Nick Matthew: my top rivals, train like a champion and tips for the top
Nick Matthew retired in 2018 as one of the greats of squash. Here, we look back at his career while the former world champion reveals his top rivals and what it takes to succeed at the top of the game
Matthew: longevity in numbers
Second most-capped England player (behind James Willstrop), with 134 appearances between 2003 and 2018
In Nov 2017, he became the oldest player to achieve a World top 5 ranking (man or woman) at 37 years, 3 months
Ranking streaks: He currently boasts the second longest in the Men’s Top 50 (behind Amr Shabana) of 17 years, 1 month (Jun 2001 - Jun 2018) – AND the second longest in the Men’s Top 100 (behind Olli Tuominen) of 19 years, 1 month (Jun 1999 - Jun 2018)
PSA record
705 matches 35 PSA World Tour titles 19 months at world no.1
Timeline of a champion
2018: Wins record 10th national championship 2015: Awarded OBE in Queen’s Birthday Honours 2014: England flag-bearer at Commonwealth Games in Glasgow; wins a third singles gold 2013: Wins third world title after 2010 and 2011 victories 2012: Becomes first Englishman to win the British Open three times 2006: First home-grown winner of the British Open for 67 years 1999: British junior champion
My top five career rivals
A Briton, European and three Egyptians are Nick Matthew’s unrivalled choices over his 20-year career
James Willstrop Our 2010 Canary Wharf semi-final encapsulated in one match everything to do with our rivalry: our differences as players, In the end we were teetering on the brink but the competitiveness saw us compete for over two hours.
Gregory Gaultier The 2013 world final summed up the England-France rivalry. It was live on BBC, with a home crowd pulling me through in Manchester, my most successful venue. I managed to break Greg in the fifth after having match ball to win 3/0.
Amr Shabana We had two amazing five-game tussles at the Tournament of Champions which went either way. It was a 50-50 rivalry, with a pure contrast in styles when we played. We got closer as we got older. A brilliant player.
Ramy Ashour The Saudi International final winner went to world no.1. There was huge respect despite our differences in character while our clash in styles was never more evident than that day – despite defeat.
Mohamed Elshorbagy I always felt I was fighting a tough battle against him. It was a total endorsement on the physicality he possessed at such a young age. I’d like to have been five years younger. It was always a clash of the ages.
Two steps to success
Having the right team
It was something I picked up from Peter Nicol, taking a little bit from all the great players around me at the time.
England Squash made him aware of having a team around you, an extra physio, strength and conditioning, nutrition and psychology.
You are the thing that pulls it together and I’d like to think I would have made it without the support.
But squash teaches you that when the door closes you are on you own. Ultimately, you can have a great team but the responsibility for your career falls to you and you have to grasp it with both arms.
Having the right coach
It was the most important part of my career when David changed my approach to mind and body, technique and tactics.
It’s not how you grip the racket, it’s about making the person tick as a player. I learnt as much at the dinner table with DP through the whole holistic approach.
He is old school in some ways but he used video analysis in breaking down movement into slow motion which was ahead of its time.
I have described it as a technical change over the years but now I see it was more than that. It shaped me as a squash player and now as a coach.
Train like a champion
Mark Campbell, Nick Matthew’s S&C coach, devised ‘The Rumble’ in 2008, which Men’s Health Magazine deeming the “downright sadistic” circuit as “one of the most gruelling cardio workouts we’ve ever published.” Here, Campbell explains the process.
It can range between 40-60 minutes. I have the whole gym to myself and it’s all about continuous aerobic work. I generally left Nick in a bit of a mess but it’s exactly the sort of thing squash players need to deliver on court.
It might be on a bike for two minutes, then a mix of pushing a prowler sled, skipping, chin ups and press ups. When he was capable I would open the fire doors and tell him to run around the building. Or running up the internal stairs to the gym, missing two steps, lunging up them. And when we had access to it, I would tell him to sprint the 200m on the EIS indoor running track.