Matthew-Wilstrop P10-11_3 Column Left 08/11/2012 12:03 Page 1

FEATURE Head to Head

James Willstrop, the world no.1, and Nick Matthew, the reigning world champion, face off in the build-up to the Men’s World Championship, with Rod Gilmour posing the questions

n the space of two years Britain has produced two world no.1s who both Ihail from Yorkshire, Nick Matthew and . In that time the pair have been a revelation on the PSA World Tour. Up until the U.S. Open – when neither reached the final – the last time Willstrop’s favourite five: either Willstrop or Matthew failed to make Matthew’s favourite five: the last stage of a tour ranking event was Book: ‘High Windows’ by in November 2010, a sensational run of Book: ‘Open’ by Andre Philip Larkin 19 tournaments. Agassi Album: ‘Vauxhall and I’ by That telling statistic shows their Album: Kings of Leon’s Morrissey current stranglehold on the men’s game, ‘Come Around at a time when Egypt boasts five players Sundown’ Travel in the world’s top 10. With the destination: London Yorkshiremen heading into the World Travel destination: St Lucia Film: ‘Control’ Championship in Doha, Qatar, as the top two seeds – Matthew is bidding for Film: ‘Any Given Sunday’ Coffee a hat-trick of world titles, while or tea: Coffee Willstrop is aiming for his first as no.1 Coffee seed – Player brought the duo or tea: Yorkshire Tea by together to talk about their career- default long rivalry. 10 THE SQUASH PLAYER Matthew-Wilstrop P10-11_3 Column Left 08/11/2012 12:03 Page 2

