The Jonah Barrington Column: December 2023

One of the sport’s greatest thinkers and a pioneer for the professional game, Jonah Barrington offers his thoughts on all of squash’s biggest talking points in his monthly column – written exclusively for the PSA World Tour website.

In this month’s column, Jonah discusses the injury sustained by Amanda Sobhy as well as the recent fine form of Paul Coll and Nele Gilis.

By Jonah Barrington

Amanda Sobhy is a world-class professional squash player and one day she might still become the World Champion.

She would have become that already but for perhaps three of the best players to ever tread the courts and, sadly, a ruptured Achilles tendon when only 23.

For me, she exemplifies the word persistence, an enduring determination to reach for the skies and a perpetual inspiration to those aspiring younger players.

In the most recent days it has remained apparent that the top of the mountain is still visible, and if it were possible, the depth of her eternal ambition has remained constant.

An Achilles rupture or tear is one of the very worst sporting injuries (I know because I have been there), but to suffer that at such an age is an especially cruel blow.

At that time, in 2017, I wondered if that would forestall her dreams and ambitions in our game because regardless of the expertise and miracles of modern medicine, even the slightest diminution of mobility in a player at the top end is pounced upon by the predators.

The best part of almost a year may well pass before the never ending rehabilitation (it is actually forever) has followed its necessary course, and apart from the physical and technical aspects, the confidence to move and accelerate has to become automatic and a given once more.

Amanda has been there and done it (as it happened so has the most admirable Joelle King).

So we came to the final stage of the Hong Kong Open a few days ago and the American star had produced perhaps her finest performance in the semis in a comprehensive victory over Nour El Sherbini, and you may well by now be aware of my opinion of The Warrior Princess.

That final against the remarkably athletic Hania [El Hammamy] on that extraordinary floor in yet another fine setting (eat your hearts out other sports!) by the middle of a quality first game had the makings of a classic encounter and just another expression of just how good the women’s game has become.

But it was not to be. This was truly a triumph and disaster scenario in a bare two days.

Amanda’s ingrained persistence underlined, then kicked in almost immediately …I read her posts on Squash Stories and Squash Mad – the almost instant reaction to say she will be back and again heading for these tantalising heights of the LA Games.

She is guaranteed to have the considerable support of a veritable mountain of well-wishers throughout our sport.

This leftie is with her all the way.

Paul Coll laid a marker down over successive British Opens and due credit was given for the very considerable advance of his game under the tutelage of Robert Owen.

Unsurprisingly, to me anyway, he paid an early price for this rather sudden elevation with Ali (Farag) in spite of injury mounting a strong challenge and the main rivals in the pack, with their respective advisory teams, analysing why Paul was promoting a different game, which was underlined by an improved technique and supported by a superb defensive game which proved too much in the short term for those same adversaries.

But a response was found and while the Kiwi in the last period was unable to find that remarkable ability to absorb that challenge, to his relatively brief authority, he too has responded.

Progressing anew with Robert at a distance and Rodney Martin’s eagle eye at courtside, I felt that arguably the memorable match with Ali in Hong Kong had seen Paul at a new peak.

Of course the match gave us (and the lucky spectators) something very special with momentum swinging teasingly throughout from one to the other.

Then the fifth game with an incredible denouement. What a match. Everything we would wish for in a sport finally is on display in 2028 – and you know where!

There were phases where Paul outplayed Ali, the multiple World Champion, with such a positive early accurate assault and quality of stroke (irresistible angles and deceptive boasts) that it was absolutely mesmerising and, I must confess, unexpected.

Over the last few years there have been too many occasions where the women have saved the day, but after the traumatic end to Amanda and Hania’s match, we all had our fingers crossed that Farag and Coll would hit the mark.

It did and much more plus.

Paul patently exemplifies persistence and this is perhaps even more evident with his partner Nele Gilis.

I met her just once, some years ago, and I watched her doing a comprehensive session with Rob.

She was very hungry, very athletic, and very raw. I recall saying to her that if you work hard everyday in the right way (that is a given with Robert) then there is only one guarantee – you will get better.

Nele has seen Paul doing his thing, has listened to her coach, and become a top exponent, a revelation, and an inspiration to those who also have their dreams and are currently lingering in the lower reaches of the game.

Her sister, Tinne, is continuing to advance too and is also making her statement as she proved in making the final of the New Zealand Open before coming up just short against her sister. Sometimes it all begins with a dream, doesn’t it?

I am not surprised to see Mostafa Asal still struggling to promote his powerful game in the way he would want.

He is obviously and understandably wrestling with a pattern of play constantly under the microscope, and whilst it is good to see James Willstrop recently sitting quietly in his corner and mentoring at this very early stage of his return to action, he will only become the player he would wish to be (and many of us would wish too) when the dust in his mind has settled and he is not carrying the baggage of the last two years or so.

Mostafa must stay with it, persist again, and he will win the battle.

End of story.