Around The Court Squash Podcast

We welcome the newly crowned Qatar Champion and World #5 Diego Elias to talk about his recent victory See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We discuss some talking points over the last few events including the recent US Open at the Specter Centre. Asal is pretty good at squash, Gohar wins back to back titles, Amanda wins a maiden major title in San Fran and is rewarded with a ranking of 3 in the world + Bonus coverage on former guest match against a former student of his at Penn. The student in questions identity can neither be confirmed or denied..... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

EP 63 - its been a while, a lot has happened on the PSA Worldtour with 2 of the most prestigious events in 4 weeks with the World champs and British Open. Some outrageous squash and so many stories and sub plots but the biggest story has to be Paul Coll who put his name alongside the legends by landing his first major title - the British Open. Legendary stuff See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

EP 62 World tour finals See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're excited to speak to Laura Massaro on the relase of her new book "All in" She talks about the proces of writing a book, audio book bloopers, 80 k..........g of gin, her take on Osaka and much moreYou can order the book online. An amazing journey to the top, All in is a must read for any/all sports enthusiasts and will inspire all asprinig squash player,coaches, fans and some See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Elgouna is over, Shorbaggy bags title #43, Sherbini wins her first ElGouna title but there were plenty other talking points at the last major event before the World Open in July. The Panel review, Chris Sachvie is on tour, who is LeBron James and whoop recovery data are some of the topics discussed See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Some upsets r us in El Gouna including a first round loss for the man in form Marwan ElShorbaggy! We review the first few rounds and look ahead to a tashtey week of squash as the 1/4s commence. Stu is not a fan of cheese and blames Lyall patterson for missing out on Vegas on the weekend to witness history as fellow Scot Josh Taylor became the undsiputed light welterweight champion of the world. And oddly enough is gunning for Crawford next..... Terrence Crawford See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

El Gouna begins. We review and make our predictions whilst stu sacrifices a big screen for a weekend in Vegas! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The squash community around the world is in mourning as we learned the passing of Malcolm Willstrop. The panel pay tribute to the great man. We are also joined by Karina Tyma and Robbie Downer, who have both recently bagged their maiden PSA titles in Texas and Prague respectivley. A massive achievemnt from both players who are in different stages in their careers, with Karina a rising Junior at Drexel University being coached by former world #1 John White, and Robbie, whos on the tour close to 10 years, shows how pererverance can be rewarded as the talented Englishman comes of age See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What a chat with Marwan Elshorbaggy.for EP 56! Authentic, unapologetic and hungry to win the bigest titles in the sport - this is a must listen. For any haters negatively tweeting him or voting for his opponents on instagram polls - keep feeding the fire baby!!! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The General had a great Black Ball Open, playing pain free without a knee brace with some signs of the squash and speed he is known for, clocking up some solid wins, impressive performances coupled with a great battle V the world #4 Paul Coll. A legend of the game, whos achieved everything there is to achieve in the sport, is an inpring guy full stop - but his journey to get back into the top 10, after a 2 year battle with injury, at the ripe old age of 38, is nothing short of amazing! Currently up to 25 in the world (he was 600+ not that long ago!!)Greg talks us through his battle with injury, his training regime, the dicipline and will he had to get back and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Joe Rahoe of Tufts joins the panel as we refelct on the conclusion of the second 12 day squeshtival, courtesy of BlackBall, in a row to kick off 2021 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Episode 53, Sherbini, who has very few firsts left to achieve, wins the Blackball Open for the first time! We review the week and we also welcome on Salma Hany, the World #10 who had a breakthrough week by reaching the semi finals of her first SUper Series event. She talks openly about how she felt going into the week and whats next. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Super excited to welcome on John Williams. An absolute legend of the game and top man, now based in Zurich where he coaches, is a PSA Squash TV commentator and (kind of) Swiss National coach. Johns playing career was interupted for a # of years with illness in his early 20s but came back stronger to win a number of PSA events, reached a career high of 15 in the World and cemented his place in history when he wore the Green and Gold as part of the Austrailian team that became World Champions in 2001. John takes us through his life in squash, how he got into it, his playing career, the challenegs he faced, 400s, a match in 07 with Irish legend - the leggy Derek Ryan and much more including predictions for the Black Ball Open which starts today. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're delighted to welcome on Jamie Nichols - Newly Appointed Director of Athlete Development for Squash Canada (since October)Previously Executive Director of Squash Ontario, Co-founder of the National Squash Academy.Jamie gives us a little history on squash in Canada, shares his vision for the future and how he looks to go about making an impact. Getting more players playing and creating pathways for all aspiring squash players who may want to play professionally. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep 50Mazen Hesham Q via social media - is US College squash good fo the PSA Worldtour got quite the responce. We welcome Amanda Sobhy on the show , Harvard Squehsh legend & current world #7 to discuss along with Sach man who himself was a Cornell recruit & #1 now coach at Columbia, Stu who went down the college route in Scotland before turning pro and is now a coach at Penn and Arthur, who went straight on the tour and turned professional at 18 after graduating from high school. We discuss how positive the college squash envoirnemnt is, the standard of coaching and the resources available to players and how it can be a great platform to go on to the tour from with a few of your eggs elsewhere to fall back on. Ultimatley - its about the individual and whats best for the individual and theres no wrong path, just your own.No better way to wrap up EP 50 than with a Charlie Blasburg tune! Check Charlie out on spotify itunes etc #supertallmansupertallman See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After a 7 month holiday ,Stu is back in the US, back on a squash court and turning 40 all in the space of a few days. Not much happening but a quick review on various squehsh activities including the exciting news that the Tour will return to..... have a guess.... Egypt in March for the blackball open. Amazing from Egypt in their efforts to run another event, the whole squash world is super grateful!This one is for LlyallWe wrap up with a tune from Charlie Blasberg See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Were delighted to welcome onto the show the founder and CEO of the first Urban Squash program SquashBusters - Greg Zaff. A super passionate and inspring guy, talks about how he got into squash, the muse for starting SquashBusters - which was the model for other urban programs to start up all over North America and the world. He goes into how SquashBusters has had to adapt both their programming and fundraising events that are essestial to the running of the programs. The Rumble kicks off next week and Arthur is participating and committing to a number of challenegs to raise money for the program - if you would like to make a donation for this event you can chack out the link below https://squashbusters.rallybound.org/rumble-challenge/Member/MyPage/4515266/Arthur-GaskinPersonally we are massive supporters/fans of SQB, the work they do and the hugely positive impact it has on the lives of its students and families. How they have continued to serve their students through these unprecedented times, is nothing short of inspiring. To learn more of the program you can check them lout on their website www.squashbusters.org Charlie Blasburg is back with a hopping new tune "Moving On" Check him out on spotify itunes etc and give the man a follow as he continues to produce some bang tidy tunes See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

