Declan James ‘Humbled’ to Finish Season as England No.1

As we reach the end of another season, the PSA’s Matt Coles has been chatting to the stars of the PSA World Tour about their 2018/19 campaigns. Here he catches up with England’s Declan James.
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Declan James says finishing the PSA World Tour campaign as England’s No.1 ranked player is a “humbling achievement”.

World No.16 James leads an experienced crew of Englishman in the late teens and early twenties of the World Rankings. The ‘Dark Knight’ sits ahead of Daryl Selby (17), James Willstrop (19), Adrian Waller (21) and Tom Richards (22) as England No.1.

At just 25, James is the youngest of that group, and he is happy to have reached a lifetime goal, but knows that he is not done yet.

“Being England number 1 is a surreal but humbling achievement,” James explained.

“Of course, it’s one of those things that growing up as a junior you always aspire to reach in your career. To have done so at 25-years-old made it extra special for me, especially given that it was at a time when two of the guys I look up to hugely in Daryl Selby and James Willstrop are still active.

“Despite this I am fully aware that to be the top England male is one thing, but to be one of the top players in the world is quite another. The main goal is of course to be one of those top few players so the road ahead remains long and hard, but I believe I am on the right track to achieving my potential.”

James got his 2018-19 season off to a perfect start, as he won the Open International de Squash de Nantes in September, beating compatriot, and former World No.1, James Willstrop to do so.

Despite that being the biggest title of his career, the Englishman takes great pride from achieving a different type of win this season – his first victory over a top ten player.

“I think my performance of the campaign was getting my first top ten win against Marwan ElShorbagy in Canary Wharf,” he admitted.

In the best-of-three format, James found himself up against it, as he lost the first game to the ‘Jackal’ 11-7. However, he bounced back to turn the match on its head, winning 2-1.

“I had been saying for some months that beating a top 10 player for the first time was high on my agenda, and I’m not really someone to talk for clout, so to say I wanted to achieve something and then going and doing it was positive.

“It was also a big mental hurdle to get that first win over a top 10-ranked player. In addition to this, with it being on home territory in London at Canary Wharf in front of a sensational crowd, this made it really special for me.”

That performance came after a run of premature exits, particularly at the Tournament of Champions and the World Championships, where James dropped out in the first round.

After that drop in form, James regrouped to make the quarter finals in three of his last five major tournaments, including beating two top ten players in that time.

“2019 has been a good year for me. I feel as though I went off course a little bit right in the middle of the season at the back end of 2018 and right at the start of 2019, but since then managed to string some good results together, beating two top ten players along the way,” James added.

“As always it is about learning and progressing, and I think the last season has been the biggest learning curve for me in terms of finding out more about myself and how I can make the improvements I need to reach the top.”

Despite the improvements, and finishing the season as England’s No.1, James knows that he still has a long way to go to reach the top.

“For the off season it’s back to business as usual. A few days off here and there to recover mentally and physically from the graft, but I know I have a lot to improve on and get better at, which actually excites me a lot,” the Englishman explained.

“If I didn’t think I could get much better that would be worrying. But I know I’m far from the finished article so all I can do is listen to what my coach and my trainer tell me I need to work on, and then get my head down and pay the price in the gym, and practice my craft on the court.”

When speaking about his goals for the 2019-20 season, James is more focused about his own game thank his ranking position.

“In terms of next season, it would be nice to push towards the top 10 in the world ranking wise, but, as I always say it’s more about progress and improvement for me,” he admitted.

“That’s where the satisfaction comes from, identifying what I need to get better at and then practicing it and trying to execute on the competitive stage.”

“It’s a relatively short window of opportunity we are blessed with in professional sport; if I can make the most of the time I have doing what I love, then I will reach my goals.”

Keep an eye out for the next player’s review of the 2018-19 season in the coming days, as Hollie Naughton reviews her campaign.