'I’m here today going one more time, hopefully for the gold': Saurav Ghosal

The 2018 edition of the Commonwealth Games almost broke Saurav Ghosal. But now, he's back - stronger and better

Saurav Ghosal had touched rock bottom at the 2018 Commonwealth Games (CWG). To the extent that despite winning a mixed doubles silver with Dipika Pallikal Karthik, the singles second-round defeat to Jamaica's Christopher Binnie from a two-game lead made him question the road ahead.

File photo of Saurav Ghosal in action during men's squash semifinal match against Hong Kong at the 18th Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta. (PTI)

Four years on, the 35-year-old has arrived at yet another CWG. The world No 15—Saurav was briefly in the top 10 in 2019—talks about pulling himself out of the "hardest week" of his professional career in Gold Coast, feeling more upbeat about a singles medal in Birmingham and the importance of the “bonus” World Doubles Championships title in May with Dipika who returned to the tour post-2018. Excerpts:

A World Doubles title, singles semis at Tournament of Champions… how do you assess your level this season?

Starting January, I’ve had the CWG and Asian Games—which got postponed—as priorities in my calendar, scheduling my training blocks and tournaments based on that. Unfortunately, I got injured (abductor injury) in early March, which was a setback. But my performance in TOC was a good omen. El Gouna (his last event in May) was the one tournament where I didn’t perform at my very best (Round 2 exit). But now the focus is solely on the CWG, and I think I’m in a good place squash-wise.

Does the body need more recovery time when you have injury setbacks at 35?

I guess it does take a little bit more time, but it also depends on the kind of injury. Every injury and every degree of injury is different. I don’t think it’s just a case of, ‘Oh, I’m older now so it’s going to take longer’. I just did what I had to in terms of rehab. I tried to stay cautious about not coming back too soon.

You and Dipika won the World Doubles despite having not played together in the last few years. Does it all click again instantly or take time to re-build the on-court camaraderie with the two of you?

I think it’s a bit of both. We have a very good understanding of each other; we’ve been playing for a very long time. In essence, we know what we want to do and how we want to play. The other part of the equation is to actually execute it, which is not easy. You have to be extremely clinical and mentally focused to play and compete against different teams. That takes a little bit of time and some perseverance to get it right from both sides of the court—whether it be her or me. Winning the World Doubles was a pleasant bonus. With Dipika not having played for almost four years (she gave birth to twins last year), the idea was to get back to playing at that level so that the CWG wasn’t a big shock to the system. So winning it is brilliant. We’ll take that confidence into the CWG and produce an even higher level of mixed doubles squash.

You won the mixed doubles silver in Gold Coast, but lost in the singles second round. Four years on, do you believe you’re in a better position to go deep in singles?

The singles obviously didn’t go according to plan last time. That was tough. It was good to be able to come back with a medal in mixed doubles. This time, I do feel I am a better squash player than I was four years back. I know I’m in a good position physically, mentally and squash-wise. I’m doing everything I can to put myself in the best possible position for that. That’s what my focus is now. Of course, I want to win the gold, in both doubles and singles. But I’m not thinking about ‘I want to win gold’. I’m thinking about producing my best level out there, be as clinical as I can in getting through the draw and hopefully putting myself in the position to get me and India the medal we want.

How difficult was it to pick yourself up after that singles loss?

I mean, it was hard—there is no finding my way around it. That was one of the hardest weeks I’ve had in my squash career. I’d done a lot of work but for some reason, it didn’t pan out the way I thought it would. It was a time when I didn’t know whether I would be playing again after the doubles. There were a lot of doubts in my head. But there are some things to come out from that have helped me become the player I am today.

It’s primarily because of that loss that I started working with David Palmer (former world champion who is now Saurav’s coach) after the CWG. In the last four years, he has helped me in developing what I did with Malcolm (Willstrop, Saurav’s late long-time coach). I’ve added a few more things to my game that has made me a better player than four years back. I made the top 10 in 2019; I’ve produced some solid squash in different events. So everything happens for a reason. At that point in time, it’s very difficult to have a perspective, to get back up from it. But every time in my career where I’ve felt very low after a very bad loss, to the point that I feel maybe I can’t go on now and this is it for me, what pulls me back is that I don’t want to end on a bad note. The game has given me a lot of happiness—of course, the hard times as well—since I was young, and I just want to leave, whenever it is, with my head held high. So I’m happy that thought pulled me back and that I’m here today going one more time, hopefully for the gold.

How do you look at India’s overall contingent this time and the medal chances across events?

I think we have a good shot in both the men’s and women’s singles. In doubles, both Joshna and Dipika and the mixed teams have a shot. The men’s doubles is an event that we haven’t really cracked but I’m hopeful those teams will also do pretty well. In terms of the squad, we have a good spread of experience and newbies coming in. A lot of the spotlight among the newbies is obviously on Anahat, considering how young she is. She is special, but she needs to be handled carefully and guided the right way. Being in the CWG, being on the senior team will give her a lot of experience and also elevate her game. I hope she enjoys the Games and enjoys being with us!