Nouran Gohar, the esteemed squash player who holds the title of world No. 1, has a remarkable approach to success. Her philosophy is that anything worth achieving comes at a cost.
This 25-year-old Egyptian has been dominating the PSA Tour for the past two seasons, with 21 final appearances out of 24 tournaments played since the start of the 2021-2022 season. Her impressive track record has secured her position as the top-ranked player for 86 consecutive weeks.
As she gears up for her 2023-24 campaign, she will be participating in the Paris Squash platinum tournament, which takes place at the Palais de Tokyo, located near the iconic Eiffel Tower. The match is set to kick off this Sunday, and she is preparing to bring her best game to the court. Nouran Gohar, the world’s top squash player, believes in the value of hard work and dedication when achieving success.
With an impressive track record of 21 final appearances out of 24 tournaments played since the 2021-2022 season, this 25-year-old Egyptian has held the top ranking for 86 consecutive weeks. As she gears up for her next game, the Paris Squash platinum tournament at the Palais de Tokyo, she is committed to bringing her best to the court. Fans can catch her in action starting this Sunday.
Bringing an unrelenting physicality to the game and showcasing supreme mental strength that allows her to deliver at almost every event she participates in, Gohar has put together one of the most dominant two-season stretch of results across all sports.
And while she enters her new campaign brimming with confidence, she is also quick to note how much of a toll that kind of consistency can take, both on her body and her mind.
““What people say is true, being at the top is lonely; you can feel very lonely some days, and you can feel exhausted, not just physically, but also mentally,” Gohar told The National from her home in Connecticut, where she lives with her husband – professional fencer and recent World Championship bronze medallist Ziad Elsissy.”“What people say is true, being at the top is lonely; you can feel very lonely some days, and you can feel exhausted, not just physically, but also mentally,” Gohar told The National from her home in Connecticut, where she lives with her husband – professional fencer and recent World Championship bronze medallist Ziad Elsissy.
““Mentally, it takes a lot, a lot, a lot. You will be burnt out; that will happen no matter what. But it would be best if you learned when to stop or what to do to refresh your mind. And figure out a balance. Mentally,it’ss very demanding.””“Mentally, it takes a lot, a lot, a lot. You will be burnt out; that will happen no matter what. But it would be best if you learned when to stop or what to do to refresh your mind. And figure out a balance. Mentally, it’s very demanding.”
‘Learning’ has been a critical ingredient to Gohar’s ascent.
The Cairene exploded onto the international squash scene from her early teen years and, by 19, was ranked No. 2 in the world while also pursuing a construction engineering degree at the American University in Cairo.
Straight out of high school, Gohar was offered multiple athletic scholarships from reputable schools in the US, like Harvard and UPenn. Still, she opted for a gap year during which she played professionally and shot to No. 8 in the world before getting into university.
Eventually, Gohar set her heart on competing and going to college at home at the same time, knowing that Cairo was where
Almost everyone was against her decision to do both, and even her coach at the time threatened to stop working with her if she went to university. But a defiant Gohar was adamant she could handle it.
““I wanted to prove a point because everyone kept saying,’‘If you want to be a professional squash player, you can only be a professional squash player’’ And that was something that was driving me crazy,” she recalls.”“I wanted to prove a point because everyone kept saying, ‘If you want to be a professional squash player, you can only be a professional squash player.’ And that was something that was driving me crazy,” she recalls.
“I’m not defined as a squash player; I can be more than that.
In her quest to stay hungry and motivated in the sport, Gohar draws inspiration from tennis world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who at 22 is already a four-time Grand Slam champion.
““Iga, for me, is so consistent; she goes on court, wins a match, takes her bag, walks off court, andit’ss like nothing happened,” said Gohar.”“Iga, for me, is so consistent; she goes on court, wins a match, takes her bag, walks off court, and it’s like nothing happened,” said Gohar.
““And the problem is, the glory of winning your first platinum event or Grand Slam is unique. The first time I won a Platinum event was in Hong Kong; I was 18 years old, and I was world No. 9 or something; the glory of it was massive.”“And the problem is, the glory of winning your first platinum event or Grand Slam is unique. The first time I won a Platinum event was in Hong Kong; I was 18 years old, and I was world No. 9 or something; the glory of it was massive.
“It’s not the same glory now, but you must find it somehow. People will not make you feel like it’s something big, but you need to make it big for yourself and remind yourself.
““I feelit’ss the same with Iga. I feel like the first time she won a Grand Slam, it was big, and after that,it’ss expected.””“I feel it’s the same with Iga. I feel like the first time she won a Grand Slam, it was big, and after that, it’s expected.”
