Gordon to break men’s PSA tournament appearance record at NTA Squash Classic

USA’s Chris Gordon will make PSA World Tour history as he features in the NTA Squash Classic today by setting the new record for the most PSA tournaments played in the men’s game.

The New York-based Gordon is the No.1 seed for the event and will take part in his 260th PSA tournament. The World No.65 takes the outright lead from Finnish legend Olli Tuominen.

Gordon started his professional career 20 years ago at the James Baker & Associates 2002 Championships in Oklahoma, USA. Gordon was just 15 years old when he played that event and lost out in the qualifying draw.

Gordon’s first title on tour came in the Japan Pro Squash Yokohama 2009 where he beat James Snell in a 52-minute final. He has captured a further five titles since his first and will be looking to capture another this week in Boston.

The 35-year-old currently sits at No.65 in the PSA rankings but has had a highest of No.44 in 2013 and of those 260 tournaments, 14 have been at the biggest event of the year, the World Championships. With his first appearance being at the Cathay Pacific Credit Suisse Privilege World Open in 2005 where he lost out in a close five-set match to Rodney Durbach.

We caught up with Chris to discuss his impressive accomplishment:

“At first I was really surprised that I was even close to the record but when I found out it was true that I would break the record it was really fulfilling,” said Gordon.

“It made me stop and reflect on all the matches I have played and all the amazing places I’ve gotten to compete in and all the people I’ve gotten to know around the sport because of it; other players, organizers, referees, fans.

Lots of little experiences stand out from so many different events but if I had to pick one event that always comes to mind it would be when I won my first title in Japan because it was such a unique place and getting that first title really validated my decision to play squash professionally. 

“When I started on tour I never in a million years imagined that I would break any records. My biggest goal honestly was just to become a professional and hopefully have a career that lasted 10 years but I never dreamed that I would still be going or have been so lucky to compete in so many incredible places. 

“I think to have longevity in any sport you have to be meticulous with your preparation and recovery. Also, I think it’s extremely important no matter how hard it gets to always find some aspect of the process that you really enjoy, it doesn’t necessarily need to be the same thing your entire career but there always needs to be something in the process of training, competing, and travelling that you love.”

All-time PSA tournament appearances – Men’s

1 Christopher Gordon 260
2 Olli Tuominen 259
3 Cameron Pilley 250
4 Campbell Grayson 239
5 James Willstrop 236
6 Shawn Delierre 235
7 Tom Richards 230
8 Borja Golan 227
9 Jan Koukal 225
10= Omar Mosaad 221
10= Saurav Ghosal 221

All-time PSA tournament appearances – Women’s

1 Rachael Grinham 309
2 Latasha Khan 248
3 Jenny Duncalf 215
4 Line Hansen 211
5 Donna Lobban 201
6 Alison Waters 200
7 Nicol David 198
8 Madeline Perry 196
9 Omneya Abdel Kawy 194
10= Laura Massaro 193
10= Samantha Teran 193

All-time PSA tournament appearances

1 Rachael Grinham 309
2 Christopher Gordon 260
3 Olli Tuominen 259
4 Cameron Pilley 250
5 Latasha Khan 248
4 Campbell Grayson 239
5 James Willstrop 236
6 Shawn Delierre 235
7 Tom Richards 230
8 Borja Golan 227