FEATURE

Squash Player: We must first start with the way of the opponent and don’t fish for remember that day. that semi-final at the Canary Wharf strokes. Perhaps the interview was still JW: I felt the same and it was incredible. Classic in 2010. Was it the best match fresh in my mind, because during the final For a week I was trying not to think about you’ve both been involved in so far? I remember James not getting out of the it, but knowing damn well it was there. I Nick Matthew: It had everything. There way of one shot and I said “Did your Dad had won two events on the trot and all I were times when he was on top and vice teach you to do that?” There were fumes had to do was win the final against Greg. versa, a huge tiebreak which had drama, and the rest is history. Perhaps I have No one had won three in a row! I had such games where I was down and out, full- Chris Evans to thank for the win. a big chance, but it wasn’t going to be the court squash and the drama with James’ JW: I don’t really remember the interview or end of the world. There are people far cramp [when Willstrop was forced to what was said, with it being so close to the worse off. But these things don’t come concede the match in the fifth after 127 final. But when I think of Canary Wharf I feel along every day and when it happened, minutes]. It was very unusual that two good about it, less so than the there was immense relief and exuberance. players play as well as that on the same final. It is always a great achievement to There were a lot of laughs along the way day in an environment like that too. But it reach the British final. We know it was that week, making sure I stayed healthy came together on that day. contentious under the most intense and was eating the right things. If I had James Willstrop: I think the British Open pressure, but I don’t look back on it with stopped too long to think about it, it could in 2009 was quality, but Canary Wharf fond memories. There was a bit more room have become quite stressful. had everything: the rallies and pushing for niggle perhaps, as it was the bigger NM: And then all the work flashes in front each other to the limits. It was one of tournament, no disrespect to Canary. of you: how hard you train and work to those matches. I remember coming off get to that position. A lot of reminiscing and the cramp was horrible. But, warming SP: The great thing is that this rivalry went on, which was an amazing feeling. down, I was very relaxed about it. There is not recent. What is your first was no point feeling down, as I felt so memory of each other? SP: Looking to the future now, what good. I wanted to be around people. We JW: I think I was six or seven at the British changes would you make to improve had given everything and it was one of juniors. I think Nick was there and we the PSA Tour? those matches where you feel so content might even have played. The rivalry thing, JW: I personally think it is a collection of with what you’ve achieved. We train to the fact we have gone right back to the little things we need to chip away at. beat the likes of and beginning and now we have got to Nobody in squash is marketing and Gregory Gaultier, but that night the number one and two in the world, is a promoting the game to its full potential. winning became a separate issue. pretty fantastic story, isn’t it? As an As associations, we are not working as NM: Halfway through the match James innocent kid playing Nick, week in, week efficiently as possible. We need to get the had won the third game and I came to my out, those early Yorkshire teams were also players out into the public and promote corner and felt like a boxer trying to throw great early memories, with the parents the sport through them. People need to in the towel. I certainly took on multiple mucking in at weekends. know the characters and then they are far personalities during the break. My coach, NM: All I remember was that he was taller more likely to come and watch them play. Neil Guirey, was talking to me, but I don’t than me, even though I was 12 and he NM: America seems to be a key think anything got through. One minute I was three years younger than me. battleground with the emergence of the was saying to myself, “Oh well, he’s got to Pro Squash Tour (PST). On the World Tour beat me one day” and the next, “Well, it SP: Over 20 years on, here we are we have seen events like the NetSuite won’t be today”. Those emotions will stick talking about the best two players in Open in San Francisco, which started life with me. I think he cramped about a the world. as a $10k event and is now a $70k second before me, with all those long NM: The second most-asked question I tournament. The next logical step is for it backhand drop-shots he was producing get asked after why squash isn’t in the to become a World Series event. That’s going just above the tin. Olympics is my rivalry with James. the model you are looking at in the States However, it is not just about us, as that and lots of clubs are beginning to grow SP: If Canary Wharf had everything, would be disrespectful to our peers. But interest in the game. Any tournaments what went wrong at the 2009 British the close proximity to where we live, the are good for squash, so I don’t have a Open final in Manchester to make it difference in characters and the matches problem with the PST, but the PSA should so fraught? we’ve had are certainly what makes it. It’s batten down the hatches, as North NM: It was a rollercoaster in a different important to maximise it, I think, but it’s America is a massive area for the game. way. Whereas Canary Wharf was a classic not about being ranked above James. I virtually every point, this was more of a don’t think we would be talking about it if SP: The world’s top 10 are not getting scrappy affair. It was a dig-in, gritty type of we were world no.14 and 15, would we? any younger, but will Ramy Ashour still match, where we saw the small confines JW: Nick pointed it out in a recent be near the top of the game in 2020 if and gladiatorial nature of the sport. interview, where we were seeded one and squash gets into the Olympics? Neither player ever goes out to be two, and it was another anticipated final NM: If his body holds up and his mind confrontational or have needle in any way. between us. But people don’t realise how wants it. It’s a long way off, so only Ramy I was getting beaten comfortably. I almost hard the first rounds are. I wouldn’t even can answer that. had to gee myself up, perhaps in the consider playing Nick until I am there. JW: He’s lost weight and knows his body wrong way looking back on it. But I just Yes, we are both at the top, but the depth after recent injuries. He seems to be needed something to see me through. We is getting stronger and we can’t take working that out, but that will obviously be a were playing the final at 7pm and an hour anyone for granted. For us, it’s the last factor. If he pays attention to that, then he earlier we were doing a live chat with thing we think about. may have some longevity. I hope he is still Chris Evans on BBC Radio 2. It was an there and we should give him every chance. interesting build-up, that’s for sure. I SP: You have both felt the emotion of remember Chris asking James about world no.1. Is the memory still with SP: Finally, can you sum each other up banter on court and James said that Nick you and what did it feel like? in six words? liked to do this or that. I used to be NM: It was unexpected. I thought I had to NM: Great racket skills, a stubborn taught by James’ dad, Malcolm, as a beat Ramy in the final in Cairo, but he Yorkshireman. Yorkshire junior and his philosophy has lost. It was a bit tough to take in. There JW: A mentally strong, dogged, ruthless always been to play the ball, move out of was a lot of emotion and I will always athlete. THE SQUASH PLAYER 11