Courtside | An interview with a squash star

Elizabeth Pacheco Sports Editor

For the seventh time, Vassar College is hosting the Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA) Class of 1932 Tournament. The six-day event, held from Oct. 1-6, attracts top-ranked international players including 30-year-old Rachel Grinham, the tournament’s first seed and the third-best player in the world.

Ranked as high as first in the world, Grinham holds over 20 WISPA titles, the most recent of which is from the British Open this September. Born in Australia, Grinham now lives and trains in Cairo, Egypt. This Tuesday, Oct. 2, The Miscellany News sat down with Grinham as she watched the tournament’s qualifying matches and talked with her about her experiences in the squash world, her time on the WISPA circuit and what it’s like having her sister as the second-best squash player on the tour.

The Miscellany News: How did you first become involved in squash?
Rachel Grinham: My parents played quite a bit, so I was always hanging around the squash club. In Australia, you don’t need to belong to a squash club, so you’re able to walk right off the streets and play. As soon as I could walk I started to play...probably around age three or so. Even when we couldn’t pick up the ball, we’d just roll it around on the court with our racquets. I started playing in tournaments when I was seven.
MN: What are your goals for this squash season?
RG: Realistically I hadn’t really set any goals. I’d like to win a World Open Title, which happens in a few weeks.
MN: How do you prepare for a major tournament?
RG: There’s really nothing specific I do. Major tournaments come at different times so I really do different things for each. I usually end up with hardly any time to prepare. I came from the British Open to this tournament, and from here I’ll be playing a few exhibitions in Portugal before three tournaments with some of the biggest prize money.
MN: Do you have any pre-match rituals you follow?
RG: Not really. Once I start playing, I’ll have the same routine, the same breakfast, same lunch and coffee at the same time. I also have to hold my racquet a certain way with the logo painted in a specific spot.
MN: How do you feel about your sister also being a top competitor in the squash world?
RG:I don’t know, it’s good in a way. It sucks when we have to play each other because one of us has to lose and it’s usually in a tournament final when we play. But it’s o.k., too, because that means one of us has to win. It’s also good to have someone to travel with while you’re on tour, someone you’re really close to. She’s in Holland and I’m in Egypt so we don’t practice together, but actually these past few weeks I’ve been in Amsterdam so I’ve been able to see her.
MN: When you’re not competing in a tournament, what is a typical day like for you?
RG: My day will depend on when the next tournament is. I actually don’t do that much. I’m too old to be spending a lot of time training. I probably spend about two hours a day [playing] and then maybe some time at the gym. I’ve really gotten into boxing lately.
MN: What do you like about being on the WISPA tour?
RG: I love to travel, although its getting a bit boring now because when I first started, every place I visited was new. Well, it’s good too, since everything is familiar. I don’t know what I’ll do when I stop playing squash. I’ve played all my life. When I get home and there’s no tournament I’m preparing for, after four to six weeks I like to get up and go somewhere. I’ve become used to always moving.
MN: When you’re not playing squash, what do you like to do with your time?
RG: I like to do nothing. I live in Egypt, so I go to the beach and relax.

Check out misc.vassar.edu for interviews with the tournament’s second and third seeds. Visit athletics.vassar.edu or wispa.net for tournament results.