus.

Personal favorite of mine, Shahid Zaman hit my radar back in 2002 at the Busan Asian Games where I witnessed his epic 5 set battle against eventual gold medalist Ong Beng Hee. Shahid's passion for the game was contagious then, and it's equally if not more contagious now in his coaching career. From squash royalty (nephew of Qamar Zaman), Shahid had an impressive PSA career which saw him reach the top 15 in the world and collect a number of PSA titles. His squash story is unique and his passion for the game is unwavering.

2019 Canary Wharf Media Member Squash Champion and writer for Squash Player Magazine, Mike Dale takes us into the backstory of "Don't Turn a Blind Eye" (http://www.squashplayer.co.uk/es_newspage2.asp?Key=1886) where he lost vision in his right eye on the squash court after accidentally being struck with the ball. Mike soldiered on, continuing his passion for the game which ultimately led to winning last year's Media Member division at Canary Wharf. We talk about his title defense, the use of eye protection at all levels of the game and the Windy City Open post match interview controversies.

2020 Tournament of Champions winner, 11 X French National and European Team Championship winner are just a few of the 2019/20 accolades that Camille Serme has recently placed on her mantel. Currently ranked 3 in the world, her upward trajectory is heading towards the world's #1 spot, and that's exactly where her sites are set.

Squash Stories has grown into a community that squash has embraced; it's almost akin to joining your friends at the bar or for a bite after a match and talking squash and anything revolving around our great game. Behind this...Jamie Maddox. Jamie and I catch up while watching the Fallows-Waller British Nationals quarter final, and it's a great laugh, mostly at our own expense. Seriously though, we talk the evolution of Squash Stories, his love for the Shorbagy brothers, officiating, the pro game, the Ehsan phenomenon and masters squash.

Former world number 6 and multi-time French national, Mathieu Castagnet still has plenty left in the tank at the game's highest level. Mathieu has wins over several world #1s including the likes of Ali Farag, Mohamed El Shorbagy and Nick Matthew, and he's got his sites set moving back up the PSA rankings. Mathieu talks about his game, his break through events, the French General, the current state of French squash and the Selby/Castagnet squash Gif that has gone viral.

Pro squash officiating must be right up there with the most challenging officiating gigs in pro sport. John Massarella is without question the game's go to official, and he attributes his rise as the game's top official to a passion for it that he acquired early on. John provides a masterclass breakdown on a number of topics in this great chat including the movement towards a more free-flowing, let-free game which has resulted in recent "changes" in decisions on lets and strokes. He also gets into what it takes to referee under pressure at the highest levels and much more.

United States Olympic Committee National Coach of the Year Alex Stait humbly picked up this impressive piece of hardware at this year's US Open, but as understated as he may sound the honor is very well deserved. Coaching America's unheralded 2018 boys to a bronze medal finish at the World junior teams was nothing less than impressive, and he's had great success with Agnes Irwin high school girls who are currently ranked 2 in the nation. Alex's budding pro career ended far too soon at the age of 25, but he quickly parlayed that into what's obviously turned out to be a hugely successful coaching career. Great chatting with Alex about all of this along with his foray into the popular US pro doubles squash scene.

US squash collegiate and pro game standout Gilly Lane had a prolific playing career, and he's managed to parlay that into a very successful coaching career on the US varsity squash scene with the Penn Quakers. Gilly's squash story is one of passion, hard-work, perseverance and ultimately success; we can all learn a lot from Gilly's story in terms of how to go about reaching our potential as players and thereafter passing on that knowledge to the next generation.

The PSA and Squash TV can only be delighted having Aisling Blake as a mainstay on their squash commentary these days. Former Irish National Champion, European Team Championship runner-up for Ireland and World #21, Aisling adds incredible color and expertise to the already talented Squash TV cast of characters. Aisling's story is brimmed with experiences that we can all learn from as squash players, including a heartfelt look back at her Irish National Championship in 2013 and what it was like to be a part of the Nicol David and Liz Irving team in Amsterdam.

Academic research on the performance of squash's elite players is about as common as finding squash reporting in the mainstream media; limited at best. Neil Gibson's research entitled "Physical Preparation for Elite Level Squash Players", is a sight for sore eyes and breathes new life into how we go about our training, particularly with respect to the high intensity, 80-90% of max heart rate that comes with playing squash at an elite level. Neil does a great job of laying this out for us and giving the competitive player something to chew on in terms tweaking our training in 2020.

The French General is back! Close to 16 months away from the competitive game, and Gregory is chomping at the bit to get back into the swing of things. He knows he's not going to hit the ground sprinting, but he's fired up to get back to the top of the game, which is where he left us in Oct. 2018. Gregory is Washington D.C. for the World Team Championships along with the rest of a very talented and hungry French squad, and then it's off to the TOC in NYC for his long awaited PSA return. Enjoy this bit of catch up with the French General.

Sleep, eat and breathe squash; that's Ehsan's advice to us all. Ep 115 is unlike any other, and say what you want about this guy, there's no questioning his dedication and love for the game of squash. Ehsan has had a squash journey like none other, from his backyard training to his "meteoric" rise up the Pakistani national rankings to his Barringtonesque "Murder on the Squash Court" approach that he hopes will take him to the promised land, Ehsan is a breath of fresh air if you ask me.

Cornell #1 and current world #42 Sivasangari Subramanium is balancing academics and professional squash these days, and she's definitely got her head around it. With wins over several players ranked in the world's top 20, Sivasangari has found that balance b/t her studies, varsity squash and her pro game. It wasn't always the case though as Sivasangari lays out on this episode. It took a while to come to terms with stepping away from the PSA full-time. She's ready to roll now though, and we talk about all of this along with her rivalry with Hania El Hammamy and much more.

The Channel VAS Championship is just around the corner, and event organizer and St. George's Hill Head Squash Professional Danny Lee drops by to set the stage and provide a bit of a backstory. Former top 30 pro player, Danny has ruled the roost at St. George's Hill for the past 30 years, and obviously it's a venue and a squash setting that he holds very dear to his heart. On top of that, he gets to live out just about every boy's childhood dream of being the lead man for a rock band; the Danny Lee Band. Danny and I touch on all of the above on ep. 113.

