It is fascinating how many professional squash players come from the same families.
On the PSA Squash Tour right now, we have several siblings who compete at incredibly high levels. Some of the best players in the world are related to each other.
In fact, it's often a generational affair too, with many families having parents or children all being involved in squash at a high-standard.
Of course, this can't just be a coincidence. To know someone else who has such a great level of knowledge and experience in the sport can be very valuable, and, to have that person in your own family to either coach you or train with you can bring your game on leaps and bounds.
I thought it would be interesting to delve into some of the siblings and families in the world of professional squash. I'll cover some of the most notable examples, as well as a few that I've only recently found out about...
Belgium’s squash success story wouldn’t be complete without mentioning sisters Nele and Tinne.
Nele (aged 28), the elder sister, has been a trailblazer in Belgian squash, establishing herself as a top player on the PSA World Tour. She's currently ranked at World No.7 and has been as high as World No.4!
Tinne, the younger sister (aged 27), currently sits at World No.5 which is her highest ranking yet, so, it's pretty fair to say that both sisters are at the top of their games right now.
Looking solely at the rankings, you might be inclined to think that Tinne is the better player, but, as you may have expected, things aren't that simple.
I always like looking at the head-to-head stats of siblings and, in this case, Nele has beaten Tinne 8 times and Tinne has only beaten Nele once.
It's interesting to think that they will have such a close bond having grown up together and playing together all these years, however, there also must be a pretty strong competitive rivalry between the two.
It's always exciting when siblings go head-to-head and these two haven't actually played since the 2023-24 PSA World Tour finals last season. A lot has changed since then so I really don't know who I'd have my money on...
But, a little bit more about the pair as individuals, Nele is now married to Paul Coll (the men's World No.4 and former World No.1). I'm not sure whether or not they train together, however, you often see one player coaching the other between games at big events.
It must be incredibly helpful to have another squash brain by your side to provide guidance and advice when needed.
Nele is known for her athleticism and resilience on the court. She's been a part of some absolutely huge matches and is unbelievably fit, meaning that the standard rarely drops toward the latter stages of those big games.
Tinne's recent jump up the rankings has been an incredibly impressive one too. Last season, she generally stayed within the top 15/20, however, right at the end of the season she finally made the top 10.
This season, she's been creeping further and further up to reach the point she's at now. It's pretty clear to see that she's got a lot of momentum behind her at the moment and I'm very excited to see where it can take her.
Like her sister, Tinne is incredibly athletic, however, she also has a superb touch and is very skillful with her racquet.
I'm really hoping the pair come up against each other soon, I imagine it would be an awesome match!
Mohamed ElShorbagy (aged 33) and Marwan ElShorbagy (aged 31) are another shining example of an unbelievably accomplished pair of squash siblings.
Hailing from Egypt originally, both players recently gained full English citizenship and now play for England's national team too. They've spent most of their squash careers training in the country so it only made sense for them to get citizenship and carry on living here.
Mohamed, nicknamed “The Beast of Alexandria,” currently sits at World No.6 and has held the World No.1 ranking multiple times. He also has several major titles to his name, including the World Championship.
He's a highly respected veteran in professional squash and he just reached an absolutely ridiculous milestone of winning 50 titles.
What I love about Mo is how hungry he is for more. In every interview and post-match speech, he talks about his future goals and targets and what he wants to achieve.
He seems to be showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. He has a ridiculously attacking style of play coupled with supreme mental toughness, making him a formidable presence on the squash court for most of his career so far.
Marwan has a similar attacking style that many people often associate with Egyptian players, however, Marwan and Mo seem to have brought that over into English squash which could be great for the country's other professionals...
Anyway, Marwan currently sits at World No.10 and has been as high as World No.3 in the past with 14 titles to his name. Known as “The Jackal,” Marwan has carved out his impressive career with a very solid presence in the top 10 rankings.
Despite occasional clashes on the court, there’s no denying the mutual respect that these brothers hold for one another. Sometimes drama and sibling rivalry take over during the heat of battle, but they always make amends once they step off court.
Looking at the head-to-head between the two, they've had some feisty battles in the past. I've watched them play (on SquashTV) on a number of occasions and you can really tell that they're both brothers.
The passion that they show on court is immense. They take no prisoners and will fight tooth and nail for every single point. There must be something pretty gritty in the ElShorbagy genes because these two always put on a show.
Their head-to-head currently sits at 17-7 in Mohamed's favour, but, it was Marwan who took the win in their last meeting in the recent Silicon Valley Open. Although the match was 3-0, the scores were 11-9, 11-7, and 12-10, so, all of these games could perhaps have gone a different way.
With that said, these two are another pair who are closely matched at the moment and I really don't know who I would have my money on if they were to face each other again.
Image credit: Steve Cubbins
From the United States, the Sobhy sisters (Amanda and Sabrina), have become pretty big names in the world of squash.
Amanda, the elder sister (aged 31), has led a massive charge for American squash in recent seasons, becoming the first U.S.-born player to break into the top 10 in the PSA rankings.
Known as 'Southpaw Sobhy', Amanda is a left-hander with the ability to hit incredibly powerful shots and take early balls with an attacking style of play.
Amanda's got an awesome presence on and off the court, her personality is full of charisma and she's always got a smile on her face.
Unfortunately, she's experienced a couple of very unlucky injuries throughout the past few seasons (tearing one achilles one first and then the other the following season I believe).
For many players, that second tear could have been a career ender, but not Amanda, she recently got back on the court this season and I've made a point of watching her as often as possible.
In my opinion, her current ranking of World No.16 doesn't quite reflect her playing standard and I imagine she'll be climbing back up in no time. She's been as high as World No.3 and I'd love to see her get there again.