2020 is over.... Cant say were to sad about that, none the less we review some of the years higlights and what may lay ahead. Were also delighted to welcome onto the show former World #1 & World Champion (&Irish Open Champ!) Vanessa Atkinson. Astonishingly this is her 1st zoom ever, while Chris is on his second of 7 for the day!!! A legend in the game she talks about her career, commentary, the pontafract scene and more. We also feature Charlie Blasburgs new tune , The River, which was released on January 8th to close todays episode. If you like the tune you can check him out on itunes spotify etc. The tune took 2 years to put together and well worth the wait. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Squash tourist & friends host and top man Jaymie Haycocks join us. A quality player who made top 50 in the world, now resides in CT where he coaches at Squash-ED.We go into his playing career, relationship with legendary coach Rob Owen and his podcast. A great conversation that includes a slow fire from Stu! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

EP 45!! The squehshtival is over and as Stu the wise says "dont be sad its over be happy it happened" . Fares capped off his incredible week coming from 0/2 and 1/4 down to win his biggest title to date.Former top US player and current Penn Squash head coach Gilly Lane joins us to review the last few days of squash and we reminise the good ol days as we are reminded that GL has a 5-1 head to head record against the pawd. Theres also some insight into his role with US Squash and the next generation of US Squash players that are coming through the ranks. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep 44...Its an all Egyptian semi final in Cairo. Is Asal the most exciting player to watch? How can one cope with the ferocity of the squash he can produce?!We reveiw the 1/4s as well as look forward to todays semis including the current world junior champ v the current world #1 in a battle that reminds of Macenroes first match with Bjorn Borg in Stockholm at the Sweddish Open in 1978. The big question is - if Asal beats Farag for the first time, will he celebrate like Macenroe?!!! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We are half way through the 12 day squeshtival and we are delighted to welcome Sarah jane Perry fresh from victory on Saturday becoming the BlackBall Open Champ. A stunning week saw her defeat Camille Serme, Joelle King and to come from 2 games doon to beat Hania el Hammamy to secure victory in her biggest tournament to date! We get some insights into her week, what shes taken away with her coach Rob Owen. as she looks ahead.The mens draw started the morning after the womens event and the panel review the first round and look ahead to some tashhhtey round two matches including a rematch of Coll V Asal See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Amanda Sobhy takes out the world #1 in a day of upsets that saw the 1 , 2 and 3 seeds bow out and bring us an international semi final line up with representation from Egypt England New Zealand and the US. We review the 1/4 finals and preview the semis later today. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

