From Average Player to PST Top 4: Ned Marks' Unusual Squash Journey

Here at Open Squash, we love hearing the diverse stories of those who are passionate about the game. In a recent episode of "Boast About It," Ned Marks sat down with Open Squash co-founder James Green to discuss his unique and fascinating professional squash career. From his late start in high school to reaching the top ranks of the now-defunct Pro Squash Tour (PST), Ned's journey offers a look at the different paths one can take in the world of squash.

Ned's squash beginnings were in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he played in high school. However, he described himself as "a very average squash player" until his senior year when he decided to focus solely on squash after quitting football. "I loved football. I was a huge football player," Ned said, but ultimately he chose to pursue squash in college. 

This dedication led him to Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where he played for a club program that surprisingly reached the top five in the national rankings around 2000. Ned arrived in 2005, and while the team's ranking had shifted, he remembers his time at Denison as crucial for his development, learning discipline and significantly improving his game. 

"It's really where I learned how to play and be disciplined and really improve," he said. He even became a two-time Most Improved Player and the team president. Because Denison had a club team, Ned explained, "it was a bit of a unique experience. You got a lot of ownership. You have to help plan trips, help drive. You don't normally do that in college. And so it was like a really great way for me to feel a lot of ownership and power about my squash career".

After graduating in 2009, amidst a challenging economy, Ned decided to pursue professional squash. "I didn't really have any idea what I want to do with my life, and I decided I would just play pro," he said. He initially spent about a year competing on the PSA tour, exclusively at first, reaching a ranking of "about 200 in the world". "Yeah, and it was a grind," Ned admitted. He recalled playing a good routine of smaller tournaments and even the qualifying rounds of the prestigious Tournament of Champions. "Wow, yeah, it was amazing. I didn't get to the glass court. It was just qualifying rounds," he explained, noting that even in the qualifying rounds, "the players are just top level". However, the demanding nature of the PSA tour eventually led him to explore other avenues.

This is where the Pro Squash Tour (PST) comes in. Founded around 2010-2014 by Joe McManus, the PST aimed to "bring about a much higher visibility to the game of squash and make it more fan-friendly and more available to people in this country and around the world, eventually, that didn't know squash". 

The PST experimented with different presentation styles and even some rule changes, most notably a significant alteration to the let and stroke rules. As Ned described, "they initially introduced it as every match you get five let's and no more. So everything else is a no-let or a stroke. So you had to kind of determine which was the value of a let call". This eventually evolved to a system where "it just became no-let or stroke. Those are the only options," which Ned believes "changed the game. It really did". He reflected on the longer matches on the PSA at that time and suggested that the PST's approach to refereeing, where "you become much more invested in playing a solid real game of squash by not having to worry, ‘opkay, I can just get a let out of this’," may have even influenced the PSA's approach over time.

The PST attracted a number of experienced players who were nearing retirement from the PSA. As Ned mentioned, "the PST got all of these guys who had retired from the PSA. So, like, John White was playing... Yeah, Terry Lee. Yeah, Thierry Lincou, David Palmer, Bradley Ball, there were some great players over to Wael El-Hindi". He noted that "a lot of people who were about retiring or at that age extended their careers with the PST. It was really exciting.” 

Ned himself found considerable success on the PST, reaching a…"highest ranking? Fourth, yeah". He attributed this in part to playing many tournaments and accruing points. Importantly, he cherished the opportunities he received on the PST: "I got to go to the World Championships in Detroit and played against John White and Wael. It was just a phenomenal experience. I also played Thiery Lincou. I played David Palmer. So I don't think I would have gotten that opportunity if I hadn't joined the PST".

However, the PST's journey wasn't without its challenges. Ned recalled, "there was a strife between the PSA and the PST." This ultimately led to a ban where the PSA declared, "no players that play PST are allowed to play PSA". 

Following his PST experience, Ned transitioned into the world of pro doubles, competing in the SDA (Squash Doubles Association). He played about 10 tournaments a year for ten years, then tapered in down to two or three a year in the last five years. 

Ned also plays regularly in a yearly squash tournament in Bermuda with James Green, starting in 2008. "Everyone who doesn't know, there's a great tournament in Bermuda this June, and James and I will be on a team. The prize money is pretty minor, I would say. The prize is having a fantastic time," Ned joked. He reminisced about the tournament, saying, "This is a tournament that we used to do once a year for, I don't know, 8 to 10 years. We did it all the way through to 2019. And then 2020, we couldn't do it for pandemic reasons. And this is the reboot. So it's exciting".

Ned Marks' story, filled with dedication and unexpected turns, truly highlights the diverse and engaging landscape of the squash world. His experiences on the PSA and the unique PST, followed by his continued involvement in doubles and community events, offer a compelling narrative for any squash enthusiast.

Coming soon with Ned, we'll delve into analyzing a squash match! Stay tuned. 

You can watch the video version of this interview here.