Sabrina is a little younger, aged 27, and she sits at World No.23 having dropped a few places due to being off-court with a wrist injury. The Sobhy sisters aren't having much luck in this department, but hopefully, it's nothing too major and Sabrina is back on court in no time.
She's another player who is incredibly consistent on court, Sabrina doesn't make many mistakes and she hits her targets over and over again.
Her highest ranking is World No.13 and she's got 5 titles under her belt. I imagine there's plenty more to come from the American!
In terms of head-to-heads, we haven't been blessed with many clashes between the Sobhy sisters. They've only played twice on the PSA Squash Tour with Amanda taking both of the wins.
With that said, both matches were very close with one being in last year's Canadian Open (where Amanda won 12-10, 11-9, 11-9), and the other the year before in the second round of the 2022 Black Ball Open (where Amanda won 5-11, 11-6, 11-7, 9-11, and 11-6).
I'd love to see these sisters play each other again. But, yet again, I really wouldn't know who my money would be on. There's just not enough data to make an informed choice!
I do find it so interesting that, generally, these siblings are often very similar standards. Of course, there are always fluctuations and perhaps one pulls ahead at times, but, I have a strong feeling that sibling rivalry plays a part in the standard that they both play at!
Image from the Team Malik website
When it comes to squash families, few can rival the Maliks.
Pictured above, they certainly look the business, and, their squash results speak for themselves. Team Malik consists of Curtis, Perry, Torrie, Bailey, and Heston, however, another name from the family that I must mention is Sumner.
At just 11 years old, Sumner was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. Despite the diagnosis, Sumner battled the illness for almost two years, becoming an inspiration to the squash world.
Unfortunately, Sumner passed away in 2018 at the age of 12, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire squash players and fans alike.
On top of everything else they do in the world of squash, the Malik family also run charity events under the name of 'Sunshine 4 Sumner'.
It's pretty obvious that this is a family that lives and breathes squash, and that's reflected by the ridiculous standard that team Malik plays at.
Curtis is the player I know the most about, having been near his age when we were both juniors and believe I played him on a couple of occasions. Of course, he's absolutely excelled since then.
Curtis currently sits at World No.36, and, aged just 25 years old, he already has 13 titles under his belt. I've watched him overcome some other huge names on the PSA Squash Tour and it's pretty clear that he's on the rise.
Coached by Camron Malik, the rest of Team Malik are all making steps in their squash careers which is absolutely awesome to see.
Perry Malik (aged 23) is currently at World No.106, Heston Malik (aged 18), is at World No. 263, Bailey Malik (aged 18) is at World No. 341, and Torrie Malik (aged 20) is at World No. 51.
To have that many family members playing as professionals is pretty ridiculous if you ask me.
Again, there's just got to be something in the genes of the Maliks. But, obviously, they also train unbelievably hard too.
I can't wait to see what heights the family is capable of reaching in the coming years. They're a great thing for English squash, so I'm happy supporting them!
Now, although they're not necessarily blood-related, I thought it would be worth mentioning a couple of couples!
I've already touched on Nele Coll and Paul Coll's marriage, however, Ali Farag and Nour El Tayeb are another pair worth talking about.
Although Nour El Tayeb is now retired, she left a pretty strong legacy in professional squash. She reached World No.3 and won a heck of a lot of titles during her career, being rivals with the likes of Raneem El Welily (who I'll talk about next), Nouran Gohar, and Nour El Sherbini.
Then there's Ali who is the current men's World No.1 and has dominated that spot for years now. He's actually been World No.1 consistently since June 2023, before then, he still held the spot more than any other player with the odd drop down here and there.
But hey, he's only human... I think.
If I've got my facts right, Nour actually retired before the birth of their first child (Farida), then returned to the PSA Squash Tour again just to remind everybody who's boss.
She only recently re-retired, bringing an end to her 20-year career on the PSA Tour.
The pair even made history together by becoming the first married couple to both win a major title on the same day after winning the US Open in 2017.
Seems like they're a perfect match for each other, plus, I can't help but wonder what the chances are that we see Farida on the PSA Squash Tour in 15/20 years' time...
Lastly, I also wanted to mention another formidable Egyptian squash couple, and that's Tarek Momen and Raneem El Welily.
Raneem is another massive name in women's squash who dominated the top end of the rankings throughout her career.
She reached a career-high world ranking of No.1 back in September 2015, she is a three-time finalist at the World Open (2014, 2016, and 2019/2020), and, she became the World Champion in 2017, after defeating her compatriot Nour El Sherbini in the finals.
According to sources (I may need to be fact-checked on this), El Welily was actually the first Egyptian female to hold the World No.1 ranking, which is an incredible achievement.
As a couple, they also made history (similar to Ali and Nour) by after Tarek won the 2019/20 PSA Men’s World Championship – making them the first married World Champions in any sport, a feat recognised by the Guinness World Records later that year.
It must be so cool to share an achievement like that with your significant other!
Raneem retired back in 2020 to start her family with Tarek, however, Tarek has carried on his professional career since then and is still playing incredibly well.
Known as the 'Viper', Momen is one of my favourite players to watch due to his incredible accuracy (in particular, when volley-dropping from high up).
Tarek is currently ranked at World No.9 and has been as high as World No.3 with 11 titles under his belt from his 19-year career.
Aged 36, Tarek isn't necessarily as young as other players on the tour, however, he's still playing at a ridiculously high level and doesn't seem to be slowing down much.
I'd love to see him carry on his career and go even further!
I believe Tarek and Raneem now have two children, so perhaps I'll be writing an article about both of them and their squash careers in 20 years' time... who knows!
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