Squash's world No1, Nick Matthew, speaks to First News

British squash star Nick Matthew became the world No1 in June and has been there ever since. With the ROWE British Grand Prix in Manchester just around the corner, we found out if life is different when you’re at the top of your game.

 

Out of all the places you go to compete, where’s your favourite place?

New York’s probably my favourite of all, when we play in Grand Central Station. It’s buzzing, and it’s just such a fantastic place to play. We have glass-walled courts, so that the spectators can see all the way round.

 

Was it quite weird getting used to them?

Yeah, it was. When some of the qualifiers come in and they’ve not played on the glass courts as much, they do struggle to start with. It’s something you just get used to over time, and it’s obviously the way that the sport can get viewed by more and more people, and it’s better for TV.

Has the novelty of being No1 worn off?

No, I don’t think it ever will. It’s great to be that, but I don’t really think about it too much. A lot of people have asked whether I’m under pressure, and I don’t think I am at all. If you can’t enjoy your squash when you’re at No1, then you can’t enjoy it at all.

 

Did you always believe you’d get to No1?

Yeah. I think sometimes I was maybe one of the only ones who did! There are always times when you doubt it, but the one thing I can say is that I always gave it everything.

 

With Ramy Ashour at No2, do you feel like your experience is winning out over his youth at the moment?

No, it’s very up and down. I’ve had the edge in the last tournaments, but that could change any second. Historically, the best age to play has been from 26 to 29 or 30, but hopefully I can change that and go for a few years yet.

 

There are four UK players in the world top ten. How friendly is the rivalry?

It’s a very healthy rivalry and there’s a lot of friendship and respect there between us. But when that door on to court closes…

 

Are you happy with the refereeing, or do you think improvements can still be made?

We now have three refs: one central ref who’s in charge of the match, then two side refs who have a different angle of the game. I think that really helps, because it’s not just one person’s opinion now. That’s been a big improvement in the game. Hopefully in the future we can use video technology to further improve that.

 

What do you like most about squash?

I love the one-on-one challenge, which I think is as close as you can get to the fighting sports without getting your head kicked in! It’s a real thinking man’s sport. But as well as that massive physical element, there’s no-one on there who can help you, it’s just figuring it out for yourself. I don’t know whether being an only child helped with that!

 

Check out the video below to see Nick in action on court against his British rival, James Willstrop.

 

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Transcript

Source: PSA Squash World Tour

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