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G.O.A.T: 2000 – Present – The Vote
Natalie Grinham during her career won three Commonwealth Games Gold Medals and finished runner-up at both the World Open and the British Open. The sister of former World No.1 Rachael, also reached a career-high of World No.2 and had a long-standing rivalry with Malaysia’s Nicol David.
Melbourne-born Carol Owens has the unique achievement of representing both Australia and New Zealand at the highest level and won medals for both countries at the Commonwealth Games. Owens lifted a total of 27 PSA Tour titles during a trophy-laden career, which included two World Championship triumphs.
Thierry Lincou was one of the finest movers and fittest players that squash has ever seen and those attributes helped him make history by becoming the first French player to top the World Rankings and claim a World Championship title.
Egypt’s Amr Shabana is widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, having won the majority of the top accolades the sport has to offer and also reaching the coveted World No.1 spot. He is also one of the iconic Egyptian players of this era, leading the way for the current Egyptian dominance.
A determined competitor with a fierce will to win, Bristol-based Egyptian Mohamed ElShorbagy has lifted every major title the sport has to offer and has been almost ever-present at the summit of the World Rankings over the past four years.
England’s Nick Matthew has achieved everything there is to achieve in squash with the Yorkshireman racking up an impressive 35 PSA World Tour titles during his glittering career including three World Championship titles, three British Open titles and three Commonwealth Games Gold Medals.
Aussie legend David Palmer won all of the sport’s major titles, with two World Championships, four British Opens and a trio of Commonwealth Games gold medals to show for a superb career. Palmer was known for his incredible physicality, while a rigorous training regime helped him enjoy the kind of success that no Australian man had enjoyed since the legendary Geoff Hunt in the 1970s-80s.
The first English-born World No.1 ever, Yorkshireman Lee Beachill battled back from a series of serious injury issues to leave a lasting legacy in the sport, winning two Commonwealth Games gold medals during his career.
Karim Darwish is a former World No.1 who was one of Egypt’s leading players in the 2000s. The Egyptian held onto the World No.1 ranking for 11 months during 2009, a year which also saw him crowned PSA Player of the Year.
Known as ‘The Marksman’ after his accurate shot placement, James Willstrop has a large, rangy build and stands at an impressive 6 feet 4 inches and is one of the most talented players on the PSA World Tour. Willstrop is a former World No.1 whose attacking style of play has seen him reach the very pinnacle of the game.
Malaysian icon Nicol David is one of the biggest stars to have ever picked up a squash racket with eight PSA World Championship titles to her name – more than any other player in the women’s game – to name a few and deserves her name amongst the legends of the sport.
Despite being just 22-years-old, Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini has already written herself into the squash history books and put her name into the debate as one of the greatest players ever to pick up a squash racket with two World Championship titles already on her list of ever-expanding achievements.
The first female Egyptian in any sport to become World No.1, Raneem El Welily is one of the most enigmatic squash players of all time and her capacity for shot-making and unpredictable nature on court has made her a firm favourite with fans across the world.
Steely determination and impressive mental strength has enabled Laura Massaro to establish herself as one of the greatest players of her generation, with the Lancastrian claiming World Championship and British Open glory in addition to enjoying a stint atop the World Rankings.
Former World Champion Rachael Grinham is one of the most recognisable names on the PSA World Tour with a lengthy career that has seen her win some of the biggest prizes that the women’s game has to offer including the coveted World Championship title and four British Open titles.
Described as one of the ‘most talented racket sport players ever’, Egyptian Ramy Ashour is unquestionably one of the greatest players of the modern era but a player who’s achievements could have been even greater were it not for a series of chronic injuries that have limited his playing time. However, the Egyptian still has three World Championship crowns to his name amongst other big accolades in the sport.
Considered to be one of the most charismatic players on the PSA World Tour, Gregory Gaultier is the most successful French player of all time and a player who has transformed from an emotional, often temperamental teenage prodigy, into one of the most consistent players around and the first player in the modern era to play in over 700 matches.
Over the past few weeks, we have been giving you the chance to decide the greatest players in squash history as we take a look at the achievements and legacies of some of the most recognisable names ever to take to a squash court.
This week we have been looking at the achievements of some of the greatest players to ply their trade during the 2000-2018 – and now you can vote for who you think is the best.
Click on each player’s name to learn more about them and then vote on our poll at the bottom of the page!
You can vote for the pre-1960s era here.
The 1960-1979 era.
And don’t forget to vote for the 1980-99 era too.
These votes will form a 20-man and 20-woman shortlist, at which point we will re-open the voting to find out who squash fans think is the greatest of all time.
Former World Champion Vanessa Atkinson is the only Dutch player ever to win the World Championships, while she also spent five months atop the World Rankings during her career.
Leilani Rorani claimed 16 PSA World Tour titles throughout her impressive career, including two British Open crowns and reached the final of the World Championship on two occasions as well as holding the World No.1 ranking for a combined total of 11 months.
Born in England but raised in South Africa, Natalie Grainger went onto achieve huge success in squash including a World No.1 ranking and reaching the final of both the World Championships and British Open as well as international success representing the United States.
Voting closes at 10:00 BST on Wednesday August 1.
