Brits sure enjoying journey
SQUASH WHETHER hitchhiking to a tournament in France or sleeping on couches across the globe, the journey is often as interesting as the destination for South African squash player Jean-Pierre Brits.
Brits is currently competing at the Cairns Squash International, where he’ll play world No.102 Dimitri Steinmann in the opening round.
But the softly spoken 26year-old said life on the Professional Squash Association tour could bring with it plenty of surprises and challenges both on and off the court.
“Touring is the best part of playing,” Brits said.
“We get to see different towns, meet different people and encounter other cultures. Then, on top of that, we get to play squash, which I love.
“Sometimes the hardest thing is just getting a lift, especially if you’re in a country where there is a language barrier. You have to find your way … but looking back I can usually have a laugh and chalk it up to a good life experience.”
Managing full-time work as a squash instructor back home made it difficult to boost his world ranking, Brits said.
“The ideal number of tournaments played is 13 per year but playing that many is difficult because there aren’t that many tournaments in South Africa, so I have to travel a lot,” he said.
“But I’m really fortunate to be able to do this.”
After advancing through the qualifying rounds of the Queensland Open last week, Brits was knocked out by eventual champion and world No.61 Rex Hedrick.
But the world No.260 is confident he can make a deep run in Cairns if he can overcome his opening-round opponent.
“I really want to step it up and show what I can do,” Brits said.