A Returning Patrick Rooney Excited To Feature In First Event For Over 6 Months

The 2024 British National Championships will see the return of 27-year-old Patrick Rooney as he is set to come back from an ankle injury which has sidelined him since January.

Rooney’s last competitive match was against British Open Champion Mostafa Asal in the J.P Morgan Tournament of Champions in New York City. Rooney was ranked No.24 in the world at the time but has now slipped to 44 due to not being able to compete in any events past January.

We caught up with the Merseyside player to talk through his return to action, his injury experience and expectations for his first event back.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Rooney.

“It’s been a long time out for me. It’s my first proper injury and I’ve been out for six months so I’m just very happy to be competing again.”

“My injury was a stress reaction to the medial malleolus, which isn’t quite a fracture which has been quite confusing to explain to people. It’s basically a weak bone on my left ankle and if not treated and rested properly then it could have become a lot worse so I’ve had to be careful but thankfully it’s healed now.”

Since his last tournament in January, Rooney has had to miss events such as the London Squash Classic, British Open and PSA World Championships. A break from squash was welcomed by Rooney at first, but a return to action was quickly on the mind as the weeks passed by.

“I have been playing this sport for 20 years and haven’t ever really had a break so it was quite nice to have an extended break over the last 6 months. It’s not ideal to be basically unemployed for that time and not earning money but I’m just happy to be back now and I’m excited to get going again.”

“For me the Nationals is a good starting event. Players will obviously be taking it seriously as it’s the Nationals but for me it’s an event without points so won’t affect my ranking or anything like that so the pressure is reduced slightly. I’m obviously a bit short of match practice as well so this is the perfect chance for me to get back into my tournament routine.”

Rooney is based in Pontefract under the tutelage of four-time winner James Willstrop. Training partners such as Rory Stewart, Ben Smith and Sam Todd have been helping Rooney get back up to speed but work is still to be done.

“I’m definitely not where I was but the main thing is that the injury has gone and I’m pain free. So the last few months has been building myself back up, squash and fitness wise. I’ve still got quite a bit of time before my first PSA event so I can really ramp it up before then and get plenty of matches in.

“The Nationals will give me a really good idea of where I’m at. It’s my first competetive match since the Tournament of Champions in January so I’m not too sure where I’m at. I know where I’m at in training but competition is completely different so will be a great indictor for me.”

Rooney has been drawn against former World No.15 Declan James in the opening round and admits that his only goal for the event is to get through that match.

“My goal is just to get through the first round. I’m ready enough to go into the match wanting to win it. Dec [James] is a strong player and seemed to be playing well at the end of last season so it will obviously be very tough but I’m just hoping to play well and hopefully get a win.”

Rooney takes on James in round one over on Court 2 on the 14th August at St Georges Hill Squash Club. Action will be streamed live on SQUASHTV.

For updates on the British National Squash Championships, visit the official tournament website or follow England Squash on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.