3 days into the squeshitval and the panel pay tribute to Nour El Tayeb who withdrew earlier in the week and announced the amazing news that she is pregnant - a massive congrats to Nour and Ali. We also wonder will she be back?!We review first round highlights and most of round 2 including a cracking match between Hammamy and Gilis, the two warriors batled it out for 89 minutes of ridiculous levels of quality squehsh and Gilis has made a statment to the top 8 and 4 players in the world as she proves herself to be a real threat. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

EP 40!!!Blackball open is on the horizon and the panel review the draw and make their predictions. We also welcome to the show Welsh legend, Tesni Evans - Tesni gives us insight to her preparation for the Blackball open and assures us that not all Evans are related! Really great chat and also talks about some of the work shes been doing to close the gap on the top 4. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep 39. We welcome to the show Julia Buchholz, Penn squash legend - From Walk on to Captain. (See below link to article on her this past week)https://www.thedp.com/article/2020/11/penn-womens-squash-julia-buchholz-senior-profileA wee review on the mini event for English squash players in Manchester,Features a mention of squash tourist podcast with legendary coach,Rob Owen and a quick preview on the Eyptian open See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Origins : We welcome back Hadrian Stiff to the show who gives some insight into the Origins of Elite Squash, how he got it up and running to where it is now - one of the strongest hubs for squehsh in the UK at present. Coach of curent world #2 and many other top professional players, He also shares insights to his coaching philosophy and where that stemmed from See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ep 37, The panel review the semis and finals from Qatar. We have our say on the double bagel fares suffered in the semi, Farags ridiculous levels on consistency, Stevie Richardson draws strength from his beard and theres a vacine! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We welcome Hadrian Stiff to the panel to discuss round 3 + the 1/4s at Qatar. The big talking point was Mohamed bowing out to Yousef (perhaps Princeton isn't for him?!) Another one of Hadrians players - Eain Yow Ng had a great event, the 1/4s had a total , and maximum, of 20 sets of squehsh giving viewers and subscription payers their moneys worth. A double bounce, finding balance and coaching are all discussed in todays episode. PS - Greta Thunberg gets a mention. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Quick review of the first 2 rounds in Qatar See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Doha preview, Mohamed ElShorbagy is back and hungry for success , which will give him back his #1 statusAsal and Gawad are out. The panel review and look forward to the prospect of another mouth watering display of squehsh including the prospect of a Farag V Mohamed matchup - the final most purists would like to see as they battle it out for the world #1 spot. There's a long way to go and a lot of squash to be played before we get there and a lot of players more the capable of upsetting the apple cart! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We are delighted to welcome on the show, current World #1 - Mohamed Elshorbagy He's already cemented himself into 'Legendary' status with his achievements to date, but is hungry as ever for more! There is great insight to the mind of a champion, what keeps him motivated, how he has re-invented himself, obstacle's he has had to overcome and a touch of the old school and a warrior in him the conversation includes a great anecdote how the legendary Gamal Awad saw a 10 year old Mohamed had what it took to go all the way. Clearly a deep thinker and a great talker this makes for a compelling listen Enjoy!! Cheers See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

EP 32 sees the conclusion of the Egyptian Open coincide with a pretty unbalanced article released from the Atlantic on the weekend. The panel discuss The squehsh never fails to deliver - the semi finals and finals , where both Nour el Sherbini and Ali Farag reclaiming the world #1 spots. We look forward to a potential tashtey match up in Qatar next month where Shorbaggy is back in action and no doubt hungry as ever to reclaim the status of world #1. We talk referees and the excitement players like Asal and Hania bring to the tour as the current world junior champions are causing upsets and producing some incredibly exciting squash. Thanks everyone for listening and for the feedback to date! Check us out on social @ ATC Squash podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Asals celebration has divided the squash world with strong opinions on both sides of the coin - Hes only a young fella, let the lad have a bit of fun enjoying his big win. But there was some darkness that overshadowed a match that everything producing some unbelievable squash that at times was off the charts in quality. The panel review. Hania and Camille never fail to dissapoint in another battle that unsurprisingly went the distance and finished leaving both players wanting to play some one else for a change!! Much more to report and we welcome Nathan Lake and Sabrina Sobhy, both of whom had fantastic events. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

