By Omar T. Abdelsalam
(We all know that Squash is a vegetable, but did you also know it is also a sport?)
A History of Squash
Soon squash started spreading around the world, including North America. The Duke of Beaufort, Eustace Miles, mentioned squash in his book “The Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes.” He was a world champion at both Tennis and Rackets. In 1901 he wrote his first book about squash—saying that it was enjoyed by thousands of players Internationally, but especially in schools and universities in England.
The first professional squash championship was held in 1920 in England. Much attention was brought to the sport and Racquet started becoming less popular. Women were also attracted to squash. In 1922, the First British Open women’s tournament was held at Queen’s club in London. Around the same time in the U.S, Harvard started its first university team, and hired their first squash coach, Harry Cowles. The sport gradually becomes more regulated, and the International Squash Rackets Federation is formed and attracts many countries, including Britain, India, Egypt, Pakistan, and the United States. Tournaments would be played in a four-wall court with a length of 9.75 meters, A width of 6.4 meters, and a height of 5.65 meters. The sport kept evolving until the Professional Squash Association arose to support both male and female players; the PSA is one of the few global sports associations that includes both genders, and still holding strong today.
Figure 1: How a squash court looks.
Rules
As for any sport, there are rules and regulations that govern all games. Squash is played between two people in a four-wall room. Your objective is to hit the ball off the front wall until the opponent fails in returning the ball; you get a point by doing so. You can score a point in many different ways. For example: if the ball bounces twice before your opponent hits it; if your opponent hits the ball outside the outline or above the back wall; if your opponent hits the net (the area between the floor and the line above; often called “tin”); if they hit the ball off the floor; or if your opponent interferes to prevent you from getting the ball (which is called a “stroke”).
There are also rules for serving. The ball must hit the front wall between the service line and the outline, and land in the area behind the short line on the opposite side of the court. Also, one foot must be within the service box. To win a match, you must win three sets (games) of 11 points. If a game gets to 10-10, then a player must win by two clear points to win the game. Competitive matches usually have a total of 5 sets played between the two players; the first to win three games wins the match. A point re-play (often called a “let”), could be made if a player accidently gets in their opponent’s way, and prevents them from playing the ball. You can volley the ball, or wait until it bounces once to hit—but carrying it gives a point to your opponent. You can also hit the side wall, making the ball bounce to the front wall. A rally could have a hundred shots or more depending on the players’ skills. Courts vary in shape too. A court could be made entirely of glass, or just be four solid walls, or feature three solid front walls and glass at the back.
Figure 2: (above): Rules for serving
Equipment needed
Historic Squash players
In the early 20th century, squash was mostly dominated by English players, and they won most of the tournaments both nationally and internationally. However, in 1963, a new legend began with Jahangir Khan, who was born in Peshawar, Pakistan. This child, once advised not to take part in any physical activity, would later become the greatest squash player of all time. When he was small his father and older brother began coaching him privately in squash, and he was inspired to continue playing. He became the youngest player ever to win the World Championship, winning it at the age of seventeen. In a career that ended in 1993, Khan won six World Championship titles, ten British Open titles, and had a winning streak of 555. He was known for his mental strength and fitness, and became a role model for all serious players.
On the women’s side, Nicol David is considered to be the greatest of all time. She was born on August 26,1983 in Penang, Malaysia. She has dominated the sport in the 21st century by winning many tournaments and being the number one female competitor globally for a long time. Her potential made itself known when she was very young, and she was the first player of either gender to win the World Junior title two times.
Throughout her career, Nicol has won eight world Championships, and five British Open titles, ultimately earning a grand total of 81 professional titles. She was the world number one for a record 109 consecutive months. She recently retired this year at the age of 35, leaving an inspiring legacy that will stand forever. The Nicol David Foundation works to empower girls through sports to reach their full potential; Nicol was recognized for this initiative with various Nobel honors from her country. 
