Amr Shabana, interchangeably nicknamed in the world of squash as both “the Maestro” and “the prince of Egypt,” is counted among an elite clique of all-time great athletes, such as US track and field champion, Jesse Owens, German Formula 1 champion, Sebastian Vettel and Russian wrestling champion, Basik Kudukhov. They all share one common feature: they have the record of winning four world titles in their sport. The first thing that hits you when you meet Shabana for the first time is his extreme modesty; one that almost makes you forget you are in the presence of an athlete who won the world title four times and who is the first Egyptian to not only reach the world No.1 rank, but to also retain it for 33 months running. It would appear that he has become increasingly more and more modest with every title he won and each record he broke. After my first impressions, I became exponentially more eager to ask the champion about his early days in the sport and the circumstances that shaped his career. My first question was to ask the Maestro how he got his crush on squash. “My mother, Doria Nazmi, used to play squash and she was No.1 in Egypt back at that time,” he said. “Later on, my elder sister started playing and reigned top for women in Egypt till the age of 23.” Even though he was affected by his squash-playing family, he said that as a teenager, he tried to diversify his sports interests. “I used to play many sports, such as swimming, football, ping-pong and badminton besides squash, the traditional sport of our family. I did not want to imprison myself in one sports field,” Shabana said. Shabana's first career kick-off point was when he turned fourteen and started playing professional squash. “I wanted to be like other fellow players who quit school to concentrate on their squash careers, but my mother did not let it happen. She insisted that I should complete my academic studies, till I received my undergraduate degree majoring in mass communications,” he recounted. His second career turning point appears to have been the most momentous of all. “Like any fresh graduate, it was typical to start searching for a job opportunity. I graduated at 22 and at that time ranked 21st in the Professional Squash Association (PSA), so that wasn't an easy choice for me to make. So I tried to win as many championships as I could, until the decisive moment arrived two years later when I won my first world champion in 2003. At that point I no longer had any doubts that I was on the right track, and that I had the abilities to dedicate my upcoming life to the sport,” Shabana said. Moving on with his career, Shabana continued collecting trophies and titles, one after the other. He became World Champion in 2005, 2007 and 2009. He also aced the Hong-Kong Open in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Then came the US Open, which Shabana won two times in 2009 and 2011. Moving to the Qatar Classic, he won it once in 2007, reaching the final three times in total. Last but not least is the Tournament Of Champions, one of the special tournaments on the Maestro's annual calendar, which he won three times in 2006, 2007 and in early 2014. With all these matches and finals won and so many titles to his name, one would expect him having received commensurate support from his country, in addition to sponsorship offers. It was bewildering to hear the contrary. “Throughout my career up until now, I had to sponsor myself. Rarely have sponsors branded my shirt and only when I played in Egypt, simply because squash matches aren't as important as football matches in Egypt. Even my club, Ahly, decided not to pay me my contract after the 25th of January Revolution, forcing me to leave the club. So right now I am relying mainly on the tournament prizes for a living,” said Shabana. What are Shabana's expectations for the future of squash in Egypt? “Right now, I believe that Mohamed El-Shourbagy is the No.1 in Egypt. He is a pure talent who can go further in the near future. However, I expect an upcoming downfall to squash in Egypt due to the lack of a system. The only force pushing Egyptians up to podiums is the momentum right now. Once it's gone, it will be over till another talent pops up from the sand,” Shabana opined.
