Alex Grego, an Open Squash member and tennis-to-squash convert, grew up in Barcelona, Spain, and played tennis for most of his life and was nationally ranked as a junior. When he moved to the US when he was in his twenties, he first saw squash when getting his Masters degree at UVA. “I think it's a better workout than tennis:” said Grego, which was one of the reasons he was so drawn to squash when he first saw it.
“I encourage tennis players in New York to try squash if they haven’t already because it's so efficient.” At first when he started in 2021, Grego thought squash was just hitting the ball hard, but over time has learned how to strategize and get used to all the nuances between squash and tennis. As much as the hand-eye coordination transfers, there are 10 rules Grego has for transitioning from tennis to squash. You can read his blog post here.
Rule 1: The movement. “The first squash lesson I took, the coach told me they could hear my shoes squeaking too much.” In tennis, you are taught to take a lot of steps, whereas in squash you want to take big lunges with as little steps as possible.
Rule 2: Getting low. This one ties into the steps, and taking long, strong lunges also helps you get low on the ball.
Rule 3: Letting the ball come to you. Grego explains how in tennis you are supposed to be very aggressive in getting to the ball, but in squash you have so much time to let the ball come to you.
Rule 4: Stretch really well with stretches that apply to squash. “Find a good stretching routine that is specific to squash.” Most people find that their hips and glutes can ache a lot after squash, so make sure to stretch thoroughly in both your warm-up and cool down.
Rule 5: Pace yourself. “You win matches by tiring your opponent out.” Grego explains the differences in strategy with squash, where you want to wear your opponent out, but in tennis the one-two punch is usually rewarded. Hitting accurate length is the way to go in squash.
Rule 6: Give every point the respect it deserves. Even though it sounds obvious, says Grego, the fast-pace of a squash match leaves you no time for a lapse in concentration.
Rule 7: Play with height. Grego explains how using the entirety of the front wall, with lobs especially, really took his game to the next level. Height not only gives you time to recover back to the ‘T’ but it also creates a difficult place for your opponent to hit from in the air, above the shoulder.
Rule 8: Short swings beat big, winding swings. The lack of space and sharing it with your opponent is a big change from tennis, and developing a shorter swing as compared to the tennis swing is imperative.
Rule 9: Don’t hit it as hard as you can. Squash requires more control than tennis, and smacking the ball as hard as possible does not always pay off how you think it might. You need to play your shots with the right weight and power to them to get the ball to die in the back corners.
Rule 10: Suffocate your opponent instead of going for the flashy winner. “Squash is such a physically demanding sport” says Grego, that wearing out your opponent is what will get you your wins, rather than going for flashy winning shots.
“Tennis holds a really special place in my heart, but really squash has been my sport for the last few years.” We are glad you found the sport, Alex, and thank you for sharing your insights with us!