“Sometimes I couldn’t get out of bed, my back was so bad” – Joelle King Looking To Put Injuries Behind Her

New Zealand’s Joelle King has been sidelined from the PSA World Tour since October 2023, unable to complete due to ongoing injuries.

King’s last match was during the U.S. Open 2023, where she lost out to Egypt’s teenage sensation Amina Orfi in the last 16. The New Zealand No.1 was ranked at No.4 in the world at the time but has now slipped outside of the top 50.

We caught up with the 35-year-old to discuss exactly what the injury was, how her recovery is going and how her injury has allowed her to return to New Zealand for longer than expected, something that King hasn’t been able to do for a long time.

“It’s been eight months back in New Zealand for me,” said King, speaking with SQUASHTV Lead Commentator Joey Barrington.

“It started as two months to go back and try and sort my back out, I had a prolapsed disc, but there was a complication with a trapped nerve so it ended up being three months with that, then a month into starting to train again, I blew my meniscus. So it was two months which turned into eight, but it was kind of nice that for the first time since I was 18 I was home for a long period. When I’m there usually, my time is filled with exhibitions and coaching and things like that, so it was nice to live like a New Zealander again.”

King had been the World No.4 for the entirety of 2023 before her injury and was constantly coming up against the world’s top three in most major events. King started working with Hania El Hammamy’s current coach Laura Massaro many years ago and explains that the tactical knowledge of the former World Champion is a key factor to her being able to adapt her game and continue to perform at the top level.

“I’ve had a lot of amazing male coaches throughout my career, but adding Laura to my team was something that was massive for me. Having her by my side when I was going through that transition and maybe losing a yard of pace and a bit of sharpness was huge, being able to add different technical and tactical things to my game to be able to compete was a huge bonus and I’m so glad that she was able to help me with that.”

The former Commonwealth Games gold medallist admits that she has been eyeing up different opportunities to return to action this year but hasn’t been able to get herself to the level required in time. King is now simply focused on getting back to court pain free so she can enjoy her squash.

“As of right now, I was trying hard to come back and play the British Open, but I couldn’t do that. So I’m just really keen to end things on my terms. Before I stopped for my injury, it was just not fun playing injured all the time. Sometimes I couldn’t get out of bed because the back was so bad, so I just want to get back to enjoying my squash, whatever level that is.”

With squash now being recognised as an Olympic sport for the LA 2028 games, many players will be targeting that event due to its stature despite it being four years away. King will be 40 years old when the games take place, but admits that she hasn’t ruled out trying to be there competing for New Zealand.

“For the Olympics, I’ll probably be too old but I would love to be able to hang on just to be able to get there and play in an Olympics. I would have to manage my body really well and the NZ Olympic network is really supportive and would give me all the support I would need if I decided to do it. It’s a dangling carrot, so I’d love to be there and I haven’t said no yet, so let’s see what happens.”