Aged 26, England's Patrick Rooney has been climbing the PSA World Rankings consistently throughout the course of his career so far, reaching the top 20 for the first time in 2022 and reaching his career-high ranking of 18 in January of this year.
Patrick has been on the PSA World Tour since 2014 and has claimed a number of titles throughout the years, including the Madeira International (which he has won twice), the Vitesse Stratford Classic, and the Arnold Homes Tring Open.
He was actually in my age group when I was a junior and I played him a few times in tournaments, he was an exceptional player back then and it's cool to see how far he's come in his career since then.
Rooney is easily one of my favourite players to watch on the professional circuit too. He has a slightly unique-looking swing which adds some great deception to his game, he's incredibly fast and explosive with his movement, and he's unbelievably accurate when going for winners.
Patrick seems to have fun when he plays, which is what makes him really entertaining to watch. His laid-back style and experimental shot choice are amazing to watch and he's got some great shots under his belt, making him a real crowd-pleaser.
Patrick was kind enough to answer a few questions about himself and his career so far for this article...
Patrick's Bio:
Age: 26
Height: 185cm
Weight: 85kg
Born: St. Helens, England
Sponsor: 305 Squash
Highest World Ranking: 18
Photo credit: Steve Cubbins
Q. Give us a short introduction to yourself...
Hi, I'm Patrick Rooney and I'm an English professional squash player based in Leeds (UK).
Q. What is your current World Ranking?
24.
Q. What is your current racquet of choice?
My current choice of racquet is the 305 XR 120.
Q. Do you have any other 'go-to' pieces of kit?
For the past few years, I’ve sworn by Asics gel rocket shoes.
Q. Tell me a bit about your squash journey (perhaps when/why/how you started, how long you’ve been playing)
Like a lot of other players that started in the early 00’s I got into it through my dad, he got me started at my local club in St. Helens and it gradually progressed into playing more and more.
I moved out at 17 to pursue a professional squash training base and do things for myself eventually making my way through the ranks by playing all over the world in PSA tournaments.
Photo credit: Steve Cubbins
Q. Who are some of your squash idols?
I don’t have many squash idols other than James Willstrop and Malcolm Willstrop, both of whom I’ve worked with closely.
Otherwise, my other choice would be my dad who got me started in the game in the first place.
Q. If you could play any player (past or present), who would you choose?
If I had the chance to play any player in the world, I’d pick Ramy Ashour as a past player because I’d love to have the chance to see if I was anywhere close to him skill-wise.
A current player that I’d go for would be Karim Abdel Gawad for the same reason as Ramy, but also because I’ve not had the chance to play him yet on the PSA World Tour.
Q. What’s your favourite shot?
My favourite shot has to be the backhand smash, it's the most underrated shot in the game in my opinion.
Q. How would you describe your own playing style?
I’d describe my playing style as controlled, skilful, and inconsistent (all at the same time).
Q. What are your favourite and least favourite drills?
My favourite drill is drop, drive, boast, crosscourt, drive (which I think I invented but can’t be sure).
My least favourite drill has to be rotating drives. Boring.
Photo credit: Steve Cubbins
Q. How do you mentally prepare for matches and tournaments?
I mentally prepare for matches by trying to stay relaxed, usually by zoning out and listening to music.
As long as I’ve done the right preparation I usually feel ok mentally and ready to go on court.
Q. What would you say is your favourite (or most important) personal squash moment so far?
My most important squash moment so far is probably losing early in the commonwealth games.
It was such a big moment and it didn’t go the way I wanted.
A lot of learning was done about my game and dealing with those types of situations.
Q. What are some of your future goals and aspirations (squash and non-squash related)?
Some of my future goals in squash include breaking the world's top ten for the first time, winning a Commonwealth medal, and beating a top 5 player.
I believe the highest-ranked played I've beaten so far in my career is Marwan ElShorbagy who currently sits at World No.6 (I think was World No.7 at the time).
A goal of mine outside of squash is to learn how to DJ and also to buy a house.
Q. What's one piece of advice that you'd give to a beginner
A piece of advice I’d give to a beginner is to make sure your serve is high and hits the sidewall.
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