Not many on the PSA tour have a cv as impressive as Amanda Sobhy's. Currently #8, Amanda has shown that she's more than capable of challenging for the #1 spot in the world, and one look at her record till now would tell you she's trending in that direction. From world jr. champion, 4 time US varsity individual champion and currently a top 10 ranking on the tour, Amanda's always a threat at the major events. And then, she's also got her vocal talents and Twitter game as equally impressive sidelines.

The squash world today knows PJ for his insight and color on SquashTV, but we must not forget that as a player he was top 5 in the world, and a man who had epic battles with greats from several generations. PJ gives his insight and forecast on the 2019/20 season to date, the current state of officiating, whether or not there's a dearth of characters in the game and much more.

England #1 and World #20 look great on paper, but for Declan James he's upped the ante. Declan's had an impressive few years recently, and now he's looking to take things a step further. It's been a busy few months to start the season, and currently he's spending time back home consolidating for the upcoming Men's World Championships and the Men's World Teams thereafter. Always a great chat with the Dark Knight.

Chairman of the PSA since 2008, President of the Saudi Arabia Squash Federation and sponsor to many top pros over the years dating back to Michelle Martin, Ziad Al Turki has dedicated his life to the game of squash. From growing the game in the Middle East to growing the professional game globally, the Sultan of Squash has spearheaded many of the great initiatives globally and nationally. Globally, he's been instrumental in paving the way for PSA Squash TV, gender pay equity on the PSA tour and prize money at its highest level. In Saudi Arabia, he was the man behind the first ever women's professional sports event (A PSA tour event), and he's laying the groundwork a grassroots squash movement in the country which is bearing fruit already.

The 2019/20 campaign has gotten off to a impressive start for Mike McCue; two consecutive finals appearances and a win under his belt. Mike's looking to build on that this season and take his game to the next level. Disappointed at not having made Team Canada's Pan Am Games Team, he's got a chance to earn a spot on Canada's World Team Championships team at the upcoming team trials. Mike and I talk about his career to date, the struggles he's had getting to that next level, and our mutual squash idol, a certain Jonathan Power.

World #21 and 2019 British National Championship runner up Emily Whitlock does not disappoint on Episode 107. Our conversation ran the gamut of her squash playing career to date, including inside how the player/coach relationship manifests itself with her father Philip Whitlock, a former world top 10 himself. We also take a look at her pro career to date, and the stand she took in 2017 by refusing to participate in the PSA's Saudi Arabia women's event. We do get into the lighter side of things as she explains her love for "Love Island" and what she thinks of Declan James' choice of breakfast fuel.

2 time world junior champion Mostafa Asal, aka the raging bull, brings his enormous talents to the podcast and does not disappoint. We cover the whole 9 yards here, but in particular Mostafa looks back at his break out season last year, and his decision to turn pro over going stateside for the US collegiate experience. He also gives an impassioned take on Rami Ashour, and he explains who every Uber driver in Cairo thinks is Egypt's #1 player.

Damien Mudge won every professional doubles title, set every record, and reigned supreme with several different partners on the pro doubles squash circuit; he announced his retirement a few weeks ago after dealing with a series of injury setbacks. Squash journalist and pro doubles aficionado Rob Dinerman provides a look back at Damien's illustrious career and what made him a truly unstoppable force on the doubles court. Rob also gives some interesting insight on the US college scene and Ramy Ashour whom he's spent some time with over the last few years.

2018/19 was a break out season for Millie Tomlinson, reaching a career high of 20, earning her first English cap and defeating legend Nicol David in Hong Kong of all places. Millie sort of flew under the radar until last season, but she's definitely among the best players in the world now. Nantes is her first event of the 2019/20 season, and she's looking to hit the ground running.

Fresh off a 3 medal haul performance at the Pan Am Games in Lima this summer, Hollie Naughton is set to get her 2019/20 season under way at the China Open next week. Hollie talks about the highs and lows of the Pan Am Games and her 2018/19 season. Obviously she's had an eventful summer with the Pan Am Games, but even more she enjoyed a bit of R&R in Colombia with Nicol David and Amanda Sobhy, and shortly afterwards had her wisdom teeth extracted :).

For the past few years Gary Nisbet and Jesse Engelbrecht have provided the squash community with a wealth of content via SquashSkills and their own respective academies. On this episode we flesh out several very practical things that I think apply to all of our games regardless of your level including the mental game and winning the critical points, injury prevention techniques, and the subtle differences b/t watching the ball and watching your opponent. These among several other technical and strength and condition related topics make this a must listen for all of us.

Canada performed admirably, reaching 6 of 7 possible podiums at last month's 2019 Pan Am Games in Peru, and calling the shots was none other than former world number 4 and 6 time Scottish national champion Martin Heath. Martin gives us his assessment of the Pan Ams, how things went for his Rochester Yellowjackets in 2018/19 and how he's grown over the years as head coach. We also reminisce about years on the circuit, particularly with respect to the impact Peter Nicol had on his playing career.

Jonathon Power was a player like none before or since. World champion, world number 1, British Open champ, 8x Canadian National champion, and Commonwealth Games gold medalist, JP was must watch squash whether it was round 1 v. a qualifier or the World Open final v. Peter Nicol. JP and I talk about the whole nine yards, including his unique development as a junior, the Peter Nicol rivalry, winning the World Open 2008 and the current "advances" in officiating.

A brief backstory of the In Squash Podcast and its host Gerry Gibson as a prelude to Episode 100

The greatest female player of all time graced the In Squash podcast online studio with her presence, and she well exceeded all expectations. Her resume is the stuff of legend: 109 consecutive months at #1 in the world, 8 World Open championships, countless medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games, very much in a nutshell. Nicol looks back at how she was able to overcome the physical adversity of playing girls/ladies much older and stronger than her during her junior years, how she was able to avoid any serious injury throughout her illustrious career, her mindset as the playing days were winding down, and her current passion, the sweet science :)

2018 Canadian national champion Danielle Letourneau is coming off her best professional season to date, reaching a career high of 36 in the PSA rankings. In fact, 2018/19 was noteworthy for the entire Canadian women's team, all of whom are inside the world's top 40. Danielle describes her 2018/19 season, the wave she rode after winning her first national title, and how the wins and losses at the highest levels of the game are preparing her for bigger and better things. Most importantly though, we take a look at the Canadian Women's Team and how they have their sights set on bringing the team gold back to the great white north.

