 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 30 Sep. - 6 Oct. 1999 Issue No. 449 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 30 Sep. - 6 Oct. 1999 Issue No. 449
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters A champion is coming
By Nashwa Abdel-Tawab
Egypt's squash sensation Amr Shabana is currently ranked No 35 in the world but according to the pundits he will go much higher, perhaps all the way to the top.
Amr Shabana, Egypt's left-handed star
photo: Khaled El-Fiqi
The 20-year-old was the talk of the town this past week for his heroic efforts in the world championships. The attention has been well deserved.
Shabana first cruised to victory over England's Nick Taylor, ranked 20 in the world, in three sets then beat Rodney Eyles, the 1997 world champion. Before the encounter with Eyles, Shabana's friends tried to gently prepare him for what they thought would be his sure defeat. Shabana needed no patronising. "I'm going to enjoy the game so be there to watch me lose," he told them. But he defied the odds. "I lost to a great player," Eyles said. "I can't deny that. He plays differently, not like us. He's an alien."
Eyles is not alone in believing Shabana is out of this world. "He belongs tactically to the past," said Andrew Shelley, director of the World Open and team championships. "He is a young, old-fashioned player." Indeed, some suggest Shabana's methods on court might change the way the game is played in the future. It could be "back to the way it was".
Even in defeat, Shabana has been impressive. He went down to Jonathan Power, the world's best, but not before taking the champ to five gruelling sets. "It dawned on me during the game that I might just lose the match," Power said later. "If I was to choose a future world champion, Shabana would be the one," Power said, but added a proviso that he must participate in more tournaments. "He'll threaten the top 10 players," Power said.
With Dunlop his sponsor, Shabana will get a lot of opportunities to play. "Dunlop chose Shabana and signed a contract with him immediately because he was the best player on the circuit this year and he is the future of squash," said Shelley. "Shabana is a complete player but lacks experience. Being sponsored by Dunlop may give him a chance to receive a permanent international contract."
"If I were to sum up Shabana, it lies simply in his play," added Shelley. "He plays with flair. He doesn't think on the court; he plays rather instinctively."
As a youngster, Shabana played the four racquet games -- tennis, badminton, table tennis and squash -- and liked soccer as well, but it was squash which captured his imagination. "It's a fast game that young people in particular like because you tend to hit so many balls," Shabana said. "You get involved in the game. You make decisions quickly. That's part of my character."
In fact, it is his fast-paced game that has sometimes failed Shabana. He is the first to enter the court, but also seems to be the first to want to leave, his impatience in a sport in which composure is vital costing him several games.
Shabana, the younger brother of Salma, Egypt's women's squash champion, played the game for eight years in Al-Salamia club in Kuwait before returning to Egypt where he trains in Gezira. He played in the 1996 British Open where he made his international debut as a professional. He was knocked out of the open in the first round after Luckas Buit, ranked 42 in the world, beat him 3-1. He avenged the defeat by beating Buit 3-1 in the second round of the qualifying draw of the Al-Ahram Championship last year. Still, Shabana was unable to survive the main draw and was knocked out 3-0 in the first round by Jason Nicol of England, ranked No 26.
Despite the setbacks, predictions of stardom have been made by those who saw Shabana first toy with a racquet at the age of eight. It is something which has haunted him since. "I'm fed up with the line, 'you are talented'," said Shabana. "I decided four months ago to see if I am talented or not." Shabana has been consistently beating players ranked higher but has been unable to handle the world's top five with the same effect. "I'm not experienced enough to beat them," Shabana said. "I only give them a hard time."
Indeed he does. "You have a gifted player who plays superb squash," said Briton Simon Parke, ranked No 6. "I wonder why Barada is more famous." Parke was referring to Shabana's teammate Ahmed Barada, the third best player in the world and closer to the global crown than any other Egyptian. But if the experts are right in their assessment, Shabana is not too far behind.
