Squash (sport)

Squash, sometimes called squash rackets, is a racket sport played by two players in singles or four players in doubles. It is played inside a special four-walled court using a small, hollow rubber ball. Players take turns hitting the ball against the walls with their rackets, trying to make it so the other person cannot return it properly.

There are about 20 million people who play squash regularly in more than 185 countries around the world. The sport is overseen by World Squash, which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Squash will become an official sport in the Olympic Games starting with the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Professional Squash Association organizes competitions for professional players.

History

Squash started from an older game called rackets, played in prisons in London in the 1800s. Students at Harrow School noticed that using a punctured ball, which "squashed" when it hit a wall, made the game more interesting. They built the first courts there, but they were dangerous because they were close to water pipes and ledges. The balls were made from natural rubber, and students changed their rackets to suit the small spaces.

In the 1900s, squash grew popular in schools and clubs. The first squash court in North America was built at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1884. In 1904, the United States Squash Racquets Association, now called U.S. Squash, was formed. By 1912, rules for squash were published, mixing ideas from tennis, rackets, and fives. Even the RMS Titanic had a squash court for first-class passengers. In 1928, England Squash was formed to set rules for the game in Great Britain and around the world. Today, squash has many versions, with the international style being the most common. Other types include hardball squash, doubles squash, squash tennis, and Squash 57.

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Equipment

Racket

Squash rackets can be up to 686 mm (27.0 in) long and 215 mm (8.5 in) wide, with a string area of 500 square centimeters (77.5 sq in). They usually weigh between 90 and 150 grams (3–5.3 oz.), and the strings are often tightened to 25–30 pounds.

Ball

Squash balls are about 39.5 to 40.5 mm wide and weigh 23 to 25 grams. They are made from two pieces of rubber plastic stuck together to form a hollow ball. Different balls are used for different temperatures and skill levels. More experienced players use slower balls that bounce less. Balls need to be hit many times to warm up before a game because cold balls don’t bounce well. Colored dots on the ball show how bouncy it is. The “double-yellow dot” ball is used in competitions.

Court

The squash court has four walls. It has a front line that separates the front and back of the court and a half court line that divides the left and right sides of the back part. The court’s four walls include a front wall, two side walls, and a back wall. There is an “out line” along the top of the front wall and a “tin” area at the bottom of the front wall.

North American hardball doubles courts are bigger than international singles courts because they use a faster ball and have two players on each side. Doubles courts are 7.62 metres (25 ft) wide and 13.72 metres (45 ft) long, with a ceiling at least 7.32 metres (24 ft) high.

Manner of play

The players spin a racket to decide who serves first. This player starts the first rally by choosing to serve from either the left or right service box. For a legal serve, one of the server's feet must be in the service box, not touching any part of the service box lines, as the player strikes the ball. After being struck by the racket, the ball must strike the front wall above the service line and below the out line and land in the opposite back quarter court. The receiving player can choose to volley a serve after it has hit the front wall or may let it bounce. If the server wins the point, the two players switch sides for the following point. If the server loses the point, the opponent then serves, and can serve from either box.

After the serve, the players take turns hitting the ball against the front wall, above the tin and below the out line. The ball may strike the side or back walls at any time, as long as it hits below the out line. It must not hit the floor after hitting the racket and before hitting the front wall. A ball landing on either the out line or the line along the top of the tin is considered to be out. After the ball hits the front wall, it is allowed to bounce once on the floor (and any number of times against the side or back walls) before a player must return it. Players may move anywhere around the court, but accidental or deliberate obstruction of the other player's movements is forbidden and could result in the point being redone or given to the player being obstructed. Players typically return to the centre of the court after making a shot, as it is the optimal position in the court to receive the opponent's shot. The centre of the court is typically referred to as "the T", named after the shape of the floor lines.

A key idea in squash is known as "dominating the T" (the intersection of the red lines near the centre of the court, shaped like the letter "T", where the player is in the best position to retrieve the opponent's next shot). Skilled players will return a shot, and then move back toward the "T" before playing the next shot. From this position, the player can quickly access any part of the court to retrieve the opponent's next shot with a minimum of movement and possibly maximizing the movement required by the opponent to answer the returned shot. Very skilled players will, oftentimes, shift slightly away from the "T," based on the position of the other player, if they believe that their shot selection is limited.

A common tactic is to hit the ball straight up the side walls to the back corners; this is the basic squash shot, referred to as a "rail", straight drive, wall, or "length". After hitting this shot, the player will then move to the centre of the court near the "T" to be well placed to retrieve the opponent's return. Attacking with soft or "short" shots to the front corners (referred to as "drop shots") causes the opponent to cover more of the court and may result in a winner. Boasts or angle shots are deliberately struck off one of the side walls before the ball reaches the front. They are used for deception and again to cause the opponent to cover more of the court. Rear wall shots float to the front either straight or diagonally drawing the opponent to the front. One goal of a player is to try to move the opponent into each of the four corners so that they have to cover a lot of distance and will get tired. Advantageous tactical shots are available in response to a weak return by the opponent if stretched, the majority of the court being free to the striker. Nicks are when the ball comes into contact with the intersection of the floor and any sidewall.

Rallies between experienced players may involve 30 or more shots and therefore a very high premium is placed on fitness, both aerobic and anaerobic. As players become more skilled and, in particular, better able to retrieve shots, points often become a war of attrition. At higher levels of the game, the fitter player has a major advantage.