The winningest coach in US varsity sport history is undoubtedly someone who knows a thing or two about the team aspect of the game of squash; Paul Assaiante is a US Squash hall of famer and a guru of the game, particularly the team aspect. He heads up the US Pan Am Games Team that is competing in Lima, Peru at the end of the month. Paul gives us a break down of the US men's and women's team and how things look in terms of reaching the podium. Paul also looks back at another successful season at Trinity, and we zoom in on some of the coaching intricacies of varsity squash including the unique challenge he had of having to manage the 9 different "languages" that comprised the Trinity line-up.

Don't look past Jamaica at the 2019 Pan Am Games; Christopher Binnie leads the Jamaican squad which also includes PSA tour vet Lewis Walters and Bruce Burrowes. They're certainly one of the dark horses to hit the podium at the end of the day. Chris has had an impressive squash career to date, including 4 stand out years at Trinity College and 4 PSA titles along with a career high 65 world ranking. Things were progressing very nicely until a serious health scare derailed things a bit near the end of 2018; a mini-stroke which undoubtedly impeded a run a great squash. He's back on track again though, and ready to represent Jamaica at the Pan Am Games in a few weeks time. Sadly, I didn't get around to asking him about doppelganger Rory McIlroy :)

The US ladies team are the reigning Pan Am Games women's team gold medalists, and Olivia Blatchford Clyne and her teammates Amanda and Sabrina Sobhy are favored to bring home the gold again. Olivia and I have a great chat about this year's team, the threat that the Canadian women pose, recent changes to her strength and conditioning under the guidance of Scottish guru Neil Gibson, and of course her husband Alan Clyne who has had a pretty decent season of his own, although he could use some help spicing up that chicken pasta recipe.

Accepted to law school, about to complete a masters degree, and a swan song appearance for Team Canada at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima Peru, Andrew Schnell joins me on episode 92 to chop it up. 2 time Canadian National Champion, 2015 Pan Am Games gold and silver medalist, reached the top 60 in the world in 2016, and winner of several PSA titles including the prestigious Bankers Hall event in his hometown of Calgary, Andrew has had a stellar squash career and we'll be sad to see him go. Not before this final appearance at the Pan Am Games though, and of course not before another classic Shawn Delierre anecdote.

Since 2002, Adil Maqbool has maintained the UAE's #1 ranking, and after some time away from the pro game he's back playing again. One of the game's most talented with the racket, he's had his hands full over the past few years juggling parenthood duties (father of three), a new business (IT related), and his pro squash aspirations. His squash backstory, teaming up with his father, is unconventional if not intriguing and unique. We talk about this and then get into a wide-ranging discussion on the Super Series finals in Dubai, junior development and how Pakistan can put itself back on the map, a topic in which Rod Gilmore and Alan Thatcher quoted his father Maqbool Khawaja in the book Jahangir Khan 555.

Andrew Douglas is no stranger to representing the US on the big stage. He was part of the US junior men's team that finished 3rd at the World Championships a few years back, and led the University of Pennsylvania to its highest ever finish in 2018/19. Andrew is pumped for the Pan Am Games in Lima, and relishes this opportunity to represent the US in what many feel is squash's Olympics along with the Commonwealth Games. Alongside tour veterans Todd Harrity and Chris Hanson, the US look forward to bringing home the gold in the team event. He was part of the US junior men's team that finished 3rd at the World championships a few years back, and led the University of Pennsylvania to its highest ever finish in 2018/19. Andrew is pumped for the Pan Am Games in Lima, and relishes this opportunity to represent the US in what many feel is squash's Olympics along with the Commonwealth Games. Alongside tour veterans Todd Harrity and Chris Hanson, the US look forward to bringing home the gold in the team event.

Framboise Gommendy has covered the professional game at its highest levels for several generations now. Squashsite (run by Fram and Steve Cubbins)is the go to online squash news source for the global squash community, and it's Fram's intimate, passionate, and blow by blow journalistic approach that gives squashsite that special appeal. Fram and I cover a lot of ground, from her early years as an aspiring actress to what she thought of the 2018/19 season; in fact she interviews me to kick things off which was a real treat. Her impassioned and emotional tributes to those that retired this year. players that in her words she watched grow up, are one of the several highlights of this delightful chat.

Following in the footsteps of French greats like Thierry Lincou and Gregory Gaultier, Gregoire Marche has stepped things up in 2018/19 with the best squash of his career. A win at last weeks Montpellier Open over James Willstrop along with the Pittsburgh Open (his biggest win to date) earlier in the year, Gregoire finds himself on the cusp of breaking into the world's top 10. We have a great chat about how he's arrived at this point in his career, and a few anecdotes about his golf and Twitter games.

University of Rochester stand out Ryosei Kobayashi is a talent that you don't want to miss. Winner of the prestigious US varsity squash Skillman Award, Ryosei decided to forego pro squash for a crack at the private sector; seemingly it was just a brief bit of respite as he's hit the ground running in his first year on tour. Winning a few satellite PSA events along with several wins over players ranked 100 spots above him, Ryosei has his sights firmly set on success as a pro squash player. You want to buy stock in this guy, a talent with the type of energy that one rarely sees.

Founder and GM of Infinitum Squash, Chessin Gertler has parlayed his successful junior and collegiate squash playing days into a squash business and development model that is most certainly making inroads. Chessin, who teamed up with Infinitum Director of Squash Nick Taylor in 2017, is one of squash's young outliers; His approach to developing the game across the board is showing promising results. We discuss this approach and how Infinitum Squash came to be following his playing days. Then there is our mutual affinity with Korea.

2018/2019 has been a campaign of new heights for Saurav Ghosal. Saurav became the first-ever Indian male to win the Asian Championships a few short weeks ago, and in April he reached the world's top 10 for the first time. Saurav explains that it took a certain wherewithal and perseverance to get there though, and his explanation of this journey is awesome. His relationship with Malcom Willstrop is obviously a huge reason behind this success, as are the recent tweaks under the guidance of David Palmer. Saurav and I talk about this and many other aspects related to his journey to the PSA top 10. Also, you don't want to miss his stirring tribute to Ramy Ashour.

Since 1976, Andrew Shelley has been laying the groundwork for developing the game of squash, and he took this skill set to the highest level in 2010 when he became WSF CEO. His list of accomplishments in terms of what he's done to grow our great game are too long to mention here. He leaves his WSF post in June, and it was great to speak with Andrew about his squash experience to date, what he accomplished in his SRA, WISPA and WSF roles, and he even shared a few great anecdotes in doing so.

