Courageous comeback
Squash player Tegwin Malik Inas Mazhar about her unlikely return to the game
In November 1999, Tegwin Malik of Wales was No.16 in the world in squash and winner of several international Open squash titles.
Then she collapsed at the doorsteps of her home.
"I can't remember what happened to me then. I just collapsed and I was sort of paralysed. The doctors were unable to diagnose me properly but they figured that it was a strange virus. I couldn't move at all or even speak," recounts Malik who three years later made a startling comeback and who reached the quarter-finals of the Hurghada International Squash Championship which ended last week.
The 29-year-old, who was born in Wales to a Welsh mother and a Kenyan--Pakistani father, made it back to the court after three years of medical treatment against all odds.
"Nobody expected that I would be back to the squash court or even to normal life. I didn't expect that myself. But just as the illness was a surprise, my comeback was as well.
"During the three years I was sick, I was going back and forth, from my home to the hospital. I could do nothing. I always needed assistance and as I had no hope in recovering I never thought about returning to the squash court. I couldn't move, so how could I play squash? It was impossible then to think about it.
"Suddenly," Malik continues, "things started to get better. I was improving and responding to medical treatment and to physiotherapy. I was so happy and started doing things gradually like going to the gym, doing the usual rituals I used to do before I collapsed. When I felt better I started thinking of returning back to the circuit and that was when I started receiving back ups from my family and the 'elite cymru' of Wales [a sports group that supports and sponsors the elite and top athletes of Wales in various sports]. They helped me a lot, and with this team I was given medical as well as psychological help in order to comeback."
When Malik collapsed in 1999, she slipped from the world rankings. In the years since her comeback, she has jumped to 25 and the title holder of two championships: the Washington Open and the Finnish Open.
The Welsh player owes much to her family for her return to the circuit. "They were so supportive. My parents took some time off work to stay beside me because I always needed someone to help me. They were always around me," she said, adding that her father was the main reason behind her comeback. "My Dad always looked after me since I started playing squash, training me and guiding me by acting as my manager. He was the one who felt I was ready to return to the circuit. I wasn't willing because I thought I would be ill again but he was so confident and he had faith in me, as he always did. He pushed me hard until I regained my confidence. I thought, 'why not try once again?' I used to beat all these players and was one of the world's top players. It was an ideal opportunity for me to comeback; there was nothing to lose. So I played, competed and won. I surprised myself but not my father."
Tegwin added that her brother, 14 months younger, was supportive as well. "From the beginning and before my illness. He always trained with me before and after my illness."
Malik studied physics and received her Masters in nuclear physics before she fell ill. She was planning on getting a PhD but now she has no time to study. "I'm concentrating on my squash now. Maybe after retirement."
Malik was so excited playing in Hurghada for the first time in a glass court in the middle of an island.
"The venue is extraordinary and spectacular as well. I played in Cairo at the Pyramids and the Heliopolis Open five years ago, but there has been nothing like this before."
The Welsh player lost in the quarter-finals in Hurghada to Egypt's top ranked player and world No. 12 Omneya Abdel-Qawi. The 19-year-old Egyptian won 3-2.
"That was the most exciting game I have played in years," Malik said. "Omneya was so powerful and concentrated well in the match. She deserved to win."
Five years after her illness, Malik finds women squash to be more exciting than it used to be. "Nobody is dominating the game now. Before, only two or three players exchanged the top places and it always remained among them. Now, nobody stays at the top as the Australians Michelle Martin and Sarah Fitz--Gerald used to do. It's more open in the top 10 now. The game has exceptionally improved for the better which is good for both spectators and organisers."
The Malaysian and Brunei Open this month are two important tournaments for Malik. "I'm looking forward to improving my world ranking. Maybe that would take me to the top 20. I have been playing good squash lately, progressing, building up my strength and aiming at achieving my top potential."
Caption: Tegwin, extreme right, lost to Abdel-Qawi in the quarter-finals of the Hurghada championship
C a p t i o n 2: Tegwin, extreme right, lost to Abdel-Qawi in the quarter-finals of the Hurghada championship
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/700/sp3.htm