Former World No.1 Karim Darwish Calls It a Career by Nathan Clarke
October 31, 2014
- Former World No.1 and winner of 23 PSA Word Tour titles Karim
Darwish, the 33-year-old Egyptian, has announced his immediate
retirement from professional squash.
The man from Cairo first joined the professional ranks in March 1999
and enjoyed a meteoric rise through the standings, taking just two
years to break into the World's Top 20 at the start of a career that
would see him go on to contest 42 tournament finals and compete in 500
world tour matches.
He reached the top ten for the first time in 2003, where he would
remain for a combined 118-months, with the crowning moment of his
career coming in January 2009 when, after winning the PSA World Series
Saudi International in December, upsetting Amr Shabana, Nick Matthew
and Gregory Gaultier en-route to the title, he topped the world
rankings for the first time.
He held on to the World No.1 ranking for 11-months during 2009, a year which also saw him crowned PSA Player of the Year.
"After a successful 16 year career and achieving most of my goals,
starting with winning the World Junior Championship to reaching the top
of the World Rankings, I decided to call it a day," said Darwish.
"I started playing squash at the age of 6, and ever since, squash has
been my only passion. I was lucky I had the chance to pursue my dream
as a professional squash player, so it's hard to believe that I won't
be competing at that high level anymore.
"No words can describe how grateful I am to my Mum and Dad, who have
always believed in me, my brother, my sole mate who was the reason I
played squash, and my wife who was always there for me throughout the
ups and downs.
"Of course without my coaches and the support of my sponsors WADI
DEGLA, HEAD and RED BULL, I could have never achieved what I have
achieved today."
Darwish also represented Egypt in seven successive Word Team
Championships since 2001, winning the title twice including in 2011
when he upset the odds to defeat James Willstrop in the deciding match
to take the title away from top seeds England.
Off the court, Darwish is married to former women's World No.11 Engy
Kheirallah, with whom he has a two-year-old son called Omar and he is
heavily involved as sporting director of the famous Wadi Degla Sporting
Club in Cairo, where the 2014 Women's World Championship will be held
this December.
"I'm now the Sports Director at Wadi Degla Club (one of the biggest
sporting clubs in the world), who are hosting the Women's World
Championship next December and my new goal is to help squash reach the
place it deserves," he added.
"Finally I'd like to thank my team mates from Egypt - I have enjoyed
the success we shared together - and to all other squash players on the
PSA World Tour."
PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough said: “On behalf of the PSA and everyone
involved with the professional game I would like to congratulate Karim
on a fantastic career and wish him all the best for the future.
“Karim has been been both a tenacious competitor on the court as well
as a source of guidance and advice for many young professionals off the
court throughout his career and his presence at PSA World Tour events
will be missed."