QF: Tarek talks of the “Future of Squash” after their battle
[2] Tarek Momen (EGY) 3-2 [7] Mohamad Zakaria (EGY) 11-8, 13-15, 11-3, 6-11, 11-8 (106m)
Let’s be honest. I didn’t know how to write my report. As the match was unfolding, I was trying to find the angle: how to tell a 17 years old, one in a generation, gifted as I rarely saw, how can I say that he is following the wrong path? Copying the wrong model? How to find the words?
Tonight, Zakaria showed us his best side, and his worst side.
The worse: stepping far too often in the line of his opponent, hitting his opponent voluntarily in the leg, labelled dangerous game, holding his opponent racquet down as he is about to play, holding his opponent shirt to prevent him to get to the ball, etc.
The best: an incredible accuracy at the back, in particular on the left side, a second-to-none ability to mix pace and angles, an incredible fighting spirit, magic hands, a sublime squash intelligence and talent. I just love watching him play, I love the way his squash brain functions, I love his passion, I love his personality, I love his determination, I love the player he is going to become.
Funny, you know, I wrote that exact same sentence a few years ago about another youngster who had to make a few changes before becoming the great champion I thought he could become. Unfortunately, the changes never came…
So I just hope, truly and utterly, that this time, I’m not wrong, and that this incredibly talented young man will choose the right path. Insh’Allah.
Tarek just found the words for me…
“I believe he is a phenomenon. You don’t get a 17-year-old who plays like this every year or two. He’s something that could happen once every ten or fifteen years. I did speak to him after the match about a few reservations I have. Just advise that… I know he’s going to be the future of our sport, he’s going to represent Egypt.
I have no doubt he will become a World Champion and World No.1. I’ll be long gone by then, but I want to see players like him being applauded and respected by everyone. He’s halfway there. He’s still 17 he can learn. If he hears our advice, if he really listens, there are a few tweaks. I don’t want to say any negative things, it’s just that if he works on those things, he will be loved and respected and cherished for so long.
There are two ways you can do this. You can do this the not-so-right way, you still get there, but not many people will like you, or there’s the other way – you’re gonna still make it, and everyone’s going to like you. He needs to choose the other one.”
Now, was Tarek a saint on this one? Absolutely not. He fought with the same weapons at times, and that didn’t help the fluidity of the match for sure! But the match they played in Gouna on the traditional court left some deep open wound, and Tarek got on court today to win 3/0, to wash away the “awful memory” of that loss. It hurt him very deeply.
The opener alone was 25m, with Tarek making his two errors at the start of the game, and Zak at the end. Not much love lost on court, for sure, point for point up to 7/7. Tarek takes a little lead, 2 points, that will allow him to close the game 11/8. 7 winners for Tarek, 5 for Zakaria.
The second is 24m, messy comes to mind, especially the end of the game. 10/8 for Zak, Tarek equalise 10/10. Intense rally, 11/10 another game ball for the youngster, no let says the ref, 11/11.
Another no let, 12/11, Tarek’s first game ball, Zak’s dangerous game hits Tarek in the right leg, “à bout portant”, Tarek’s leg just swelled immediately the size of a pigeon egg! Still a stroke for the youngster, 12/12.
Tarek will have another game ball but it’s Zakaria that clinches the second on his 4th attempt, 15/13.
The youngster is absolutely dead in the third, but he keeps on fighting, 15m for 11/3, and will come back with a vengeance in the 4th, 6/1, Tarek seems to be back in the game 5/7, but too little too late, 9/5, 11/6 in 14m. Decider here we come.
I’m not sure how Tarek won that one to be honest. He was up at the start, 4/2, but the world junior champion scores 5 points in a row, 7/4, 8/5. But it’s like suddenly, the fact that he is only 17 years old plays its role, he hits the wall. He cannot move out quickly enough, 3 strokes in 4 points, 10/8, match ball, and the last shot end in the tin.
20m last game.
106m. At 37, Tarek outlast a player 20 years younger, on a boiling hot court – 42°C at 6pm, 38°C at 8pm, when we started the match…. Chapeau.
Tarek : “I never expected it to go over 100 minutes for sure. What can I say. I’m 37 years old. I’m playing with a 17-year-old, someone who’s 20 years younger than me, and I managed somehow to outlast him. I’m just very proud of how I kept my head in the match and how I physically just stayed there until the very end.
“It’s hard work [staying fit]. It takes a lot of dedication. I’ve been very disciplined my whole life. I’ve always made squash my first priority. I’ve always taken care of my health, trained hard, and never slacked. I’m really happy because, I lost to Zakaria last time we played and I came today with the mentality of ‘I’m gonna come back and take my revenge.
There were a few things I wasn’t happy about, and I wanted to turn them around today, but still I didn’t get the result I was hoping for but I got a result that I’m very proud of, because the way I played today with the conditions was tough. With it being outdoors, and the heat and everything. I just feel like it’s a performance to be proud of.
“Also, I just want to talk about Zakaria a little bit.
I believe he is a phenomenon. You don’t get a 17-year-old who plays like this every year or two. He’s something that could happen once every ten or fifteen years. I did speak to him after the match about a few reservations I have. Just advise that… I know he’s going to be the future of our sport, he’s going to represent Egypt.
I have no doubt he will become a World Champion and World No.1. I’ll be long gone by then, but I want to see players like him being applauded and respected by everyone. He’s halfway there. He’s still 17 he can learn. If he hears our advice, if he really listens, there are a few tweaks. I don’t want to say any negative things, it’s just that if he works on those things, he will be loved and respected and cherished for so long.
There are two ways you can do this. You can do this the not-so-right way, you still get there, but not many people will like you, or there’s the other way – you’re gonna still make it, and everyone’s going to like you. He needs to choose the other one.
“My game plan right now is to go back home, recover, sleep well, eat well because a 37 year old needs all that to be able to back it up the next day so, I’m not going to focus on there match, I’m happy that I pushed them further in the night, so they can get less sleep to even things out a little bit, I hope they go all the way to 100 minutes as well so things can be evened up tomorrow.”