Two time US National Champion, proud New Yorker, and current world #68 Chris Hanson graced the podcast with his presence on Episode 83. He lit up the TOC this year with a great first round win followed by a near upset of world #16 Omar Mosad. Currently with Rodney Martin in his corner, and Rodney Eyles and John Power Sr previously, there's good reason to believe that results like this are bound to come more consistently. First things first though, the US are looking to bring the Pan Am Games squash team gold back home this summer.

For squash players who grew up playing the game in the 80s, we grew up idolizing Jahangir Khan, and synonymous with Jahangir was his iconic coach Rahmat Khan. Rahmat helped guide Jahangir to a record 10 British Open titles, and the backstory behind their success is one we can all learn from. Rahmat describes the challenges Jahangir had early on following the death of his brother Torsem, and how this ultimately laid the groundwork for the unwavering discipline, focus and professionalism that characterized the Jahangir/Rahmat partnership throughout the years. Rahmat talks of the Jansher v. Jahangir rivalry,JK's highly successful foray into the North American hardball scene, how JK managed to remain injury free through all those years, the current state of squash in Pakistan, and his take on the current era of squash.

Squash renaissance man Richard Millman is fighting the good fight, and always has been. Richard emerged in the US several years back and has embarked on an incredible squash journey that currently has him as the teaching pro at a squash club in Chattanooga, Tennessee, not exactly a squash hotbed which is why Richard is there. Richard is an outlier, always pushing the envelope, and through all of the initiatives, insights, and an incredible backstory you will definitely see why.

Tribute to Andy Bunting by Neil Harvey

2019 Bermuda Open champion and friend of the podcast Nick Sachvie joined me for his "3rd" visit, and there was lots to talk about. Nick is fresh off a few good wins after some up and down results earlier in the season, and we look at how this all played out. Over the next few months Nick has plenty to play for, including a shot at his 2nd Canadian National title and the potential of a Pan Am Games border skirmish with the US this summer. We also take the opportunity to talk about our mutual love for MMA, and in doing so we discuss what the PSA does in terms of policing PEDs in our sport. Great chat with Nick!!

2 time British National Champion and current world number 10, Tesni Evans is one of the reasons why the women's game has become must-watch squash these days. Tesni describes her season to date, how it felt regaining the British National Championship and becoming the first Welsh player (male or female) to win the Brit Nationals. We also talk about the Empower Squash Foundation and the first season in the PSL for the Welsh Wizards.

Grasshopper Cup 2019 is upon us and event organizer Steve Buchli has put together another fantastic event.

Miguel Rodriquez's incredible 2018 British Open run was unquestionably the story of the 2018 squash year. Behind that win there was blood, sweat, tears and plenty between the ears. Between the ears is where Maxim P. Weithers came into the picture, close to 10 years ago in fact. Maxim tells us how this all evolved and provides some great insight into mental techniques that helped to pave the way to Miguel's stunning British Open victory. Maxim also has his own squash story which we get into, including his relationship with Jahangir and Rahmat Khan, and I also get his thoughts on olympic bid.

Fresh off his first PSA title win at the Guifoyle PSA Squash Classic in Toronto, David Baillargeon is putting in the work to take his squash to the next level. Recently relocated to Bristol with Hadrian Stiff's Elite Squash Team, David talks about his squash roots in the Canadian hotbed of Quebec, Montreal in particular. It was there that he began working with his long time coach, Canadian coaching guru Yvon Provencal. We talk plenty about this, his move to the UK, and near the end I cheekily solicit a Shawn Delierre anecdote and David did not disappoint.

Lead writer for Squash Player Magazine Rod Gilmour is all over the recent Olympic bid setback; he sheds light on Nick Matthew's suggestion that legal action against the IOC should be taken. Rod has also co-authored one of the best squash stories out there, Shot and a Ghost along with James Willstrop; we talk about James and how he sees the next few years playing out for him. Some great content here with Rod on Ep. 74.

Christopher Gordon's longevity at the top of US men's professional squash has been nothing less than impressive, and he has his sites set on more wins and more titles going forward. Chris and I talk about his backstory in US squash, a big win over Simon Rosner in the German Jr. Open, the renaissance in US squash which ultimately led to the huge developments we see there today, his love of hockey, and how pumped he is for this next stage of his pro career. Great chat with Chris.

Alan Thatcher has been an integral part of the world squash scene for as long as I can remember. The founder of squashmad.com talks with me about squash's most recent Olympic bid setback, his baby Canary Wharf which is set to kick off in less than two weeks, and World Squash Day which he founded in 2012 in the aftermath of the World Trade Center 9/11 tragedy.

Senior Reporter Nick Hope lays out the recent Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee's choice of breakdancing as its new sport for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

For the past 10 years, Joey Barrington has truly been a god-sent for squash through his one of a kind, entertaining and insightful commentary on Squash TV. More than that though, Joey's squash story is like no other. The son of living legend Jonah Barrington, Joey's pathway to the pro game wasn't quite what you think. He opens up about what drove him away from the game in his youth, and what it was that inspired return to squash at the age 20. Joey reminisces at length about his legendary father; his game, his pioneering training techniques, his sense of humor, and how he motivated Joey during his PSA career; his admiration for his father is palpable. Other topics include the 2024 Olympic bid, Peter Sellers, a World Open preview, and much much more.

Lucas Serme has shown of late that he has the game to make inroads into the world top 10. Lucas lays out the backstory that has gotten him to where he is today. And, did you know he is among the growing collection of PSA tour married couples? Anna Serme just happens to be his better half and she's fresh off two wins on the trot on home soil in the Czech Rep. Lucas describes the nerves he feels when he's in her corner, and his plans for valentine's day :)

Only a few have successfully parlayed supremely successfully professional careers into equally successful careers as coaches; Liz Irving is among those in this rarefied air. She's reached world #2 as a player, helped Vanessa Atkinson make the leap to world #1, and famously coached Nicol David during her illustrious reign as queen of squash; that's an impressive resume. Liz looks back at her promising junior career, the changes she made that took her to world #2, coaching the aforementioned two world #1s, and putting all of this expertise into her new squash app, Squash Lab.

