Mohamed ElSherbini: “I may be in my 30s, but I feel 20 at heart”

When doctors told a 23-year-old Mohamed ElSherbini he would never play squash again after a serious car accident in 2015, the Egyptian may not have even dreamt that a meteoric rise into the world’s top 20 was possible.

The incident, which left ElSherbini hospitalised and out of the sport for two years, could easily have brought his squash career to a close, but eight years on and 10 PSA titles later, ElSherbini is going as strong as ever.

The 31-year-old is currently up to a career-high ranking of World No.15 and recently impressed when reaching the semi-finals of the Windsor Cup.

ElSherbini’s journey to the last four in Canada saw him defeat both Henry Leung and Qatar Classic quarter-finalist Greg Lobban before eventually having to retire mid-way through his last-four bout against fellow Egyptian Tarek Momen.

Speaking on this strong start to the 2023/24 season, he said: “I’m just looking to play how I played in that tournament [the Windsor Cup] moving forward, to build on the performance in the quarter-finals, focus on playing positive, attacking squash, with passion and a smile on my face.

“I have confidence in my game. There is so much belief and faith in how I play nowadays and I’m confident that my best squash can get me to the top spots.”

Mohamed, who is the cousin to current women’s World No.1 Nour El Sherbini, entered the new season full of confidence after reaching the quarter-finals at the Canadian Open, finishing runner-up at the Squash on Fire Open and progressing to the last sixteen of the British Open in the latter stages of his 2022/23 campaign.

On his upturn in form towards the end of last term, ElSherbini said: “I kept trying and I think my mindset and mentality is what made me break through towards the end of the year.

“I remember at the beginning of the second half of the season I was World No.30 or 29 or something like that.

“At the J.P. Morgan event [the Tournament of Champions in January 2023], at one point, I was 2-0 down and 8-3 down to Ramit Tandon in the second round, and I just told myself I didn’t want to lose there because I had been working so hard to play on the glass court in the Grand Central Station and it was one of my dreams to reach that level, and then it [the comeback] happened.

“Throughout the second half of the season, I gained so much confidence from that match and I just carried on throughout the last five tournaments of the season.

“I have been trying so hard to get into the top 20 just to prove a point to myself that I can do it.”

Despite enjoying a recent surge up the world rankings, PSA titles have still evaded the Egyptian in the past few years.

ElSherbini’s last victory on the PSA tour came at the Pakistan International Championship in April 2019, with the 31-year-old finishing runner-up on four occasions since then.

However, the World No.15 is confident that his game is in the right place to get over the finishing line and put himself back in the winner’s enclosure.

“I think my level of dedication is different now [compared to previous years],” he said. “The more you put in, the more you get out, and hard work will always result in good performances and good results.

“I have the right people around me who believe in me, but I also believe in myself. I feel like I still have lots more to give.

“I may be in my 30s, but I feel 20 at heart.”

ElSherbini noted that he hasn’t been short of inspiration on his journey into the world’s top 20 ranked players, drawing on two legendary figures throughout the early stages of his squash career.

One of these names was World No.1 and four-time World Champion Amr Shabana, who is widely considered one of the greatest players to ever grace the game.

Speaking on his admiration of the Cairo-born left-hander, ElSherbini said: “My favourite player of all time is ‘The Maestro’ Amr Shabana for sure, hands down.

“Nobody can come near him. Shabana, for me, is the number one, inside and outside the pro tour. He used to talk to me and help me a lot when I was young.

“I also used to look up to Wael El Hindi, who was also a role model to me. He was always a role model to me, he was always pushing me and training with me.”

When asked which players he attempts to base his game on, the Egyptian reeled off a stellar list of names, saying: “I try my best to have the calmness of Shabana, the slickness of Wael El Hindi, the precision of Ramy Ashour and the stamina of Mohamed ElShorbagy back when he was 21 years old!”

ElSherbini is currently enjoying his second stint living in the United States – having moved back to the country in 2020 after a spell in Egypt – and he believes this has helped his squash to trend in the right direction.

He said: “The move to the U.S. is better for me. I like the atmosphere of the United States compared to the Egyptian atmosphere.

“I like to focus more on my recovery and fitness, I like to have a nice walk every now and then. For me, it is important to live in a nice atmosphere with good food and nice, positive people around you who always try to push you to reach your full potential.

“It is not something new for me and it is something that I have always been used to and we shall see what this move will do to my game.

“I feel that if you are mentally relaxed and you’re living in the right atmosphere, it will definitely impact your game in a positive way and it will impact your mind, for sure.”

Although ElSherbini has already seen his ranking spike substantially since the turn of the calendar year, he has no plans on stopping just yet.

“It’s been a good journey, a fun one, and I’m glad to be here,” he said. “We’ll talk in more detail when I get into the top 10, I promise you that!”