ROD MARTIN ON Linking Up with Gohar Pre-British Open

RJ Mitchell
Spitfire Media

Elite coach Rod Martin says he is confident he can help World No.2 Nouran Gohar take her game to the next level.

The former world champion has garnered a reputation as one of the game’s super coaches following his work with Mohamed ElShorbagy and a string of other top names.

After her defeat in the World Championship final by Nour El Sherbini, Gohar decided that to dethrone the World No.1 she would have to add a degree of subtlety to her game, particularly in the front court.

Following a training camp with Martin in Connecticut, Gohar impressed at the British Open, where it was clear that improvements had been made to both her strokes and tactical awareness.

However, in the British Open final, despite taking a one game lead and reaching game ball in the second, in one of the British Open’s most engrossing finals, Gohar went down in five see-sawing games to her nemesis El Sherbini.

Reflecting on this, Martin says that although Gohar has impressed him in their short time together, he is adamant that he has barely scratched the surface when it comes to helping her reach her full potential.

The 1991 world champion said: “It was through Mohamed [that he began working with Gohar], Nouran was talking to him, and she said she was thinking of going to America and of course he was kind enough to suggest she might want to do some stuff with me.

“From there we chatted and tried to work out what she wanted as I didn’t just want to be a ball machine for Nouran, just feeding balls isn’t for me! So, I explained I had watched her matches and felt I had a good understanding of her game, what I could bring to the table and how that could improve her game. From there we arranged for her to come along and see how it went.

“For me as a coach it was important that if we did work on court then I would have input into what she is doing and she was really open to what I had to say. We got to work on the court on the run up to the British Open in Connecticut and I think she really enjoyed the sessions we did and what we talked about.

“I believe I can do a lot to improve Nouran’s game and add the feel and touch she needs and increase the variety, while there are some other things tactically we can also improve.”

When it came to just how he could make the difference, Martin, the only man to beat both Jahangir and Jansher Khan in the same tournament – en route to that 1991 world title capture – provided a fascinating insight: “Nouran is just so impressive with how she hits the ball, and the consistency of her hitting is unbelievable, but I feel that Nouran’s understanding of what her opponents are doing, how to counter that and what to look for could be better.

“I digress a bit but if a coach knows what they are looking for it can make a world of difference. Recently I read stuff from Andre Agassi on social media, and he said that when Boris Becker first came on tour, he couldn’t read Boris’ serve.

“Agassi noticed that when Becker stuck his tongue out straight his serve went straight down the middle, when it stuck out to the left it went to the forehand and to the right to the backhand.

“So, all of a sudden Agassi had a read on Becker’s serve but he didn’t want to let the cat out of the bag too early, so he would save it for the big points and then cash in on his read and collect!

“As a player and as a coach, if you have the ability to read traits in an opponent it can make a huge difference. Most players have something which, when the pressure is on, they will default to, and you can get a read on it if you are looking for it.

“So, if you can identify these factors, you can forecast what they will do before they do it and that sort of stuff is the sort of thing I believe I can help Nouran out with in matches as I think as a player I had that ability to read those things and I believe I still have it as a coach.”

Martin admits that his work will need time to flourish and is already planning a second camp with Gohar ahead of her US swing which will culminate with the US Open beginning October 1.

The Aussie squash icon said: “There were certain points at the most important part of the British Open final when Nouran didn’t pick the right shot and the right weight of shot and that is just confidence.

“Although we were doing work on this stuff it was new and as I said, in those tight situations, players revert to what they are comfortable with, and Nouran hit the ball a little too hard when she went short and it didn’t stay short enough.

“So Nouran can learn a lot from looking at that match, looking at the situation she was in at the time and by working on the things we were talking about, over a period of time she will get more confidence and execute these things better.”

When it comes to how far he can take Gohar in her battle for supremacy at the summit of the women’s game with El Sherbini, Martin admits only time will tell but the player herself surely deserves enormous credit for this bold move, which only serves to underline the fact that ‘The Terminator’ refuses to be second best.

Martin, a three-time British Open runner-up, said: “In percentage terms how much that improvement will be I have no idea as I haven’t worked that long with her, and it is early in that respect.

“Nouran’s determination work ethic and intensity when she is on the practise court is really impressive stuff. If she brings that intensity to the work we are going to do, then Nouran can really improve her game.

“But ahead of the US Open swing I hope we will be catching up again in the USA and I am really looking forward to that as Nouran is great to work with.”