Impressively into its 18th installment, the Linear Logistics Bankers Hall Pro-Am is the longest running PSA event that Canada has to offer. Bob Ballinger, head pro at Bankers Hall since 2001, is the man who's led the charge through these years, and what a spectacular job he's done keeping the event on firm footing, and one that's produced a prolific run of champions since the event's inaugural. Bob and I chat about this year's event, how it's evolved since 2001, insight into the fitness required for an 18 year run, and a few classic anecdotes as only Bob can tell them.

The PSA has made serious inroads over the past 10 years or so including raising the game's profile through the Squash TV initiative and joining forces with the WSF (Women's International Squash Federation). What we have today is a very marketable professional squash product, and behind this is PSA CEO Alex Gough. A world class player himself, Alex takes us back to his playing days against all the #1s from Jansher Khan through to Mohammed El Shorbagy; I encourage you to watch his match v. Jansher in Al Ahram on youtube. He parlayed his successful career as a pro into the PSA CEO post in 2009. Alex talks about the year ahead, the Paris 2024 Olympic bid, officiating issues, and the way forward.

Reigning German National Champion Raphael Kandra has emerged a force to be reckoned with among the top tier of squash. Currently 15 in the world and 16 in the race to Dubai standings, Kandra is more than excited about the 2019 campaign. A brilliant performance at last year's British Open which saw the German come through qualies to reach the semi-final, beating Nick Matthew and Marwan ElShorbagy along the way, was an incredible story. He's not resting on his laurels though; it's onwards and upwards for Raphael, and that means more great squash for us.

Countless PSA tour titles, 3 World Open titles, 3 British Opens, 3 Commonwealth golds and 10 British National Championships: Nick Matthew left the game as an all-time great. Nick and I chat about his character building junior years, what it means (for us across the pond) to be a Yorkshireman, and how competing during the Power/Nicol and Shabana/Gaultier/Darwish eras was different from today's play on tour. During that later era, his rivalry with James Willstrop took shape, and Nick lays out the backstory. Currently, "the wolf" is at the Tournament of Champions, and he gives some incredible insight on the event, the players, officiating issues, and most importantly, the Champions Lounge.

Riding a bit of momentum heading into 2019, Sam Cornett has her sites set on the Tournament of Champions in NYC and the World Championships in Chicago this February. Having reached 3 of 4 Challenger Tour finals since November, winning 2, is proof that she's ready to roll in 2019. Ranked 31 in the world currently, Sam's only a few spots away from her personal best of 28, and at this rate she is poised to make inroads beyond that.

Elite Squash founder and director Hadrian Stiff says the key to enjoying our squash and ultimately to performing at our best is through the harmonization of body and mind on court. How do I bottle those occasions when I go out there, enjoy my squash and play the game without thinking? When you listen to him lay it out, you'll be inspired. Hadrian's unique approach to coaching has obviously proven successful when you look at the players under the Elite Squash umbrella. He goes deep into his philosophy behind squash and we take look at his backstory which explains how his philosophy towards the game came to be.

With the 2018 Irish Open title under his belt along with several very strong performances in 2018, Tom Richards enters the new year on a high. Perhaps playing the best squash of his career, Tom and I chat about the influences during his early years, namely St. George's own Danny Lee. Throughout his professional campaign, Stephen Meads, of "who is Meads?" fame has been tremendously instrumental, and Tom is very excited to have Jesse Englebrecht on board more recently as well. We talk about what each of them have brought to the table for Tom. We also discuss some of his playing heroes, including both JP and Peter Nicol. At any rate, all of this has him playing very good squash of late, and this bodes well for 2019.

Shajahan Khan comes from a family replete with squash pedigree; father Zarak, and uncles Hiddy and Zubair all top 10 players in the world. Shajahan has been making great inroads of late, especially after his big win at the Memorial Open in Canada earlier this year which earned him a spot in the World Championships in Chicago in February. He'd really like to put Pakistan back in the thick of things, and with a great team backing him, and his attitude and game plan in place he might just be on his way.

The proof is in the pudding, and for Rob Owen the proof is that his players have been playing unbelievable squash over the past few years, and the 2018/19 campaign has been particularly noteworthy. For those of you who know Rob, then you'll likely enjoy his look back at the backstory that has brought him to where he is today, one of the top coaches in the game without question. If not, you need to a listen to this great chat about Rob's career and his thoughts on the game as it is today.

Jamie Crombie has just launched thesquashexchange.com, a personalized squash training website which brings something new and exciting to the value of online squash material that already exists. Jamie's backstory is three-pronged and nothing less than impressive; he ranks among Canada's all-time greats, he's a long-time and very successful teaching professional, and he's parlayed his athleticism on to other sports representing the US in the world duathlon on four occasions. Jamie and I break down how thesquashexchange came to be and what it brings to the table.

From brilliant professional career to putting himself on the map as one of the top coaches out there, Nick Taylor's squash resume speaks for itself. Nick and I talk about the early glory days when he was winning European Squash Championships and getting to the finals of the British Nationals. The passion of course was there, but Nick's passion for coaching might be even more palpable. We covered so much ground here including his new role as Director of Squash at Infinitum Squash, what it takes to build a program from scratch, junior development, masters squash, and use of the red-dot ball in our training and solo practice.

The 2018/19 campaign couldn't have gotten off to a better start for Raneem El Welily; 3 finals, 2 victories, and a real look at regaining the #1 world ranking. Raneem and I talk about her summer training in Egypt where she worked hard with her coach Haitham Effat. We also take a look back at that memorable 2015 season when she took the number 1 spot from Nicol David (who held top spot for over 100 months in succession) and became the first ever Egyptian woman to achieve world #1 in professional sport. We also discuss a recent TedTalk she gave and her feelings on driving in Cairo.

SJ Perry is off to a flyer this 2018/19 campaign, defending her San Fran Netsuite title and reaching the final of the Carol Weymuller Open. After a successful 2017/18 season, she didn't rest on her laurels; knuckling down over the summer with a few tweaks here and there have laid the groundwork for this season. SJ also talks to us about the impact that her coach Robert Owen has made on her game over the past few years, and an unfortunate incident that she came home to after spending over a month across the pond.

From US child prodigy, to US collegiate squash national champion with Princeton, to a world ranking of 48 and rising, Todd Harrity has sunk his teeth into life on the PSA tour. The 2018/19 campaign has gotten off to a very promising start for Todd, but that's not without plenty of groundwork, hardwork, and changes to his game along the way. Todd seems ready to take that next step in his rise up the PSA rankings, and we talk about what it took to get to where he is today, and the changes he believes are needed to take that next big step.

