“Expectations are still the same for me, I want to be at the top.” – Nour El Tayeb

World No.6 Nour El Tayeb believes she can still challenge the leading pack in the women’s game and says she still has what it takes to go all the way to the top.

El Tayeb took time away from the tour during the 2020-21 season to give birth to her daughter and since returning to the PSA World Tour, El Tayeb has gone from strength to strength and is firmly back inside the top eight in the world – the 14-time PSA title winner is not satisfied with that, however.

We caught up with the Egyptian to talk about her expectations now that squash isn’t the biggest thing in her life, how she balances her training day to day and the challenge that awaits her at the top of the game.

First of all, how would you assess your start to the season?

Nour El Tayeb: “My start to the season, that could be a long one. I put some work in during the off season, so I was very happy with how the off season went. It was the first off season since I’ve had Farida, and I had a few weeks to properly train. Last year I didn’t have much time to train, so it has been a very good off season and I was looking forward to starting the season. I think I didn’t start badly at all, but it’s tough. Paris was okay, Qatar wasn’t good and it really hurt me, but I bounced back in the Houston Open. Overall, I can’t complain, I think it’s going great.”

Are you surprised with how well your return went and what do you think it will take to ultimately get back up there with Nour El Sherbini, Nouran Gohar and Hania El Hammamy?

NET: “That’s a very interesting question, because I think about it a lot. I think taking the time off to have the baby helped me reflect and see squash from a different perspective, but expectations are still the same for me, I still want to be at the top.

“At the beginning of my comeback, I put more pressure on myself than I should have, but I think I’m more focused on my level and my squash at the moment. I have what it takes to be at the top and to be a better squash player.

“I keep forgetting that my comeback has been incredible for me and how incredible it is to be at this level again after taking time off and having my body change. The tour has changed as well, the pace is much faster than when I was playing in the top four. Nour El Sherbini keeps picking up the pace and making it faster and then with Nouran [Gohar] and Hania [El Hammamy], they play at a different level, but I think I can compete with them. I’m very close and if I can stay focused on my squash, my improvements and my performance, I think I can do well.”

There are very few athletes that go away from the top of the game to have a child and then manage to return to the top. What would it mean to you to be able to do this?

NET: “I think it’s taking me more time to appreciate my journey and my level, but I appreciate it more than I did a year ago. I genuinely think it’s very hard to come back after giving birth, it’s not easy but if I can do it, I’m sure anyone can. I want this message to be out there. I’m not doing it for the message, but if it can help someone that’s great.

“I was in a very bad place before I stopped and to be able to come back really helps me grow as a person. Being able to face the everyday challenges of being a mother and trying to compete at a high level is a big lesson for me. I don’t think I would have learned so much if I didn’t come back, so I’m very grateful for coming back and I’m even more grateful that it’s going at this pace and at this level. I forget a lot of the time that I’m among the best squash players. It’s nice to remember every now and then that I’m at this level after having a baby. I think it is great, but sometimes I forget that.”

This is more of an insight into where your mentality is. Are you a mother who is an athlete? Or an athlete who is a mother? Where do you see yourself?

NET: “I think in a way it’s healthier to not have all your confidence or all your sense of security come from being an athlete. If we were just athletes, then all our sense of security and happiness would depend on being an athlete. So I’m still in the process of trying to change that, because I’m a mother and I am trying to be a better person, to hopefully be a better mother for my daughter, to give her the best relationship with her mother.

“I would love to give her a lot of things and becoming a better mother helps me become a better squash player. I don’t think of myself as a mother yet, but I’m a mother, of course and then I’m a squash player.”

So when we look at your best performances we often see lots of holds, deception, and attacking play. To consistently reach the latter stages of major events, do you feel you’ve got to change your game slightly, especially when you are playing against the top 3?

NET: “I don’t think I need to change my game. I think I need to improve all of the things you mentioned. Each of the top girls, they have something that is very unique to them. I don’t have one thing that is very unique. I think I’m very good at a lot of things, but not one thing that stands out, which I’m happy with. But I need to keep improving every bit of my game, such as my holds, my retrieving, my awareness on the court and awareness of the game. I need to improve them, but also to trust and believe in them. The more I can trust and believe in those skills, the more I can compete at a high level and reach later stages.

“I was talking to Ali [Farag] about it and I think I have to admit I’m a part-time squash player. I’m not a full-time squash player. It’s tough for a mother or for someone who has a life outside of squash, so I think I need to accept that I can’t make it to the later stages of every event, as I won’t always be sleeping well and could be drained and tired. I think every mother knows that and I need to understand that. It is taking me time to accept that but I’m getting there with the help of Ali and my coach. I talk a lot about being coached by Engy Kheirallah. She’s a mother, so she understands a lot of the things that females who aren’t mothers wouldn’t understand. I’m lucky to work with her.

“I’ve been obsessed with reaching the later stages of events and whilst I still want to do it and I still believe I can, I have to understand that it’s okay if it doesn’t happen every event because I am part -time.”

We’re seeing more and more of your daughter Farida at your squash events and a lot of the other players play with her and like having her around. Do you feel that you have a good support network when you come to events?

NET: “I feel very blessed that after I’ve given birth and I’ve had Farida around, I’ve felt the love from people. I can’t name them all now, but they all offer to help me with babysitting Farida. I never worry when she’s here with me because I know I’ll find someone to take care of her. I can’t think of one of the girls that has not been nice to me or Farida since I’ve given birth. Everyone has been very supportive through sending text messages or by helping with babysitting. Everyone has been incredible, so it makes me very confident when I come here and have Farida.”

Do you play better as an underdog or do you find that you strive to be better when
you were in the mix pre maternity?

NET: “I think I’m better with being an underdog for sure. I know I’m not the favourite in any event, but I would like to be more of a contender and I hope I can get there. But for now, I’m happy with where I am. I think my squash is at a very nice level and I’m happier on the court. This is all can focus on now, so hopefully I can stay like that.”