Why Egyptians are top players

CAIRO: Egyptian squash players are dominating the sport globally, with coaches and their opponents saying their tight-knit community and freer training techniques have given them a competitive edge.

Six of the world’s top 10 male players are Egyptian, while four Egyptian women are in the women’s top 10. The current World No 1 is France’s Gregory Gaultier, but the four players after him in the rankings are all Egyptian.

Alan Thatcher, editor and publisher of the website Squash Mad, said not only do they “hit winners”, Egyptians had introduced a more dynamic style of squash that is “amazingly entertaining.”

“The old style of game was about the long attritional rallies, hundreds of shots, up and down the side wall, but now largely thanks to the Egyptians you’re seeing a new style of squash: attacking squash,” said Thatcher.

This wave of success was boosted with local icon Ahmed Barada’s successes at Al-Ahram International Championship — which from 1996 to 2001 was held with the stunning backdrop of the Giza pyramids. He reached the final in 1996, and took the title in 1998.

“This was a big shift for us, to believe that we can become champions,” said former World No 1 Karim Darwish.

Barada retired at 24, but his successes inspired others, including four-time World Champion Amr Shabana, the first Egyptian to reach No 1 in 2006.

Fewer training restrictions allow players to develop their own style, said Shabana, who retired at 36 and is now advising current Egyptian players.

“We must teach the juniors the sport’s proper basics... but then we give them space for creativity,” said Darwish, who took the No 1 title from Shabana in 2009, now leading Egypt’s largest squash academy at Wadi Degla club.

Lacking enough players, juniors competed with men, and men with women, to fill tournaments, pushing everyone to improve at a younger age, said Shabana, who himself played in men’s tournaments when he was just 12.

“We have a squash tournament every two weeks,” said women’s No 5 Nouran Gohar.

Even in training, “you’re playing against the best of the best outside of tournaments,” said Rod Gilmour, co-author of Jahangir Khan:555.

Not only do they train together, the community has several married couples. These include No 3 Ali Farag and No 7 Nour El Tayeb, who won the 2017 US Open titles on the same day.

Women have also achieved dominance, with 2017 World Champion Raneem El Welily reaching No 1 in 2015, a spot now held by Nour El Sherbini.

Other top players include 2017 World Champion and No 2 Mohamed Elshorbagy and his runner-up younger brother, Marwan.