The winningest coach in collegiate squash history, US Squash Hall of Fame inductee, and US National Squash Team head coach, Paul Assaiante's squash journey has been nothing short of impressive. For the past 20 years he's led the Trinity Bantams to countless national titles and mind-blowing unbeaten streaks whilst having to compete against the Ivy powerhouses. Equally as impressive is the current upsurge in US men's and women's squash in which he has played a leading role in. His look back at this and his squash insight comes through a great deal in this episode. Enjoy!!

The Canadian sun rises first in Cape Spear, the eastern most point in North America, and home to a place that we should all take the opportunity to visit, Newfoundland. Today's episode takes a look at Newfoundland's unique squash history which dates back to shortly after it entered confederation with Canada in 1949. Its squash history is rich and well told by Steve Gardner and Dave Feder in a nostalgic, light-hearted look back at the game in this beautiful province.

Proud resident of Paderborn (not Paderhorn), Simon has a lot to look forward to both at home and on the PSA tour. Recently married and expecting a baby boy in December, he'll be relishing time at home. Meanwhile, he's also playing squash of the highest level, and that bodes well for a great 2018/19 campaign. Simon gives us his thoughts on all of the above in what was a very enjoyable conversation.

With a victory in Nantes under his belt and a very respectable 3rd round showing at the US Open, Declan James is out of traps with the bit between his teeth at the start of the 2018/2019 campaign. His recent rise into the world's top 20 seems a fitting way to kick off the 2018/19 season, but he's under no illusions that the rest will take care of itself. Declan discusses his recent run of form, what he needs to do to keep on top of things, his relationship with coach Philip Whitlock, and he pays homage to some of the players that he looked up to over the years.

Sharif Khan was instrumental in developing the broad appeal that squash had in North America back in the late 70s and early 80s, and without question he's in the greatest of all time conversation. Sharif dominated the North American professional squash scene throughout the late 70s and early 80s, and Rob Dinerman's new book (co-authored by Karen Khan) looks back at his life and legendary career. Rob goes into Sharif's backstory including the family's shock decision to send him to boarding school in the UK, his relationship with his father Hashim (a legend himself), and so much more.

Jesse Englebrecht and Gary Nisbet (ep. 28) lit it up in a big way on our first dual guest episode. The questions for this episode came from the In Squash listeners and they spawned one of our best episodes to date. Jesse hit the ground sprinting and didn't look back with great intel on everything from junior development, the evolution of ghosting patterns, and how to teach deception, and then Gary joined in to tackle such things as the importance of the pre-game warm-up and dealing with in match fatigue. Not to be missed, episode 48.

The proof is in the pudding, Jenny Duncalf is without question a super talent both on and off the court. Having reached and spent several years at world #2 behind the recently crowned GOAT of ladies squash Nicol David, Jenny continues to play at the highest level and looks to return to the court soon following a summer hip surgery. Jenny took us inside her life on tour which is three-pronged these days as a player, women's president of the PSA, and as MC for several major PSA events.

Daryl Selby has remained one of the most exciting players on the pro tour for over 15 years, and at age 35 he's got his sites set on playing more great squash and enhancing his brand along the way. Father of 3 youngsters, Daryl expounds on his career to date, the joys of parenting while playing professionally, and we have a great discussion on the variables in play that dictate our best squash, a topic he and Cameron Pilley dove into on their own podcast, Comments from the Couch. Enjoy!!

Recently elected as Squash Canada's President, Steve Wren's appearance on this podcast highlights exactly why he's the right person for the job. As a player, parent, coach, business person, you name it, Steve has achieved great results. Exciting times are ahead for Squash Canada, and Steve lays out his vision following a fun look at his backstory on ep. 45.

Looking to hit the ground running after a very good 2017/2018, Hollie Naughton and I talked about her progress over the past few years, and what it will take for her to make deeper runs into the Super Series main draws now that she's successfully qualified for these events. We also talked Squash Canada a bit, specifically about the exciting additions of Martin Heath running the high performance program and Steve Wren as President.

2018 saw the unthinkable: husband (Ali) and wife (Nour) winning the US Open on the same day. Ali takes us inside the ropes on that special week and the years in the lead up. Interestingly, he almost decided to forego professional squash for a desk job with the hopes of developing Egypt's solar energy industry, but, thankfully for us, representing Egypt and making a living out of his true passion has taken precedence.

Newlywed Olivia Clyne (Blatchford) had a storied junior squash career and has recently made inroads into the top 15 in the world women's rankings. We had a great chat which covered several interesting parts of career, dating back to the days her father would drag her to the courts, dealing with lofty expectations, touring pros who just happen to be husband and wife, and a great little anecdote about receiving a police escort to a quarter final match in Colombia.

Tom Ford has taken time off from his PSA career in an attempt to overcome a battle with chronic fatique syndrome. In doing so he's attempting to find balance which has manifested itself in his great podcast Finding Balance. Tom talks about these recent struggles and the inroads he's made of late.

Janet Baker McLeod is all in when it comes to squash these days. Most recently, this includes head coach duties for the Canadian Women's Junior Team who just returned from the Junior Pan Am Games in Brazil, and representing Canada herself in the ladies over 55 at the World Masters Championship in Charlottesville, Virginia at the end of the month. Lots of good stuff here in terms of coaching, junior squash, and a bit of insight in terms of squash in Canada and Nova Scotia in particular. Enjoy.

Derek Ryan is an Irish squash legend with over 200 caps and several PSA titles to his name. He reached as high as world #7, and is now the PSA's lead physio and medical coordinator. Derek joins me to discuss his newly formed role with the PSA, and we also look back a bit at his illustrious career. I even take some time to pick his masters brain for training intel. Enjoy the podcast.

Former world number 1, world champion and current world 7, Laura Massaro made a huge impression on episode 38. Her run of consecutive super series titles came to an end this year, but nothing to be ashamed of; her career speaks for itself. After defeating Nicol David for the first time and in doing so winning her first major title in 2011, Laura really never looked back. We talk about staying fit and healthy as she approaches her mid-30s, playing in the shadow of Nicol David for so many years, and the dynamic relationship with her husband/coach Danny. Enjoy!!

