Brits, Louw can be role models
LIVING AT the southern tip of Africa has its benefits but when you are a squash player hoping to crack it in the competitive world of the racket sport, it can be tough.
While South Africa is often top dog across many sporting codes on the continent, it is a small player in squash compared to Egypt.
The north Africans are a dominant force in international squash with Egypt accounting for six of the top 10 ranked men in the world at the moment.
Squash is similar to tennis where players have to regularly feature in the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Challenger Tour that is played around the world to earn points and a living.
JP Brits, who was the topseeded South African at this week’s Growthpoint SA Open in Pretoria, is the only local lad who gets to play regularly on the PSA circuit.
This would not have been possible if it was not for the generous support of sponsors and the ranking points he earned for winning the Gauteng Open in April.
Hosting one of the big PSA tournaments pretty much boils down to the depth of organisers’ pockets and Squash SA has been able to host a PSA Challenger Tour tournament thanks to the involvement of Growthpoint.
Players earn ranking points based on how far they advance in the draw at a tournament, where points are determined by the amount of prize money and size of the draw.
Rankings are issued each month and the total number of points a player earns in the previous 12 months is divided by the number of tournaments played, where a minimum of 10 is advised.
It often takes a long time before a South African makes a break and in Brits’s case, it happened this year.
“The higher your ranking, the greater the opportunity is to make it into big tournaments,” Brits said.
“I hope to be ranked among the top 100 players (in the world) by the end of this year and hopefully among the best 50 by 2020.”
“I’ve been lucky enough to get a sponsor over the last month and it is possible that it could be the first year that I will be playing in 10 tournaments.”
It is a vicious circle where once a player makes it beyond a certain point - let’s say they have played more than 10 tournaments, which means more ranking points - they start to earn a living and make it in the sport.
Squash SA is looking to introduce a series where local players can gain experience against each other and earn points that will count towards the international rankings.
Milnay Louw, who is South Africa’s best woman squash Blessing Muhwati of Zimbabwe, left, takes on Rui Soares of Portugal at the Growthpoint SA Open Championships at Brooklyn Mall in Pretoria.
player at the SA Open, knows full well how difficult it is to crack it among the best in the world.
“I would like to play more of the major tournaments to get a better ranking (but) funding is the biggest problem of getting the opportunity to play at as many tournaments to get the necessary exposure to feature among the best in the world,” Louw explained.
“You need to play a minimum of 10 tournaments a year and if you play less, you have a lower average.
“I’ve never played more than 10 tournaments, the most I have played has been about six or seven, so I have a few more to go.”
Stephen Coppinger provided the golden standard for young South Africans to aspire to before he announced
his retirement in 2017 after a career spanning 11 years.
He bowed out of the sport at the age of 33 with 10 PSA World Tour titles behind his name and reaching a careerhigh world ranking of 14th in April 2015.
Brits believes the Egyptian model has provided youngsters with not only a pipeline but also a host of role models to emulate.
Coppinger served as a tangible example of what can be achieved by South African squash players when they manage to get the right mix of funding and opportunities.
Increased financial support could see players like Louw and Brits follow in the footsteps of Coppinger and serve as role models to aspiring youngsters.