Gohar has been the highest-earning squash player over the past two seasons, and while she knows she is playing her part in boosting women’s sport in the Arab world, she gives full credit to those who have come before her to pave the way for this generation.
Raneem El Welily was the first Egyptian woman to earn the top rank in squash, and when she retired, she called Gohar to inform her of her decision and let her know she would be the next top-ranked player.
Gohar admires El Welily, tennis duo Tunisian top-five star Jabeur, and Egyptian pioneer Mayar Sherif.
““The idea of breaking boundaries, especially for Arab women –I’vee seen it with Raneem growing up. Itwasn’tt a thing for an Arab woman to play professionally and travel the world, andthat’ss her profession – 10, 15 years ago, itwasn’tt a thing, and nowit’ss completely normal, andthat’ss a huge impact these women have had,” said Gohar.”“The idea of breaking boundaries, especially for Arab women – I’ve seen it with Raneem growing up. It wasn’t a thing for an Arab woman to play professionally and travel the world, and that’s her profession – 10, 15 years ago, it wasn’t a thing, and now it’s completely normal, and that’s a huge impact these women have had,” said Gohar.
““Raneem is why me and the new generation are doing whatwe’ree doing now. When you have a role model just in front of you doing this, something within you clicks, and you start thinking,’‘Why not?’’“Raneem is why me and the new generation are doing what we’re doing now. When you have a role model just in front of you doing this, something within you clicks, and you start thinking, ‘Why not?’
““And it was hard for them because theydidn’tt even have the example before them. They are the ones who made the example, and all credit to them, to be honest.””“And it was hard for them because they didn’t even have the example before them. They are the ones who made the example, and all credit to them, to be honest.”
Gohar also notes how her peers have helped her step up her game, particularly seven-time world champion El Sherbini, who leads their head-to-head 19-8.
““I think especially the year 2022, when I grabbed the No. 1 spot from Nour El Sherbini, it was an awesome rivalry between me and her. There were several classics that year,” says Gohar.”“I think especially the year 2022, when I grabbed the No. 1 spot from Nour El Sherbini, it was an awesome rivalry between me and her. There were several classics that year,” says Gohar.
““They were talking about us as ifwe’ree like Nadal and Federer of the game; our matches were classics. I think the rivalry with Nour brought the best out of me.We’ree pushing each other to reach another level. Andthat’ss what made us separate ourselves a bit from the other players.””“They were talking about us as if we’re like Nadal and Federer of the game; our matches were classics. I think the rivalry with Nour brought the best out of me. We’re pushing each other to reach another level. And that’s what made us separate ourselves a bit from the other players.”
World No. 3 Hania El Hammamy is now also in the mix, and she and Gohar have gone through some brutal battles, including a marathon five-game championship match at the PSA World Tour Finals to close out the 2022-2023 season.
In a sport that offers equal prize money for men and women at all the significant events, Gohar is proud that she and her rivals are taking squash to new heights.
““Thewomen’ss game right now has reached a level it has never reached before, in terms of intensity, physicality, even the duration of matches. I think in the last tournament I played, Hania and I played the longest match in the history of thewomen’ss game, which was 130 minutes, and I think during the tournament itself, therewasn’tt amen’ss match that hit 130 minutes,” she says.”“The women’s game right now has reached a level it has never reached before, in terms of intensity, physicality, even the duration of matches. I think in the last tournament I played, Hania and I played the longest match in the history of the women’s game, which was 130 minutes, and I think during the tournament itself, there wasn’t a men’s match that hit 130 minutes,” she says.
““It proves we have it in us and should be treated equally. We train the same amount, in terms of squash, in terms of fitness. Wedon’tt have the same strength, but we have other abilities, and the amount of effort we put in is the same, so why not be equal?””“It proves we have it in us and should be treated equally. We train the same amount, in terms of squash, in terms of fitness. We don’t have the same strength, but we have other abilities, and the amount of effort we put in is the same, so why not be equal?”
The World Championship remains the one big title that has eluded Gohar so far, and while it is an apparent big goal for her, she is trying her hardest not to make it an obsession.
““The World ChampionshipI’dd die to get, but putting so much pressure on that will not help me to get it,” she adds.”“The World Championship I’d die to get, but putting so much pressure on that will not help me to get it,” she adds.
With a new squash season upon us, Gohar is excited to hit a new venue and experience the Paris event, the first platinum tournament in France since 1994.
“It’ss so important for the exposure of squash in general. Just like tennis has Roland Garros, this could be the Roland Garros of squash, which is huge for the sport,” she said.”“It’s so important for the exposure of squash in general. Just like tennis has Roland Garros, this could be the Roland Garros of squash, which is huge for the sport,” she said.