Squash Stories has taken the squash community by storm. If you want to talk squash with players of all levels, all backgrounds, with a global perspective or a local perspective, whether it be technical, the pro game, your local club league issues, squash history, you name it; Squash Stories is the place to visit for your daily squash fix. The dude behind this is Jamie Maddox, and he joined me for a great conversation. Enjoy the podcast.

Very much like myself, Squash Player Magazine writer Mike Dale is still fired up after the Super Series Final in Dubai. Mike knows his stuff, and we had a great conversation about the event in Dubai. We also looked back at what we both agreed was an incredible 2017/18 campaign, and we looked ahead at the 2018/19 season with plenty of intrigue.

Matt Bishop is the reigning Canadian Men's over 40 national champion, winner of the 2017 over 35 national championship, and who knows how many Nova Scotia provincial championships. It was a pleasure to talk squash with Matt, and we looked back at his early years and squash in Nova Scotia at that time, and the influences on his game which include his parents, David Hubley and most recently squash legend Neil Harvey.

Day 0 is media day at the Dubai Super Series Finals, and all 16 players were in attendance and seemingly ready to go. Simon Rosner and Camille Serme both joined me to discuss their respective season's to date and how they feel going into the event. I also had the pleasure of speaking to Nick Matthew who was ready to put away his kit for good only a week ago, but now has one last tournament before he calls it a career, and one in which he'd love to win as it turns out. Enjoy the podcast.

Lee Drew, PSA SquashTV commentator, England Jr. National Team Coach, and PSA's Referee Director joined us on the eve of the Super Series Final in Dubai. Lee tells us more about his role as the PSA's Referee Director, and we talk at length about how enthralling the women's game is these days, and how things are shaping up for this Super Series Final.

Markos Kern, founder of Interactive Squash and Fun With Balls joined The In Squash Podcast today along with Gustavo Netto to flesh out what exactly is behind Interactive Squash. What we came up with is a much needed breath of fresh air and something that squash really should embrace and look forward to. We all know what a great game squash is, and bringing it up to speed in terms of the current generation's way of thinking and lifestyle seems to be the direction and initiative that Markos and his team are putting into play. Enjoy this refreshing and enlightening chat.

The Swiss Rocket, one of the awesome talents on the PSA pro squash tour, joined the In Squash Podcast today. It was an enjoyable chat which covered his 2017/2018 campaign, his relationship with his buddies Raphael Kandra and Simon Roesner, playing Gregory Gaultier in front of the Swiss hometown faithful at this year's Grasshopper Cup, and a great little Roger Federer anecdote.

Andrew Schnell is now a two-time Canadian Men's National Squash Champion after defeating defending title holder Nick Sachvie in the 2018 Men's Open final in Calgary. Andrew also had a big win on the PSA tour in the 2017/2018 campaign as well winning the Bankers Hall event, also in Calgary. With the summer months upon us, he's hoping to lay the training groundwork in order to hit the ground running for the 2018/19 campaign. A great chat with reigning Canadian National Champion Andrew Schnell. Enjoy the pod eh!

Martin Heath made it to the highest levels of the game as a player, and now he's taking that some path as a coach, developing young, elite talent. This podcast covered everything from Martin's days competing for world supremacy against the likes of Peter Nicol and Jonathan Power to his impressive run as the head coach for the University of Rochester Yellowjackets. Now we can add Squash Canada's Director of High Performance to his impressive resume. Enjoy this great chat with Martin Heath.

Gary Nisbet is Squash Skills' resident fitness and training guru, and his tutorials on Squash Skills are a must see for those of us looking to get that edge on our competition and in our games in general. Gary and I had a great chat about all manner of squash fitness and training related topics, and we got a bit of a backstory in terms of who Gary is and what we can look forward to from him down the road.

David Palmer, former world #1 and 2 time World Open Champion, officially called it a day after a remarkable career. After winning his 9th Commonwealth Games medal, David zipped up his pro kit to take on coaching duties at Cornell in full. Clearly, his career is one that we all look back on with nostalgia of that generation as those matches against all of the greats go down as must watch squash. Not surprisingly, he did not disappoint on the podcast. Enjoy!!

3 time Canadian National Women's finalist and Calgary native Danielle Letourneau is hoping that this is her year to hoist the women's crown at the Canadian National Squash Championships in Calgary at the Glencoe Club. Danielle is playing very good squash these days, currently sitting at 42 in the world. We had a great chat about her upcoming semi-final against Sam Cornett, her 4 brilliant years at Cornell, the fact that Canada now has 4 women in the world's top 50, and much more.

Nick Sachvie ran through the men's open draw of the 2017 Canadian National Squash Championships without dropping a single game; practically of unheard since the days of Jonathan Power. He's in Calgary this week defending that very title and he was generous enough to chat with the In Squash Podcast about his best pro year to date, 2017, the Cornell years, playing the French general at the 2017 World Team Championships, and much more.

Two-time Canadian National champion Shawn Delierre made a great showing on the In Squash Podcast this week in the lead up to his first round match at the Canadian Nationals at Calgary's Glencoe Club. He is seeded #2 behind Nick Sachvie in the Men's Open, and he brought a breath of fresh air to In Squash with his outside the box perspectives on squash and life in general.

Former World #1 John White did not disappoint on the In Squash Podcast, episode 23. John has successfully made the transition from world #1 to NCAA squash varsity coach at Drexel University, and we talked at length about what life is like in the NCAA limelight. John then took us through his pro careerwhich started in 1991 and culminated in reaching the promised land, world #1 in March of 2004. Then, of course, he tackles the elephant in the room: who hits harder, Pilley or White?

Spanish great Borja Golan was on his way to Egypt via Madrid for the El Gouna International, but before leaving he showed up big on the In Squash Podcast. Borja's years on the PSA tour have seen him reach the world's top 10 on two separate occasions, and he had to overcome a serious knee injury before reaching that hallowed ground for the second time. At 35 he feels his squash brain is at its peak, and there's another run at the top 10 left in him. Enjoy this great chat with Borja Golan.

An insightful and enjoyable chat with Shaun Moxham, famously the coach to former world number #1 and World Open champion David Palmer, and currently taking great strides with his very intriguing MSQUASH Accelerator brand. Shaun took us inside what it was like being part of the great Aussie era of squash in the late 80s, early 90s, his years with David Palmer and those classic battles with Jonathan Power, and the future of squash court technology, Interactive Squash.

