look news india
New Delhi, 23 April (HS). Indian squash player Saurav Ghoshal on Monday announced his retirement from professional squash. During his 22-year career, Ghosal won 10 Professional Squash Association (PSA) titles and several medals at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) and Asian Games.
The 37-year-old player has also been in the top 10 in the world squash rankings. He reached the top 10 in April 2019 and remained there for six months.
Ghoshal wrote on Instagram on Monday, “I started my journey on the PSA World Tour 22 years ago. At that time, I never dreamed that I would play professional squash for so long. As I traveled around the world, playing on some of the biggest stages of our amazing game, I thought there would never be an end to it. But, there is always an end point. I am overwhelmed with emotions as I write this message. This game has been my passion, my livelihood and my identity for so many years. Therefore, with a heart full of pride and a wave of sadness, I announce my retirement from PSA.”
He further wrote, “These last 2 decades have shaped me as a person and I am forever grateful for the opportunities I have been given. I hope I have conducted myself with dignity and played the game 'the right way'. I would not have been able to make it this far without my grandparents, my father, my wife and the rest of my loving family. Thank you for making me the person I am. “I wouldn’t be half the professional player I am without the expert guidance of Malcolm Willstrop.”
Saurav made his debut in PSA in 2003. They have won 10 PSA titles and reached 18 finals at that level. He has won 281 of his 511 matches on the PSA Tour.
The PSA World Tour is a professional circuit for squash players, similar to the ATP and WTA in tennis and the BWF in badminton.
Ghoshal's last PSA title win was the Malaysian Open Squash Championships in November 2021, where he defeated Miguel Rodriguez of Colombia. His final PSA Tour appearance was at the 2024 Windy City Open where he lost to Timothy Brownell of the USA in the round of 64.
Ghoshal won nine Asian Games medals in the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 editions, including a team gold at the Hangzhou 2022 and Incheon 2014 events.
She also has three CWG medals, including a silver medal in mixed doubles with Deepika Pallikal at Birmingham in 2022. He also became the first Indian male player to win a CWG squash medal in a singles competition in the same event.
She has also won the World Doubles Championships gold medal partnering compatriot Deepika Pallikal Karthik in the mixed event at the 2022 Glasgow event.
Ghosal has also had an illustrious career on the domestic circuit and has made a record of winning 13 national titles.