This is an absolute treat for us here. Thanks to Stu for having friends in high places, he was able to reach out to one of the current legends of the game and grab this scoop interview! One of only four players in history to win the world junior title twice, he won his first professional tournament at age of just 17. He reached the top 10 in the world about 5 years later, and a career high of 3 in 2018. Nicknamed “The Jackal”, he is currently ranked 7, is a regular competitor in Detroit through the Motor City Open which he won in 2019, and is one of best tacticians in the game.
MEET… MARWAN EL SHORBAGY
by Stu Hadden
The Squash Joint (TSJ): Marwan how you going mate? Weird times at the moment so thanks for taking the time to do an interview with me. You burst onto the world squash scene when we were still kids, off the top of my head I’m going to say you won your first PSA event as a 16 year old and I feel like you beat 3 top 20 players in a row, including Mohammed Ali Redda in the final??? Can you tell me a bit about that tournament and how it was like playing against seasoned pro’s as a junior player?
Marwan El Shorbagy (MaES): So you are a bit wrong mate, it was just after I won the world juniors 2011 so I had just turned 17 - it was a dream come true for me to win that first world title. I played qualifying in a 25k in Egypt the week after I won the world juniors and so I went into this tournament with a lot of confident. I came through qualifying and then beat Amr Atlas Khan who was top 20 in the quarters and Mossad in semis who was top 15 at the time. I had a match point in the final against Reda but lost in 5 in 100m. It was an amazing tournament for me and I took all of the top players by surprise because I lived in England so they didn’t really know who am I at this point. I was not as strong physically as these guys because I was still a kid so I had to play very clever and use a lot of deception and of course the fact they had the pressure to my advantage.
TSJ: How did you get so bloody good so young, there are thousands of players over the years who have dedicated their whole life to the sport and barely scrape into the worlds top 100. What did you do differently?
MaES: Man when I was younger I trained really, really hard. Harder than these pro’s that you are talking about, I was 100% committed to the sport and to training so, so very hard, multiple times every single day. I used to wake up and put in a brutal session before school, I trained during school and I trained after school. Having an older brother helped me, I followed in his footsteps and copied him and also moving to England helped a lot but I think more than anything it was about committing to the game. To be honest I think the journey was much more excitinger when I was younger, there was no pressure and it was fun for me playing against the top players. It happened so fast you know I was in the top 20 when I was 20 years old and still in University. It was so exciting and every time I stepped on court I had nothing to lose I only could cause upsets so there was never any downside for me playing. Now it is a bit different, there is more pressure, I have to play young guys and now they are the ones with nothing to lose and they play so well against me because of this. But you know this is making it interesting because somehow you have to find how to beat them, even if they are outplaying you for big patches and this is something I do well, I always see how to win even when I am being outplayed, I see something and I use it to break you. I’m now in a different stage in my career and I feel it when I play and when I travel.
TSJ: For those who don’t know you are an Egyptian but you have been living in England ever since I have known you maybe since you were 12 years old? It’s very widely known that you love Bristol, please can you tell me a bit about the city and why you like living there so much?
MaES: Bristol is the best place for me to stay especially in the season. The city has its own separate vibe compared to the rest of England, the people are so different. It even has its own currency which is different from the rest of the UK called the Bristol Pound which just shows how different it is. It has a family vibe and a very relaxing vibe. When you are in the season all you think of is squash but for me when I am coming back to Bristol the way the city is gives me perspective. When you get off the train at Temple Meads and go get a coffee and walk down the old cobbled streets it just makes you think about life in a different way and it reminds you in the end that you are a human being and that squash is just a small part of your life. Brandon Hill is my favourite spot to go and relax, the view is amazing and it is so peaceful.
TSJ: Let’s get a little trivial…
- Tea or Coffee? Coffee
- Books or films? Books
- Junk food or healthy? Healthy
- Favorite vacation? Relaxing a beach
- Favorite food? Egyptian food
- Favorite Animal? Dogs
TSJ: You recently visited Detroit and swung by the DAC, what were your impressions of the club and would you be interested to come back?
MaES: DAC Was one of the nicest clubs I’ve ever been to if not the best. As soon as you walk through the door you feel like you are in luxury, it is almost like you have walked into a Palace when you walk through the front door. I see the members when I am there are so happy to be here and for me interacting with the staff was really nice because I see that they are so happy to be here too. I would love to play at this club one day in a tournament, I didn’t realise that this place was in Detroit and I have visited maybe the last 7 years. Shame about the assistant squash pro though, this guy is a pillock! ;)
TSJ: If you could have three dinner guests past or present who would you have round and why?
MaES: I would have Stu Hadden… Can I say this though?? Second hmmm let me think… the woman who is in wolf of wall street actually – Margret something she is an amazing actress and if she tasted my cooking maybe she will date me! Finally the guy who wrote the book the Alchemist. He would be very interesting; the Alchemist is one of my favourite books that changed slightly the way I see the world but I read it only very recently.
TSJ: When we were in Detroit we went out and hit the bars, what did you think of the Detroit night out, which was your favourite bar and, just so I have it in writing – who won at darts that night?
MaES: Well I have to say I am suprisinged by how good a night out Detroit was, I never saw this side of the city before despite having gone there 7 times. The bartenders in the DAC really know how to pour a drink but I think that my favourite bar was the Old Miami. They had a very good DJ in there this night and yes you beat me at darts but why don’t you tell everyone who will win if we play Fifa?
TSJ: How is the lockdown treating you, I know you probably are hating not being able to go out for coffee and Sushi. Are you still working out and if so what are you doing?
MaES: I am actually enjoying being able to workout but not as a squash player but more for my mental health. I am working out for only 1 hour daily but just generally without having something I need to focus on improving. It is nice for me to have no pressure for a while and have some time to reflect. As soon as this finishes and I can go back on court again I will start to focus on more specific areas.
TSJ: Finally, you have given me some fantastic advice over the years and I have always taken it very seriously. I’m wondering what the best advice you were ever given was and where it came from?
MaES:The best advice I have heard was Steph Curry said someone once told him to be the best version of yourself. That really hit home for me, sometimes you don’t manage it but that’s OK but we as a people - we always should try.
Marwan, thanks for agreeing to do the interview with me, it was great speaking to you, and as always it was super interesting. Hope you and the family stay safe and I’ll see you in the summer.