Prolific North American squash writer and historian Rob Dinerman shares some squash history and then some on episode 20 of The In Squash Podcast. We discuss the old North American pro hardball circuit, the GOAT of the hardball tour, the demise of singles and rise of doubles hardball, the greatest rivalries in squash, and some unbelievable anecdotes of his time at Phillips Exeter prep school taken from his book Chasing the Lion, An Unsolved Journey Through Phillips Exeter. A fascinating look back on Episode 20.

The Grasshopper Cup 2018 was a tremendous success, thanks to the efforts of Steve Buchli and his Grasshopper Cup organizing committee. Steve talks about the evolution of the Grasshopper Cup since its inception in 2012, the positive changes that defined this year's success and bigger and better things to come for the event down the road.

Sam Cornett is representing Canada at the Commonwealth Games in Queensland this week, playing her first match on Thursday against Guyana's Mary Fung a Fat and a potential 3rd round match against squash legend Nicol David. Sam has been knocking at the door of the world's top 20 for a few years now, and gave us some time on the podcast to discuss her preparations, her backstory, and her future.

3 time Colombian Open champion, Pan-Am Games gold medalist, former world #4 and current world #16, Miguel Rodriguez showed up in a big way on episode 017 of the In Squash Podcast. Miguel looked back at his formative years, his golden period from 2013-2015, an injury-riddled 2016-2017 campaign, his recent resurgence, and his passion for go-cart racing.

Episode 016 - Sebastian Uprimny by In Squash Podcast

Commonwealth Games gold medalist, British National Champion and former world #4, although I gave him props for being world #1 in my intro, Paul Johnson showed up huge for episode 15. You won't want to miss this as we look back at some unbelievable anecdotes covering his incredible pro career, how he sees the pro game today, and much more.

World #9 Sarah-Jane Perry is fresh off a brilliant semi-final showing at the Windy City Open and joined me on the podcast which was conducted on International Women's Day. Sarah's climb to the top 10 of the PSA rankings has been impressive, and if you've had the chance to see her play you can see why she's likely going to keep on climbing. Enjoy the great chat with SJ as we celebrated International Women's Day.

Laurens Anjema is the most highly decorated Dutch player of all time, and a former top 10 on the PSA tour. LJ gave us a great look back at his amazing career; at what it was like transitioning from junior prospect to world beater under the guidance of Neil Harvey in his Chingford camp. Retirement is never easy, nor was it easy for LJ as he took us through his stint in the corporate world and how that led him to his passion today, creative writing.

Jethro Binns is the co-founder of the squash coaching/training resource squashskills.com . He joined me on the podcast today and we looked back into his squash backstory including his psa career which was cut short sadly due to injury, and his evolution towards the coaching side of things.

Recently crowned British National Squash Champion Tesni Evans joined me today on the podcast on her off day at the Windy City Open. We battled through early tech issues, and it what well worth it. She's a great young talent with a fantastic story to tell. Not only that, she is the first from the Ladies PSA tour to join the podcast. Thanks Tesni, you were awesome.

Paul Coll is one of the bright stars on the PSA tour today. Fresh off final and semi-final performances in the Motor City Open and Swedish Open respectively, we had a great chat with Paul covering everything from his Tommy Berden, the Commonwealth Games, his rise as a pro, and his infamous training routines.

Steve Lawton is a living legend of Canadian squash. Former #2 in Canada and top 10 in the Canadian rankings for many years, Steve played the game like no other. He showed up in a big way for the podcast, and I'd like to make this a tribute episode for Steve as he plans to retire after over 20 years as the Head Squash Pro at the Vancouver Racquet Club (VRC).

Jamie Crombie's squash career is long and impressive, representing Canada at the junior and men's level, and reaching number 1 in both Canada and the USA. He's currently the head squash pro at the Buffalo Tennis and Squash Club, and a member of the US National Duathlon team. Always great to chat with Jamie. Enjoy the podcast.

Stephen Coppinger had a tremendous PSA career, spanning 11 years and collecting 10 psa titles along the way. Stephen dropped by the In Squash podcast and we chatted about pro career, his rise up the PSA rankings, hardcore training via the Durbach approach, and the devastating fire that took almost everything his family had last summer. Thankfully the Coppinger's are settled in Austin, Texas, and we talked about what lies ahead for him there as well.

Gregory Gaultier is the current world number one on pro squash's PSA tour. An incredible career dating back to the turn of the millennium, he's won just about every major title including the World Open and the British Open. Next, Greg is off to the Swedish Open and then to the lucrative Windy City Open. Great chat with the world number 1.

Robert Edwards, the voice of squash, has forgotten more about squash than I'll ever know. It was a great chat rich with anecdotes covering his days starting up the Leekes pro events and British open, managing the likes of Ahmed Barada, and playing golf with Jonathan Power to mend a few fences. Great stuff Robert.

Mike Way is the head squash coach for Harvard's men's and women's squash teams, and perhaps most famously known for having coached former world #1 and world champion Jonathan Power. We had a great chat which covered everything from spotting talent whilst recruiting, coaching theory and techniques, burnout, putting the myth of JPs training habits to rest, and much much more. Great chat with Mike.

The 2018 Linear Logistics Bankers Hall Pro-Am PSA squash tournament kicks off today in Calgary, Alberta, and today I had a great chat with an old friend, Bob Ballinger, head squash pro at the Bankers Hall Club. The event is in its 17th year, hometown boy Andrew Schnell is defending the title, and there's the possibility of an all-Canadian final. I've picked a dark horse to win it all though. Enjoy what was a great chat with Bob Ballinger.

Ron Beck, a former member of Princeton's varsity squash team, WPSA tour player, executive director of the College Squash Association, is famously prolific for giving us the Squashtalk website. Ron and I talked about his squash mentor, Arif Sarfraz, "one of the greatest players that no one knew about", the success of the WPSA tour, and of course Squashtalk and the faces behind it. It was indeed a great chat and I hope to have him back again soon.

Neil Harvey is a legend of the game of squash, and he graced In Squash with a fantastic chat that covered his early days on tour where he beat just about everyone except a certain player at the top of the table, his transition into coaching where he famously guided Peter Nicol to world number 1. We also discussed his charity work which ultimately brought him across the pond to Nova Scotia, Canada and away from his full-time coaching duties on the PSA tour. Then, there is the Stella Rose Bed and Breakfast which gives him comfort whilst he still gives back to the game of squash. Enjoy the podcast and thanks Neil for a great conversation.