1/4s at the pyramids!GG is back at the iconic venue the top seed, can he make amends for his last appearence in front of the pyramids, 2006 World open final defeat to David Palmer?! Were certainly excited to see! al great matches, Serme and Hania play for the 150th time. Squash tourist gests a mention and we EP 30!! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From no surprises / upsets in Manchester to upset central in Egypt as the Egyptian Open commences! We review the opening 2 rounds, welcome back the General as he beats Miguel, the Gilis sisters take out the world #9 and #7 in the round of 32, SJ and Rosner bow out in the same round. Asal waves good bye to his iMask and announces himsef as a serious threat with wins over Rosner and the former world #1 James Wilstrop. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

preview of the Egyptian Open, with hot takes and predictions to get the juices flowing for the event which starts tomorrow which just happens to be world squash day! Happy world squash day!!! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

WTF review! A ridiculous week of high quality squehsh comes to an end. The emergence of Hania as she came from 2/0 down to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat v Nour el Tayeb , whos semi final result against Sherbini had her down as a slight favorite tunred into clear favorite at 2/0 up. Still a great week for Tayeb.Marwan El Shorbaggy cruises to victory playing flawlessly all week with some of the purest ball striking youll see coupled with some great moving and clinical finishing proving to much for Farag and Gawad as Joel Makin makes himself to be known as a serious contender to the top 5 players in the world this week backed up with wins v the world # 3 and 5 to make semi final at his first ever WTF See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Episode 26!! We hear from Camille Serme and how she avenged lasts week to Nour El Tayeb. The group are finished and they did not disappoint! We review how they finished and look ahead to some titanic battles in the semis today... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We are mid way through the group stages for the World Tour Finals in Egypt. Some hot takes from the matches and preview the next few days and lead into the semi. We also here from Tarek Momen, Camille Serme and Sarah Jane Perry See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

World tour finals preview with audio diaries from Sarah Jane Perry and Camille Serme. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

El Tayeb and ElShorbaggy win Manchester, the first event post Covid. What a week its been in Manchester - We hear one last audio diary from Amanda Sobhy, review the finals and welcome to the show Hadrian Stiff, the coach to the ElShorbaggy brothers and Joelle King and hear his thoughts on Mohamed's victory as he continues to cement his place as one of the all time greats, securing his 42nd title. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cracking day of squehsh! We hear from Tim Garner , event organizer extrordinaire , and he fills us in in the challenges faced running an event in the middle of a pandemic! We review the semis, pre view the final and stu gets lazy and takes 15 minutes off.... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The 1/4s at Manchester certainly lived up to its billing.... Say no more See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Episode 20!! We hear from Tesni Evans and Amanda Sobhy who both came through tight matches in round 2 and prepare for the 1/4 finals tomorrow.. Or today depending when your listening.. Or yesterday for that matter..... We review round 2 and look ahead to some tasshhhhhtey 1/4 finals including a repeat f the 2019 world open final Tarek Momen and Paul Coll, Camile Serme v Joel King, Sobhy v tayeb, Evans v Perry, actucally well stop there as al matches promise to be amazing high qualiteh squehsh. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Day 2 round 1 Manchester OpenAs day 2 comes to a conclusion we review some of todays matches and highlights. We hear more audio diaries from Tesni Evans and Declan James, Both who played todayAnd we welcome Amanda Sobhy who shares her experience travelling from the US See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Squash is back!! The panel review happenings on the top half of round 1 and we have audio diaries from Welsh international Tesni Evans and Englishman Declan James who give us insight into entering the bubble and getting ready to play their first round matches on Thursday. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Squash is back and Stuarts emotional level hits the dizzy heights of a 7!We preview the Manchester Open and just before we record were gutted to here GG, whos just off the back of securing a 12k in Prague beating Rapha Kandra in the final, Diego and Miguel are out of the draw!! Chris catches up with Danielle Letourneau, the Canadian whos recently relocated to train and learn in Egypt as she gears up for the return of the tour See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're super excited to welcome on the show one of the biggest legends of squash, larger than life character, Johnathan Power.We cover his career, playing style, sports punditry, why Diego is the horse to bet on as the tour resumes. How upset Gaultier was when Power retired and more... Sit back and enjoy this one See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Le tour is about to restart in Manchester! The panel review some of the recent interviews that have been released on the PSA Worldtour in build up to the Manchester Open that is scheduled to begin September 16th (all going well!). Shorbaggy lays down the challenge and exciting times on the womens tour - a very open period where any number of players can genuinely put their hand up and claim the #1 ranking. We welcome back Aisling Blake, a legend in Irish Squash who made 14 consecutive National finals showing incredible character to win her maiden title on the 14th time of asking. Stu splashes out on a pair of goggles, Chris dips into the Ocean State and theres dissapointment Geraint Thomas has been left out of the TDF! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.