MAKING-OF. Meeting a world number 1 in their sport is always a potentially daunting exercise. But not with Nouran Gohar, who welcomes you immediately with a big smile and disarming simplicity. Not to mention her impeccable French and immediate familiarity, creating a closeness defusing any stress and creating a feeling of discussion with a friend, more than with an immense champion. Because at 25, the Egyptian has won everything in squash so far, with the exception of the World Championships. At the Palais de Tokyo this week where she is playing the first edition of Paris Squash, Nouran Gohar is the favorite for the title before playing her quarter-final, this Thursday (1:30 p.m.), against the Belgian Nele Gilis (6th in the world). Meeting with a champion who deserves to be known.
Nouran, what does it mean for you to play a big tournament in Paris? Nouran Gohar: I’m really happy and delighted to be here. Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and having a tournament here is like Roland-Garros for tennis. I know that many were waiting for such an event and it’s good that it was finally able to see the light of day.
You speak French perfectly. What is your link with France? Already, I play with a racket from a French brand, Tecnifibre, which has been with me for 15 years. And then I started studying French when I was 3 or 4 years old, and I always had a strong interest in France. I couldn’t really explain to you why, or where it comes from, but it’s ingrained in me and my partnership over all these years with Tecnifibre has undoubtedly only reinforced that. I really have a family relationship with this brand, which goes far beyond the simple financial framework.
How do you explain that there are so many players in the Top 10 who are Egyptian (there are five in the last ranking)? I am often asked this question, and I think that the first secret of this success is the tournament which takes place in front of the pyramids of Giza. In 1996, Ahmed Barada, who was world number 2, managed to qualify for the final and it caused a lot of noise in Egypt. Behind, lots of young people wanted to do like him, to become a hero. As a result, lots of young boys and girls came to squash and this created a great dynamic. So much so that today, squash can claim the title of the number 2 sport in Egypt behind football. I hope it will be a similar day for France with this tournament right in front of the Eiffel Tower.
How did you get into squash? It was thanks to my father, who played just for fun with his friends in a club. One day, I accompanied him, I kicked the ball a little and there was a coach who saw me. Straight away, he asked me if I wanted to do some. I was 9 years old and that was already a bit old to start squash, compared to all these young people who start at 6 or 7 years old. But I really liked it and in the end it wasn’t a problem for me, even though a lot of people initially thought I wouldn’t be able to do it.
What does it mean to you to be called ‘Terminator’? (Laughs) It’s funny because off the court I’m not really aggressive. I think of being of a natural very sociable, smiling. But maybe on the court, I’m totally different. I become very focused on what I do, with a more closed face. I also play with a lot of intensity and power. Anyway, I like that nickname. If it can scare my opponents a little when they come into the court with me, I take it (smile).
Why squash, despite many attempts, never made it into the Olympics? That’s a tough question. We always hope for 2028. Each time, there seem to be different reasons for us being told no. But I don’t think I’m the right person to answer because I don’t have a lot of information on why each time it didn’t. But my belief is that squash must one day become an Olympic sport. With the intensity, the physique and the tactics that must be combined, this sport has all the elements to offer a spectacle. And then, as we can see here at the Palais de Tokyo, it’s very easy to set up a squash court in iconic places. There aren’t many sports where you can do that and play in front of the Great Pyramid or the Eiffel Tower.
Some mention the lack of universality of squash to explain these different refusals… Yes, I’ve heard that before, but I don’t think it’s a good reason. In Europe, there are many countries that play squash, such as France, Germany, Belgium… In Latin America, the world number 1 for men last year was Peruvian. In the United States, it is becoming more and more popular. In Egypt, no need to talk about it and this popularity is starting to spread to other African countries. In Asia, the Malaysian Nicol David was a legend of women’s squash, who was my idol when I was younger. People all over the world actually play squash.
It would be a huge frustration for you if you couldn’t play the Games once in your career…Yes, of course. Especially since I am married to a fencer who took part in the Tokyo Games and who normally will also be doing those in Paris 2024. I would like him not to be the only one who can try to bring back a nice Olympic medal the house (smile).
In squash, what about gender equality? The prizes are the same. If I win this tournament in Paris, I will win the same amount as the male winner. I think it’s normal for it to be like that. We train the same way, just as hard. And in Egypt today, as world number 1, I am as popular as the male players.
You are number 1 in the world and you seem to have remained very simple, very accessible… Yes, I hope that is how I am perceived. Why take me for someone else? I love what I do and I love being the best at what I do. I give everything I can on the court and afterwards I’m just Nouran. I don’t walk down the street thinking I’m number 1 in the world. It’s better to be like that to live a normal life.
When you first achieved this rank of world number 1, what did you say to yourself? I thought to myself that’s it, sorry for the swear word, but damn… I realized my dream. It was a huge moment for me. Afterwards, winning is a kind of drug and even if you have realized your dream, afterwards, you want it to last over and over again. I make a lot of sacrifices, I’ve had my share of injuries, some mornings I wake up and it’s hard physically and mentally. I play between 12 to 14 tournaments per season, which represents 5 matches if I go to the end, plus training and I’ve been on the tour for 13 years so I’ll let you do the math (smile). But when you win a tournament or you’re number 1 in the world somewhere, you put all that aside and you’re just happy, proud.
At one point, you went through a very difficult time that even made you wonder about the rest of your career… Yes, that was in 2018. I was world number 2 at just 18 years old. I had just won several major tournaments. But everything had happened so fast, probably too fast… I think I was mature for my age but I wasn’t ready to handle all this new pressure. Suddenly, I started losing matches that I shouldn’t have lost. Confidence went down, I was starting to injure myself a little more, my training was losing intensity… Everything deteriorated until I fell back to 8th in the world in the space of six months. Mentally, I was no longer there and in squash, if the mind doesn’t follow, everything becomes extremely difficult. I had reached a point where I didn’t think I could do it anymore and yes, I told myself that in that case, it would be better to stop, especially since I had started to hate squash. And then all of a sudden, something clicked. I told myself that I loved this sport too much to stop like that. Little by little, it came back and it took me three years to get back on my feet with the help of my parents, who are my biggest supporters, and my staff. My coaches played the role of mental trainer and they gave me back this lost confidence.
Can we talk about depression, as other great champions have suffered recently? Yes, maybe. It’s very hard when your career takes off very quickly, everything is going well and all of a sudden, for example, injuries happen. There is a strong frustration. And then at the time, I couldn’t manage the defeat. I did not accept the fact of losing. This period taught me that, to accept defeat and learn from it. People often don’t realize how difficult it is to be a high level athlete. When you make a lot of sacrifices and the results don’t come, it quickly becomes depressing.
Reassure us, today, you no longer think about the end of your career? No, not at all. I hope to have at least five years ahead of me. I want to be world champion, after losing the final three times. And then we’ll see if squash becomes Olympic for Los Angeles in 2028. That could be a wonderful ending.
