Egypt's top squash player, Amr Shabana doesn't mind having no free time during the PSA masters because that will mean he's winning
Egypt'su00a0top squash player, Amr Shabana doesn't mind having nou00a0freeu00a0time during the PSA masters because that will mean he's winning
Egypt's most successful squash player and third seed at the upcoming Punj Lloyd PSA Masters (December 5-10) to be played at the Bombay Gymkhana, Amr Shabana wants to have no free time during his Mumbai visit. Not even to do some sight-seeing in a city he will be visiting for only the second time.
Keen to win"I hope I don't have any free time for sightseeing because that will mean I'm winning," said Shabana, who became the first Egyptian to top the Dunlop Professional Squash Association men's world rankings in April 2006 and subsequently held on to the position for 33 months to confirm his status as the fifth longest-standing World No 1 of all-time, behind Pakistanis Jansher Khan and Jahangir Khan, Englishman Peter Nicol and Australian Geoff Hunt.
Earlier this month, Shabana overwhelmed a star-studded field in the 2009 World Open the richest ever event in world squash to win the leading PSA World Tour title for a fourth time, an achievement only marked by Hunt and the two legendary Khans.
"It's a dream.u00a0 You don't think about it. You just dream about it. It will take a month or two for it to sink in," said Shabana, who has enjoyed a spectacular career in squash having won World Open trophies in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009. The latest triumph brought his career PSA Tour haul to 26 titles from 37 final appearances, including 16 Super Series crowns.
Shabana took to the game at the tender age of seven, and has traversed a long path to become President of PSA in March this year. According to him there's a lot that needs to done to promote the game.u00a0
Marketing the game
"Squash as a whole needs to change and progress, mainly the way it is viewed by the masses through TV and internet media. Advertising and marketing the event to as much of the public as possible through mass media is key," he said.