Figure 3: Nicol David after winning one of her tournaments
Squash players now
Throughout different periods of time, specific countries or players dominate the sport. Now, squash is dominated by Egypt in all levels. For men, Amr Shabana started the Egyptian domination of the sport in the 21st century. He won the World Open tournament four times, became the world number one in 2006, and was nicknamed the ‘Maestro of Squash’. After seeing Shabana participate in international squash tournaments in Egypt, and seeing him win, many Egyptian youngsters were impressed and wanted to pursue the game professionally like him. Shabana is still considered one of the greatest squash players of all time.
Ramy Ashour became the successor of Shabana, and he was called the ‘Artist of Squash’ because of his skills and potential. Ashour broke many records; becoming the youngest player ever to win the Men’s World Junior Squash Championship at 16 years old and becoming the youngest world number one ever at 22. He is also one of the greatest of all time, but despite his magic skills, he suffered many injuries while playing and had to retire recently this year.
Figure 4: Many youths grew up watching the Ahram Open and always dreamed of playing there.
Watching these two legends play, more Egyptian boys and girls became motivated to compete in squash.. They get involved in the sport from a very young age, “They learn to win, and they have this desire to win so badly and prove themselves. When you have people who want something so bad, it keeps growing and growing until they’ve begun mass producing phenomenal squash players” (Olivia Blatchford).
Most of the junior or major tournaments are won by Egyptian players now, whether they are men or women. At the moment, six Egyptian players are ranked among the top ten in the world, with the top four being Egyptian. On the women’s side, the top four players are Egyptians. The competition among Egyptians helps them to advance more and dominate the sport. Sometimes semi-finals or quarters of major tournaments will be comprised only of Egyptian players.
Recently, Nour Elsherbini won the World Championship for the second year in a row, when she was only 24 years of age. That second win also counted as her 4th World Championship in all. On the men’s side, Tarek Momen recently won the World Championship for the first time, making a comeback after losing in the finals last year. Many young Egyptians seem poised to follow in the footsteps of current current top players by dominating the sport, because most countries only have one or two squash players that are world class, unlike Egypt which has many players at various levels in major tournaments largely competing against each other.
Figure 5 (below): Current world no.1 Raneem EL Welily playing against former world no.1 Nour Elsherbini. Both are Egyptians
Unpopularity of Squash
Despite being an old sport, squash is unpopular in many parts of the world, and few people follow it compared to other sports like tennis. One of the reasons is that squash does not generate as much money as tennis, thus the tournament prizes are not usually worth it. Only one or two TV channels broadcast squash, and they only do it during major finals and many of the fans don’t get to watch it unless they pay a lot of money. It is also expensive to build a court, and buying squash equipment and getting proper training is not affordable for many people. Although many activities are part of the Olympics, squash is not yet recognized as an Olympic sport. As a squash player, I often have difficulty describing the sport to friends in the U.S that have never heard of it. Despite Egyptian dominance, the sport is not even massively popular in Egypt, compared to soccer.
Gender Equality
Squash is one of the sports that demonstrates gender equality. Men and women are treated the same in this sport, and most tournaments make room for both male and female participation. This potentially makes the viewership/audience for squash roughly equal for both genders, allowing for same amount of profit. Tournament prizes are generally the same for men and women, and many tournaments are adopting this policy.
The sport is also unique in that many of the top players are married. Tarek Momen and Raneem EL Welily are married and were the first couple in history to both win the World Championship title. Ali Farag and Nour EL Tayeb became the first couple to win a tournament at the same time after winning the U.S open last year. Paul Coll and Nele Gilis are also couples who enjoy playing professional squash. Being married to a squash player allows for more respect and encouragement from both sides.
Where you can play Squash or Watch it
If you ever want to play squash, you can find many places to do so in New York. There are many clubs in the city, and a public court was built at Hamilton Fish Park. Moreover, this city acts as the host of one of the most prestigious squash tournaments. It is named the “tournament of champions” and is played every year at the Grand Central Terminal station. It will be held this winter from January 9 to 17. You can buy tickets to watch the games or just go to the station and watch from behind the court since it is public. 
Figure 6: A temporary glass court is installed every year for this tournament.
Health Benefits
Squash is one of the world’s oldest organized sports, and is enjoyed by many players around the globe. If it gets more sponsors, and is made available for more people to watch, it might become as popular as other sports, and then be added to the long list of Olympic Games.
