World Number One Nouran Gohar: Learning and Laughing at Open Squash Summer Camp

We recently had the incredible opportunity to catch up with Nouran Gohar, the world number one and world champion squash player, during her time teaching a summer camp for young people at Open Squash. This marks Gohar’s second visit to Open Squash, and it's clear the facility holds a special place for her.

A Home Away from Home: Nouran Gohar's Love for Open Squash

Despite living in Connecticut, Gohar told us she loves to make the trip to Open Squash because of the unique atmosphere and high-quality environment. She shared her genuine affection for the venue, stating, "I love it. I just was talking to someone saying that this is one of the camps that I enjoy the most. I'm not saying this because I'm on camera or anything, but I really enjoy it here." She praised the facility and the people, highlighting the positive "vibes." For Gohar, finding a comfortable and happy training environment is paramount: "The facility is just amazing, the people are amazing. I just love the vibes, and I feel like... At my age now it's more important to have a place where you feel comfortable and you feel like you're happy to be there so obviously I'm very happy to be back at the camp here this year."

Open Squash is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making squash accessible to all, including through its junior programming and summer camps, which have also featured other touring pros like Gina Kennedy and Victor Crouin.

Coaching: A Unique Learning Experience for the Champion

One of the most insightful aspects of our conversation was Gohar's perspective on how coaching the young attendees at the camp benefits her own game. When asked if she learns anything from teaching others, Gohar emphatically replied, "Yes, it does big time, actually." She explained that being a coach offers a different vantage point: "You see it, I would say you see things from a very different perspective because when you're on court you don't see the bigger picture or the outside picture."

Coaching also forces her to delve into the fundamental details of the game, which she finds incredibly valuable. "To try and explain to the kids how you do this or how it should be done, then you need to get into details," Gohar noted, emphasizing that these details are crucial even at her elite level of play. She appreciates the inquisitive nature of children, as their "why" and "how" questions prompt deeper reflection. "It makes me reflect more and think about it more. It teaches me a lot.”

A Memorable Moment: The "Bill" and "Will" Mix-Up

Amidst the serious coaching, there are always lighthearted moments. Gohar, admitting she's "really, really bad" with names, even with her own friends, shared a funny anecdote from the camp. She kept calling one of the kids, whose name was Will, "Bill." When a coach corrected her, she playfully confronted the child. "I told him, I was just like, why you didn't tell me, why you didn't tell me ‘my name is not Bill,’" she recounted. The child's innocent reply — that he thought she was saying "Will" anyway — led to Gohar's humorous compromise: "I'm like, if you play well, then your name is Bill, if your play badly, then your name is Bill."

Beyond the Camp: The Champion's Mindset

Gohar's drive extends beyond her current achievements. Despite having won nearly every major tournament, including four US Opens, three British Opens, and three El Gounas, her primary motivation now is the 2028 Olympics. She credits the prospect of the Olympics with maintaining her focus and intensity. This long-term goal allows her to play with "no pressure" because "everything else is bonus," which surprisingly helps her perform even better.

Navigating Criticism and Social Media

When it comes to the controversial "quash bad squash" social media content, Gohar revealed she "didn't bother watching him to be honest". She believes that the presence of referees and their post-match meetings are sufficient to address on-court issues. While she acknowledges the content has "affected everyone" and players are "making use of it," she can't offer a full opinion since she hasn't watched it. Gohar emphasized that every on-court situation is unique, involving both intentional and unintentional contact, making it difficult to generalize and label someone as "the bad guy". She firmly believes it's the referee's responsibility to manage these situations through contact strokes, games, and warnings, and she considers attempts to "influence the people and the squash fan base" in this manner "not the right thing to do."

This perspective ties into her broader approach to social media, which Gohar readily admits "can be pretty toxic.". She highlights its volatile nature, where it can elevate someone to a "hero on one day and then after a few days you can hit the next day". Her strategy for coping is to avoid listening to it too much, stating, "if you keep on listening to it, you're just going to get ruined and it's mentally, it's not healthy mentally for you". This view extends beyond squash, as she observes similar dynamics in tennis and other "big games." Gohar stresses that athletes are ultimately human beings who can "lose it sometimes," or act out due to anger or not feeling well on a particular day. She finds it "sad" those critics, who are also human, don't show more understanding of these emotions. Her key message is not to be "harsh and just hurt the person," emphasizing that while it's fine to like or dislike a player or personality, "don't be harsh and just hurt the person."

Will an American win a Major Title?

Turning to on-court competition, Gohar shared her insightful views on American players, particularly Olivia Weaver. Gohar affirms that Weaver can "for sure" give her "a run for the money." She highlighted their recent "very very close" match in the final of the World Tour Finals, where Gohar was pleased to "turn it around and come up with a strong fourth game". Gohar acknowledges Weaver has "improved massively and she's playing great" and views her as a "tricky match to play for sure". When asked about the probability of an American woman winning a major like the British Open, US Open, or World Championships, Gohar said, "the probability of it happening is there". However, she pointed out the significant dominance by herself, Sherbini, and Hania El Hammamy, who have won "every single major" since the 2021-2022 seaons. She believes that while the potential for American players to win majors exists, they "need to bring everything right that week". Gohar emphasized that while "you can have a good day and beat anyone," the "consistency of doing it is something else" and is required to win an entire tournament, which typically involves at least five matches.

A Performance Mindset

Perhaps the most inspiring takeaway for aspiring young athletes from her time at Open Squash is her commitment to continuous improvement. Gohar maintains that the moment a player believes they are the best and have nothing left to learn is when they "collapsed completely." She explained her relentless pursuit of excellence: "A lot of people tell me like you were number one, why I keep on training with the same intensity or Why do you get into every single match with the will to win as if it's your first match? I feel like if you lose, that's the moment where everyone is just going to jump on you and I feel actually when you get to the top of the game, you shouldn't slow down, you should actually go faster and faster. That's my mindset and how I think about things."

Thanks for sitting down and talking about squash with us, Nouran! We appreciate you!