Interview: Indian player Ramit Tandon believes it's high time squash gets included in Olympic Games

New Delhi, June 14: I love squash being an avid racquet sports fan, and I am sure many of us who are sports enthusiasts also do, but why is our beloved sport not in the Olympics still?

The governing body of squash, the World Squash Federation (WSF), is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), but the game isn't a part of the Olympic Games, despite several number of applications.

"There really is not any hiding place on the court and it is a real battle of wits and skill." The IOC gave a shortlist of seven points that the new sport for 2020 - squash, wrestling, or baseball/softball - needed to tick. And squash ticks all of them. It meets the Olympic ideals - faster, higher, stronger - and it's gladiatorial, physical and one on one.

Ramit Tandon a professional Indian Squash player also believes that squash must be a part of the Olympic Games for it fulfils all the criteria. The Olympic motto is that the hendiatris Citius, Altius, Fortius, which is Latin for "faster, higher, stronger".

The Olympic Games brings together the world's best athletes and squash would bring something new and fresh to the world's greatest sporting event. It has been voted the world's healthiest sport by Forbes magazine too and therefore the Games would be crag for all competitors.

Ramit, who hails from Kolkata, is country's top fourth-seeded player in the squad. His current world ranking is 53, whereas his world series rank is 40, as of May 2020. He turned pro by the end of 2017 and has won 4 PSA tour titles since then. He's an Asian Games Bronze Medalist.

He also represented India at the Gold Coast CWG 2018. As a junior, he won 6 junior national titles, several international titles and ended his junior career as India rank 1, Asia rank 2 and world rank 5.

Ramit also captained the Indian Junior Team to a historic Gold Medal beating Pakistan in the final match. He was also part of the U-21 World Cup Team that secured the Silver medal.

Just three years ago, Ramit was languishing in the World Rankings, sitting at World No.493. He finishes the 2019-2020 campaign as the World No.46. The 27-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise up the rankings over the course of the past three seasons and has broken into the top 50 for the first time in his career.

"Sport has the power to make you feel like the king of the world one day and the very next day you could feel like a nobody but you got to realize the truth lies in-between", Ramit Tandon told

Vishal Sharma

Here are the excerpts from the chat with the four-time PSA world tour title holder Ramit Tandon:

Q: Tell me about your sporting journey as Squash player so far?

Ans: As a sportsperson, the journey is always fun since you get to pursue your passion. It's an amazing feeling to do what you love to and I feel really blessed to have that opportunity. We travel the world competing in tournaments, the excitement and energy is hard to beat. When you're so passionate about something there is always in an emotional attachment and therefore the journey is also an emotional roller coaster ride. Wins excite you and losses hurt but you got to realise and accept that success and failure is part of the game, it's part of life.

I started at the age of 6 in Kolkata. Had a great junior career, was the top-ranked junior in India and amongst the best in the world. Then I went to college (Columbia University) where I played college squash and now I'm back in the professional circuit.

Q: Who is your inspiration or role model and why?

Ans: I have a few, my father is my hero and I have learnt a lot from him about chasing your dreams, success and failure and putting in the work. My mum has taught me how to be extremely focused and dedicated to what you do in life. They have been a huge inspiration in my life.

In the world of sport, I really look up to Roger Federer and Usain Bolt. Both are amazing athletes and the way they conduct themselves on and off-court in truly amazing.

Q: Who were your biggest challengers/competitors in the sporting career?

Ans: Isn't sport full of challenges and competitors? At the sub juniors, I had a rivalry with Ravi Dixit in India. He was one of the fastest players with amazing foot speed. In college, I had a rivalry with Ali Farag and Amr Khalifa both from Egypt. Internationally we have been competing with Egypt, England, Malaysia, Pakistan, Hong Kong. To be honest, everyone is good these days.

Q: How are you cope with Covid-19? Are you training at home through online live sessions?

Ans: Well, it's definitely a very unique situation that we are in. It's a true test of mental strength. Especially for athletes and professionals who are used to travel and a very energetic lifestyle. But to stay motivated I have tried to set myself some goals. I do my fitness training every day. I have been working out on Zoom with my coach Anwar Wahab. We have been working on different weaknesses. I watch a few squash matches since I'm really missing the sport.

