Q&A with Hisham Ashour

Hisham Ashour, professional squash player

For those who don't know, Egyptian professional squash player, Hisham Ashour, is the older brother of Ramy Ashour, a world number one (currently he is at two).  Ramy is one of the most gifted of all the squash players on the PSA circuit right now, and he is not the only one in the family.  Hisham is also an extremely talented squash player, but he has not achieved the same success in recent years as his younger brother.  Occasionally, Hisham has been accused of being an underachiever, given his incredible abilities.  But he has been putting in hard work this past season and has shot up in the world rankings to PSA number 13 - and he may still go higher.  He is most famous for the Mazuki shot (check it out here: Mazuki video).  He is also very well liked by many of the other top professional squash players.  One gets the sense that he is like a big brother to many of them, not just Ramy, leading by example on court and through his enthusiasm and love of the game. A little while ago in New York I got the rare opportunity to talk with him -

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Q: Given your meteoric rise to number 13 in the PSA world rankings over the last six months (congratulations!), to what do you attribute this?

A: I was stuck between number twenty-three and number twenty-six in the PSA world rankings for almost three years. I knew I was always a big threat to the top twenty guys, but still was not doing enough about it. However, I do get a good win every now and then. Last September in Chicago though, when I was at number twenty-nine in the world, I lost in the first round of the U.S. Open and was a bit down immediately afterward. But I bounced back quickly and was back at the courts to train that afternoon. Since then, I started doing my 'magic fitness' with the help of Hossam Shadad, my fitness coach. As a result, over the course of five months I moved up the PSA rankings to world number thirteen in April. But I think I am still capable of moving up about seven more spots or so in the very near future.


Q: Do you teach your signature shot, the Mizuki, to everyone, or only a few lucky people? When and why did you first develop that shot?

A: The Mizuki shot is a crazy unique shot. I invented it like three years ago when Lauren from SquashTV came to me and said "Hisham, do something crazy for the camera." At the time I was doing it, but never thought I would use it seriously in a professional match. It is a mix of a volley backhand then forehand drop to the two front corners. I can drive the ball or cross-court it too from that position. I show people how to do it, but I normally say "don't try this at home" (laughs) because it is a really risky shot, especially in real matches and tight points. To me it is basically a winning shot now though, I think, after two years of working on it.


Q: We hear that you are coaching these days as well as playing. How is the coaching going?

A: I love coaching squash; it is definitely in my blood. And I consider myself one of the best squash coaches on the planet, maybe Mars, too (smiles). I do a lot of adult and junior coaching, especially in the U.S., New York in particular, whenever I have the time. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to coach much during the season, but recently I have been so proud of the American juniors I coach because everyone is growing up and getting good and being serious about their squash now. And everyone is giving it one thousand percent. In these circumstances, coaching is a real pleasure for me.


Q: Why are you currently in New York and how much time do you regularly spend here?

A: Well, I love New York City and I’m always here doing something e.g. camps, clinics, or exhibitions. The people here are amazing. Squash players and fans make it superb. I just flew in from Hong Kong after a great exhibition tournament with two of the world’s greatest squash players, Thierry Lincou and Jonathan Power. And then I am here for two camps - one at New York Sports Club and one helping Kumail Mehmoud in Stamford. Kumail is a great coach and a hard worker; in that way, he is just like my brother. Then I’ll head back home to train for the Malaysian Open as it was a long off-season for me since April. I did exhibitions in the Cayman Islands, then something small in Lebanon then another adult camp in Greece with Petros Zamlukas.


Q: There is talk that you and your brother, Ramy Ashour, are building a new club in Cairo to serve primarily the interests of juniors?

A: We are looking at building our own squash club very soon but for now we are just looking for a couple of good courts to start with in Cairo . . . maybe something big in New York City soon, you never know.


Q: How much of what Ramy does did he learn from you, given that he is your younger brother? How would you feel about playing him in a professional match?

A: Ashour is a legend of the game with the way he plays and with his ability to kill the ball from weird angles.  I am proud to have taught him a lot of what he knows now. And he will tell you that, too (smiles). And about me and him, when we play it is very close, but he is a world champion. I’ll still leave him a few points (winks).


Q: What is the climate like in Egypt right now, given all the political turmoil, does it affect you and your family? Are you all safe?

A: Yes, thank God we are all safe after the revolution. When something happens here it happens in a very small area so it does not affect everyone to be honest. I am so proud of all of the Egyptian people. What we did was a miracle.


Q: Lastly, what do you plan on doing over the off-season and which is the first tournament in the United States where fans can come to see you play?

A: In my off-season lately it is all 'squash vacations’ as previously mentioned—the Cayman Islands, Greece, Lebanon, New York City, etc. I can’t go totally off, because our first big tournament is the U.S. Open at the end of September. It is in Philly for the first time and I am looking very forward to it. I hope that everyone will come and watch all of these top-notch monsters competing.


Q: Thanks for your answers and good luck with everything in future.

A: Thank you very much for allowing me this opportunity. May God bless us all.


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If you enjoyed reading this there is a video interview of Hisham Ashour where he answers many more personal questions at Video Q&A session.  If you want to see even more footage of Hisham check out a great video made during a photo shoot at Rob White's blog. At the end of the video Hisham gives some coaching advice that is a rare insight into the way he thinks about the game and is pure genius.  If you have not gotten the opportunity to see him play you should definitely try to make one of his matches.  I think you'll be amazed and entertained.

Hisham in a more relaxed moment
[photos courtesy http://www.robwhitephotography.com/]