Well, more precisely, Al Pacino in the role of Aldo Gucci, chairman of the Italian luxury fashion house in a scene from the recent film “House of Gucci”. Or, even more precisely, Al Pacino etc. being arrested by US Department of the Treasury agents on a New York squash court on suspicion of tax evasion. Still, what’s not to like if you, like me, are more than happy to see squash culturally referenced in TV programmes, films, plays and, oh I don’t know, operas? You never know. Truth be told, the entire sequence showing Pacino in squash kit takes up less than ten seconds of screen time, most of ..read more

Readers of The Squash Life Blog will be familiar with the development of squash in Iran, particularly the inclusion of women in the sport at both national and international level. Now, here’s Masoud Ghareh Ziaeddini – the head coach of the country’s national squash team – to describe a new initiative to attract more people to the sport. Three-wall squash uses a scaled-down, open-air court to give children and adults alike a racket game experience as close as possible to the four-wall, indoor version. Costing US$700-800 to build, the bright courts can be blue placed in locations where people ar ..read more

Who says squash and art don’t go together? Here’s a short video by German film maker and visual artist Matthias Fritsch combining on-court movement with music and narrative. Fritsch’s work involves creating moving images and running workshops for video artists amongst others. His art reflects everyday activities including, in this example, squash as well as global issues such as environmental protection. His recent research has focussed on ‘circles of matter’ and biological processes which could almost describe the dance movement of players chasing a soft rubber ball around a squash court. Cr ..read more

A month ago, Scottish Squash confirmed that the game would return without Covid-19 restrictions, in all clubs and facilities in Scotland. Just the time, you might think, for committed players of all ages to refresh their squash skill-sets with a spot of one-to-one coaching. Fast forward a few weeks and, conveniently, the UK’s National Robotarium presented the world’s first robot squash coach. The robot, developed in collaboration with industry partner RacketWare for on-court use, utilises motion tracking sensors and interfacing technology to collect data from players practising a variety of sh ..read more

What a year, eh? No sooner have the 2020 European Football Championships finished than we’re almost halfway through the 2020 Olympic Games. And we’re only halfway through 2020. Er…I mean 2021. In these uncertain times, it’s difficult enough for squash lovers to keep up to date with what tournaments are scheduled, are being re-scheduled, are ongoing or are being cancelled. So spare a thought for those players, officials, organisers and, increasingly, spectators who are eager to share any live squash experience, whatever the level. Tournament scheduling continues to be challenging worldwide but ..read more

So, as a squash lover, what the heck have you been doing during the last eighteen months? Well, here’s at least one thing young squash enthusiast Kiyaan Khalfan has been doing. Kiyaan, a student at the Aga Khan Academy in Nairobi, Kenya, has put together a video exploring the game of squash as part of his studies. Including interviews and demonstrations, the video looks at squash skills, nutrition, fitness and careers. One interviewee, Khaaliqa Nimji, is a professional squash player whose resumé includes playing mixed doubles against Nicol David at the 2010 Commonwealth Games – at the age of 1 ..read more

When a former World Number 15 squash player suggests that you check out a video of a memorable PSA Gold tournament rally, you may not be fully aware of the context behind said player’s reason for doing so. Enter Australian PSA TV commentator Johnny Williams who, during a marathon semi-final between Mohamed El Shorbagy and Joel Makin at the recent El Gouna International tournament, drew viewers’ attention to a 2018 encounter between the same two players at the Channel VAS tounament in Surrey, England. During the 155-stroke rally in question, Makin’s heart rate rose to 195 and stayed there for ..read more

I may have a terrible memory but I’m pretty sure that no squash-themed sex story has ever appeared in the pages of The Hollywood Gossip blog. Yet that’s exactly what happened recently with the revelation that Barstool Sports CEO, Erika Nardini, had been having an affair with a ‘married squash coach’. Not only that, but Nardini’s investment banker husband had signed her up for lessons with said coach, Yvain ‘Swiss’ Badan, as a Christmas present. By way of context, Barstool Sports is a digital media company that produces blog, video and podcast content focused on sports and pop-culture. In stark ..read more

I recently analysed England’s Sarah-Jane Perry’s dramatic 2020 Black Ball Open victory over Egypt’s Hania El Hammamy in the form of a series of shots into the tin at game- and match-ball. Apart from the squash, the match was notable for the socially-distanced Cairo crowd’s vociferous support for the home favourite. Perry’s vocal support was less vociferous due partly, I suspect, to an absence of English supporters who were not only confined to their homes under the terms of a pandemic lockdown but banned from leaving Blighty to boot. In my analysis I contrasted the Cairo crowd’s involvement in ..read more

Around this time of year the attention of squash followers hailing from one of the 6000 islands of the British Isles has traditionally turned to the National Squash Championships. In 2020, the Championships took place in Nottingham but, this year, were replaced by a stripped-down England Squash Championship held at the National Squash Centre in a traditionally cold and wet Manchester. The four-day event was restricted to senior men’s and women’s tournaments, participation in which was limited to players on the basis of their individual need to comply with the Covid-19 guidelines of the nation ..read more