King squashes any retirement talk
Kiwi queen of the court would love to play in sport’s 2028 LA Olympics debut
Squash ace Joelle King is determined to end her playing career on her terms. An ongoing back issue followed by a torn meniscus has sidelined her since October, causing her PSA world ranking to drop from fourth to 16th.
“It’s extremely frustrating — doing a back injury and rehabbing that, and then when you think you’re on the home stretch, another thing pops up,” King told Newstalk ZB.
She has overcome worse — a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2014 saw her drop out of the top 50.
If there’s any consolation this time, her return to New Zealand is King’s longest stint at home since she was 18, after years of travelling the globe solo on the world tour.
Spending time with loved ones and training at the High Performance Sport New Zealand base in Cambridge has energised the 35-year-old as she enters the back end of her career.
However, her latest setback with a knee injury has extended her stretch on the mend, and with the squash season wrapping up in June, King is intent on getting some playing time.
Her experience on the tour has allowed her to become wiser in making rational calls in her recovery.
“The last tournament of the season will be the British Open, so I’m really hoping that I can be back on court before the season’s over just to see where we’re at. But it’s all going to be down to what’s going on with my body,” King said.
“I’m not 25, feeling like everything has to happen now, so I’m a lot more forgiving of my body — and when it tells me it’s in pain, or we need to relax a little bit, I’m probably more open to listening to the body, as opposed to that ‘go hard or go home’ mentality and pushing through it.”
But while she’s in no rush to get back on court, the five-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist knows the hourglass of her career is close to running empty. Just how many particles of sand remain is unknown.
“I don’t know if we can extend it any more. It’s been nearly 20 years playing pro, and a big part of that at the top, and I’ve been competing week in and week out.”
King concedes the thought of retirement crossed her mind while she was injured but she’s driven to hang up her racket in her own time instead of being forced into it.
“Anyone at my age and having a career for this long, when something like this happens, [retirement] comes into your mind, and it has.
“It’s just motivated me to prove to myself that I can come back from this and that I can still find a purpose and a reason to try and come back.
“In 10 years, I can look back and be proud that’s what I did and leave when I’m ready and not have my last season remembered as one where I was in pain. It’s to make myself proud for this last push in my career.”
A couple of “dangling carrots”, as King puts it, are keeping her motivated to prolong her court time.
The possibility of claiming an 11th New Zealand title in July and separating herself from fellow 10-time champion Dame Susan Devoy has a part to play. But King is more concerned with the impact her return to the court will have on others.
“I don’t think people realise how special that is for me, coming back and being able to compete and be the best player in New Zealand, not just to beat Susan’s record.
“To be in the same calibre as someone like her, who did what she did, is cool, but it’s that inspiration of the next generation which is the most important part of coming back.”
Another incentive is representing New Zealand at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with squash finally given the green light to join the Games. The catch? King will be 39 by then. “We joke about this — maybe this little break now has set me up to try to come back and play at the Olympics.
“To just go once would be an amazing thing at the end of my career, but we have so many youngsters coming through, too, who I’m sure are going to be trying to take that spot.
“It’s not a yes, it’s not a no, it’s a maybe and watch this space.”