“I’m even more hungry than before”: Gohar on Injury, Rehab & Florida Open Return

World No.2 Nouran Gohar is set to make her long-awaited return from injury later today when she takes on Egyptian compatriot Zeina Mickawy in the second round of the SmartCentres Kinetic Florida Open 2024. 

Gohar, 26, was last seen on court during her quarter-final defeat to Amanda Sobhy at the QTerminals Qatar Classic back in September – since then remaining sidelined due to a tear to her plantar fascia in her heel. 

What many wouldn’t have known though, was that Gohar sustained the injury during her run to the final of the season-opening Paris Squash event, having to play her semi-final and the title decider, as well as three further matches in Qatar, while harbouring the injury. 

“The injury I got was quite complicated,” she said. “In a nutshell, it was a 9 millimetre tear in my plantar fascia and that’s what actually stopped me in Qatar. Before that, I had a really bad plantar contusion in my heel which caused the tear in my plantar fascia. 

“They think that this happened in the quarter-finals in Paris, so I technically played with the tear for five matches afterwards in both Paris and up to the quarter-finals in Qatar.”

After the initial shock of injury, Gohar turned her eyes to the necessary rehab and attempting to return to the court as soon as possible. 

To begin with, the Egyptian was forced to keep her foot in a boot for four weeks – a period that saw her complete static and passive rehab sessions with her physiotherapist back in the United States. From there, Gohar travelled to the Red Bull rehab centre in Thalgau in Austria, staying in the vicinity for two-and-a-half-weeks and taking three key injections which aided the healing process. The final stage of Gohar’s recovery saw her travel back home to America to start a fresh programme with her physiotherapist.

And although she missed out on major PSA World Tour events such as the U.S. Open Presented by TRUIST and the TTI Milwaukee Hong Kong Squash Open during this laborious process, Gohar believes the enforced break has helped her to acknowledge some of her impressive achievements over the last few years. 

Since reaching the coveted World No.1 spot in July 2020, Gohar has enjoyed the most prolific years of her career, never dropping lower than second in the women’s rankings and also capturing 14 PSA World Tour titles in this time. 

Reflecting upon her time away from the sport, she said: “I obviously missed my time on tour. Like any elite athlete, you never want to be missing time on tour from injury. Injury is the worst thing that can happen to an athlete, so it wasn’t something that I was super happy about to begin with. 

“At the same time though, I think it was a blessing in disguise in that it was a good time to take a step back and see how far I have come, especially in the last three years where I have had a great time on tour and I have achieved a lot. The setback allowed me to appreciate what I have done and it was something that was important to me, especially when you look at the numbers. 

“When you are in the moment, and you’re playing and competing, you don’t really realise how much you have achieved. It gave me a different perspective and allowed me to also spend more time with my family. 

“I’m now really excited to be back out on the court, appreciating what I am doing, and I’m even more hungry than before.”

Despite World No.3 Hania El Hammamy closing the gap to Gohar significantly in the world rankings after her success at the Hong Kong Open in December, the latter is rejoining the tour at a busy stage of the season, with plenty of world ranking points up for grabs during the America swing.

Gohar’s entry in the Florida Open will be followed by an appearance at the Platinum-level J.P Morgan Tournament of Champions this month, while she will play the DAC Pro Squash Classic and the Windy City Open presented by The Walter Family in February. 

And even though Gohar’s position as World No.2 is a lot tighter than when she left it back in September, the Cairo-born player is refusing to place too much pressure on her own shoulders for the remainder of the season. 

On her imminent return at the Florida Open and her goals moving forward beyond that, she said: “I’m very excited to be back and playing at the Florida Open. It’s obviously a new tournament on the calendar, so that gives it an extra excitement. 

“The Tournament of Champions is obviously just around the corner after that as well, and that is one of the tournaments that you want to win for sure. Since I moved to Stanford, New York feels like a second home to me, so it will be exciting to be playing at an amazing venue such as the Grand Central Station and competing in a familiar place. It’s very exciting and I’m really looking forward to it.”

“I obviously always have some long-term goals that are in the back of my mind and I don’t really like to share them until I achieve them. 

“Since the injury, I think I have enjoyed the process of seeing myself improve every single day, getting better every single day and comparing myself to what I have done the day before. I think that is something that is really satisfying, so I’m taking it day by day, seeing how I improve and not expecting too much from myself. I know I can achieve a lot, but I don’t need expectations or pressure to be there for now. 

“I’m just going to enjoy myself on court and hope for the best.”