Outside squash I look into things that really interest me- have been reading up on how the mind functions, following the stock market, research on the economy- it's going to be fascinating to see how things play out post-COVID-19. Apart from the productive stuff I have been listening to music, trying to get tech-savvy and watching movies.

Q: When did you turn pro? When did you join first?

Ans: By the end of 2019, it was hard for me to enter tournaments in the beginning. My first full season was the 2018-2019 season. Post my junior career I decided to pursue my education at Columbia University in NYC. I balanced squash with academics and graduates with a degree in statistics. Post-graduation, I worked in finance for a couple of years. During my stint in finance, I started missing squash. That's when I decided I'll turn professional.

Q: What sort of struggle do you face in life? How do you overcome out of those situations?

Ans: As athletes we come across various challenges - recovering from injuries, going through ups and downs in part and parcel of the game. I have had a couple of back injuries, ankle injuries which took some determination and mental strength to come back from. The key is to look at the positives even in the worst of situations because that gives you the hope to turn things around.

Q: Who's your coach at the moment and how do you train? Any specific technique or coaching?

Ans: My coach currently is Hesham Attar from Egypt but he's based in the NY area while my fitness coach in Anwar Wahhab who is based in Kolkata. A typical day would be 2 squash sessions and 1 fitness session. At this point in time, it's only fitness due to the current lockdown. In terms of technique, my playing style is similar to the Egyptian school of squash. We incorporate that in our training

Q: What are your plans for the future?

Ans: A little difficult to look too far into the future due to the uncertainty because of the current pandemic. We don't know when we will be back in action as of now. I will take it step by step once our sport lays down their plan of action.

Q: We could see even after many applications squash has been rejected from Tokyo 2021 as well. Do you think it should be a part of the Olympics?

Ans: I obviously believe squash deserves to be part of the Olympics. I see some of the sports in there and it surprises me that squash hasn't made the cut. If you have got the technology to display squash clearly and in real-time on TV. But it still should be in the Olympics and I hope we make it soon.

Q: What's your first big win/achievement remembrance?

Ans: I can pinpoint to one thing but Asian games medal, first PSA World Tour title, a few solid wins on the PSA and a few achievements in junior Squash(Asian team champions and U-21 World Cup silver)

The 1st time I represented India was at the World Juniors at the age of 14. It had been a dream come true moment - I still remember the first time I received the Indian jersey and jacket. It's an awfully special memory. I feel like wearing that jacket but in fact, I can't fit into it. Playing for the nation comes with quite a unique pressure. You get the feeling that you're carrying the burden of all the Indian squash supporters and fans. And more importantly, there's more pride and ego attached since it's your nation's reputation at stake. I even have seen tons of players across different sports and from different countries crack there under pressure. On a brighter side, the thrill of playing for your country also can cause you to achieve some unbelievable things. I have been fortunate to experience each side of the coin!

Q: How many PSA world tour major title you won? What was the secret behind your 4th major win, PSA world tour Seattle open title?

Ans: 4 World Tour Titles. I don' think there is a secret behind winning any titles. It just happens that certain weeks you feel good, ready and hungry to win. That week everything came together and I was able to lift the title. I was happy with the way I played throughout the event and it definitely gave me more confidence and belief.

Q: What's your next big goal/objective in your sport?

Ans: Well, medals in the Asian Games and Common Wealth Games were definitely a big goal for me personally, and for the sport as a whole. In terms of PSA ranking, obviously I would like to keep moving.

Q: What are all the achievements and awards you have achieved so far in your career?

Ans: Achievements: Asian Games Bronze, Seattle Open Champion, Abu Dhabi Open Champion, Singapore Open Champion, SYS Open Champion, Asian Junior Team Champion, Asian Junior Individual Silver, World Cup U-21 Silver, 6x Junior National Champion. Won several junior national and international events.

Awards: MVP Columbia University Squash Team all 4 years
All- American Honors College Squash
All-Ivy Honors College Squash
Skillman Award College Squash
Maniaty Award Columbia University.

Vishal Sharma is a Delhi based sports journalist. An enthusiast who loves to travel and explore things around. He analysis sports and observe in-depth manner. He is a news and features writer on several online publications. His life is all around sports. Some of his hobbies are blogging, singing, research, travelling and meet geeks. He is a Wikipedian too.