Where to go
Egypt's Karim Darwish is now No 8 in the world of squash. Inas Mazhar asks the boy wonder how much farther he can go
The early retirement two years ago of Ahmed Barrada left a void in Egyptian squash which is only now beginning to be filled. Karim Darwish is currently seeded No 8 in the world and is expected in the future to equal and probably surpass the No 3 ranking Barrada had reached in 2001. Barrada was forced to retire following a bizarre attack by a still unidentified man who stabbed him in the back in his home in Maadi. He was only 25 when he called it a day. Darwish is an even younger 22.
"Of course I'm glad that people believe in me as they did with Barrada and I hope to reach the same career high as he did," Darwish told Al-Ahram Weekly. "He was a great champion," Darwish said, referring to Barrada, adding however that it was unfair to compare them. "Barrada has been the best player in Egyptian squash these past few years -- and he was lucky. He had a sponsor ever since he started playing squash. There was always somebody helping him. He had the best coaches, the opportunity to travel abroad and to practice and compete with the best players of his age. So he was able to develop quickly.
"I'm all on my own," Darwish continued. "There's no one to sponsor me. I've reached the top 10 almost by myself. It's only me, the federation and my parents. If I had sponsors like Barrada it would be completely different and my progress would be more rapid."
When asked why he was being ignored by would-be sponsors, Darwish pointed to the economic straits the country was facing. "It's just not the time for anybody to be thinking about sports."
Even without much support, Darwish's progress thus far has been astonishing, jumping from 320 to No 8 in only three years in the Professional Squash Association (PSA) world rankings. His latest seed was reached after he won the Pakistan Open last month.
The boy prodigy held his first squash racket at the age of seven. "My elder brother Walid was practising at Maadi Club. I used to watch him, I liked the game and my parents encouraged me. I joined the club and practiced three days a week."
His first achievement came when he won the Under-10 Cairo championship. "I was so happy to be given the first big push in the world of squash," Darwish says.
He went on to collect every national championship from the ages of 10 to 19. As a junior he was twice named the German Open champion and once won the British equivalent.
In 2000 in Milan, Darwish became only the third Egyptian to win the World Juniors Championship. Barrada had claimed the title in 1994 and Ahmed Faizi in 1996.
It was the best moment in his life, Darwish recalled. "In the final, I beat the French champion Gregory Gaultier 3-0. I hadn't lost a game throughout the competition."
Darwish also remembers his worst moment. He was playing in the final of the world junior team championship when he was 15. "We were tied with England. Each had won a match and I was playing the decisive game. A victory meant the championship title. My teammates' hopes were pinned on me and I didn't want to disappoint them. It was tough. We were two all in sets and the final would decide the winner. The referee was English and so was the player. I lost and cried. I was so young then."
Darwish, a graduate of the Arab Maritime Academy, has garnered seven major championships in the past three years, including the Pakistan Open four times. Darwish and his teammates also took Egypt to second place, runners-up to the hosts at the Men's World Championship in October in Australia.
Winning ways come at a price. Prior to any tournament, Darwish trains five-and-half hours daily -- one hour-and-half fitness in the morning at Maadi Club followed by four hours of squash in the afternoon divided into two sessions.
Off the court, Darwish has little time to go fishing, his favourite pastime, or go out with friends. In fact, he missed out on much of a normal childhood. "It was either training, competing or travelling. Time for family and friends was so limited. Sometimes I wish I had done so and so but then I think that what I've accomplished was worth the sacrifice. I don't regret it."
The PSA Masters Championship in Qatar next week is next on Darwish's list along with three other Egyptians: Omar El- Borrollossy, Amr Shabana and Wael Hatem. "It's the biggest championship this year because it includes the top 32 players in the world," Darwish said. Reaching the semi-finals would earn Darwish a place in the top five, "but it will be tough." In Qatar, Darwish's opponents will include the world's No 1 and 2, Briton Peter Nicol and Canada's Jonathan Power respectively. The two did not take part in the Pakistan Open. Darwish has played against each one only once before. "I lost to Nicol in last year's Masters in Qatar, in the quarter-finals, but I beat Power in the world team championships in Australia."
Despite the odds in the Gulf state, Darwish's goal is to make it to the top five. "It seems close but it requires intensive training and international participation."
His long-range dreams stretch even further. "Reaching the top spot in the world might be easy but staying there is the difficult part so I want to take it step by step. I'm not rushing things because once I reach the peak I want to stay there for a long time, perhaps four or five years.
"With Nicol and Power both close to 30 and the next five players in the world in their late 20s, I feel I have a good chance."