The ability to change the direction of the ball at the last instant is also a tactic used to unbalance the opponent often called "holding." Expert players can anticipate the opponent's shot a few tenths of a second before the average player, giving them a chance to react sooner.

Depending on the style of play, it is common to refer to squash players as

• Power players: powerful shots to take time away from their opponent. For example, John White, Omar Mosaad, Mohamed El Shorbagy, Nouran Gohar
• Shotmakers: accurate shots to take time away from their opponent. For example, Jonathon Power, Ramy Ashour, Amr Shabana, James Willstrop.
• Retrievers: excellent retrieval to counter power and accuracy and to return shots more quickly to take time away from their opponent. For example, Peter Nicol, Grégory Gaultier, Nicol David, Ng Eain Yow.
• Attritional players: a consistently high-paced game both from shot speed and running speed to wear their opponent down over time. For example, David Palmer, Nick Matthew, Jansher Khan, Jahangir Khan.

The referee is usually a certified position issued by the club or assigned squash league. Any conflict or interference is dealt with by the referee. The referee may also take away points or games due to improper etiquette regarding conduct or rules. Improper etiquette may include swearing, purposeful physical contact, and throwing equipment. The referee is also usually responsible for the scoring of games. Three referees are usually used in professional tournaments. The Central referee has responsibility to call the score and make decisions with the two side referees.

Scoring system

Games in squash are usually played using a scoring method called point-a-rally to 11 points. This is the way top players and professional tournaments play. In this system, the player who wins each round gets a point, no matter if they served or not. The first player to reach 11 points, and win by at least two points, wins the game. Matches are often played as "best-of-five" games, meaning the first to win three games wins the match.

There are other ways to score, like playing to 15 points or using a system where only the server gets points. But the point-a-rally to 11 system is now the most common because it makes matches shorter and more exciting to watch. Some players and fans felt that the older systems made games too long and depended too much on a player's stamina.

Contribution to health

Squash is a great way to keep your heart healthy. Playing squash can help you burn a lot of energy, with players using about 600 to 1,000 calories each hour. The sport works out both your top and bottom body, using your legs to move around and your arms to swing the racket.

In 2003, a magazine called Forbes said squash was one of the best sports for staying healthy. However, some experts have said that older people with heart problems should be careful when playing squash.

Around the world

As of November 2019, players from eighteen countries were in the top fifty of the men's world rankings, with Egypt leading with fifteen players, six of them in the top ten, including the first four spots. In the women's world rankings, players from sixteen countries competed, with Egypt again leading, taking thirteen spots in the top fifty and holding the first four places.

The men's and women's Professional Squash Association tour, men's rankings, and women's rankings are managed by the Professional Squash Association. The Professional Squash Tour is based in the United States.

Squash has been a regular part of big sports events like the World Games, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games since 1998. It has also been played at the Pan American Games since 1995. Players and groups have worked for many years to get squash into the Olympic Games. It almost made it for the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games but was not chosen—golf and rugby sevens were added instead. Squash was also not chosen for the 2020 Olympic Games. At the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, the IOC chose Wrestling instead of Squash or Baseball/Softball. One reason often given for why squash has not been added to the Olympics is that it can be hard for viewers to follow the action, especially on television.

Squash was a demonstration sport at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics. The World Squash Federation hoped this would help it get into the 2024 Summer Olympics. Although it was not included in the 2024 Summer Olympics, squash was approved by the International Olympic Committee to be part of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles on 16 October 2023.

Major tournaments

Squash has many exciting competitions around the world. Some of the biggest tournaments include the World Open Championship, World Tour Finals, and the Summer Olympics. Players also compete in events like the British Open, US Open, and the Commonwealth Games. These tournaments bring together top players to see who can skillfilly hit the ball against the walls the best.

Players, records and rankings

The England Squash group held its first British Open tournament for men in December 1930. Charles Read was named champion that year, but Don Butcher took the title in 1931. The tournament still happens today and uses a "knockout" style since 1947.

The women's tournament began in 1921 and has mostly been won by a few players over the years: Joyce Cave, Nancy Cave, Cecily Fenwick in the 1920s; Margot Lumb and Susan Noel in the 1930s; Janet Morgan in the 1950s; Heather McKay in the 1960s and 1970s; Vicki Cardwell and Susan Devoy in the 1980s; Michelle Martin and Sarah Fitz-Gerald in the 1990s; and Nicol David in the 2000s.

Many great players have also won the Men's British Open: F. D. Amr Bey in the 1930s; Mahmoud Karim in the 1940s; brothers Hashim Khan and Azam Khan in the 1950s and 1960s; Jonah Barrington and Geoff Hunt in the 1960s and 1970s; Jahangir Khan in the 1980s; Jansher Khan in the 1990s; and more recently, David Palmer and Nick Matthew.

The World Open tournament began in 1976 and is now the biggest competition. Jansher Khan has won eight times, followed by Jahangir Khan with six wins. On the women's side, Nicol David holds the record with eight wins.

Heather McKay was unbeatable for 19 years, from 1962 to 1981, winning sixteen British Open titles in a row.

Current rankings

The Professional Squash Association updates rankings for players every month:

Men's

Main article: Official Men's Squash World Ranking

Women's

Main article: Official Women's Squash World Ranking

Current champions