KARACHI, 29 June — Nearly three years after playing his last match, Jansher Khan, after a glorious run in the squash world, bid goodbye to the game to which he devoted almost 20 years of his life. He called it quits on June 19, three days after his 32nd birthday.
He chose Lahore — the city he says has given him more love and appreciation than any other place in the world — as the stage where he rung down the curtain on a glowing playing career.
The quiet bowing out in stark contrast to his image as a young world champion too good for any opponent in the court but a problem for everyone off it. “Yes I have changed in all those years,” says the record eight-time World Open champion in an interview with Arab News.
He seldom made friends on the circuit, rarely behaved in the way he was supposed to as the No. 1 player in the world and was least bothered by all the criticism that was triggered by his controversial behavior. For years Jansher was seen by his critics as the bad boy of world squash. But then the bad boy was also perhaps the best player the game had ever seen.
The only player who remained the World No. 1 for more than ten years at a stretch. The only player to have won the coveted World Open eight times. Between 1987 — the year when he won his first title — and 1998, Jansher rode roughshod over all his rivals, while taking on an aura of invincibility.
He won a record 99 international titles in his illustrious career and just missed the magical figure of 100 when beaten by Peter Nicol in the final of the 1998 British Open in Birmingham — the last final of his career.
Following is the text of the interview:
Q: How do you feel after having finally called it a day?
Jansher: Relieved. Though I have not played competitive squash for almost three years, there always was some pressure on me. Deep inside, I had not given up. I knew that with a little bit of fitness I could beat the present lot of top players on the circuit. I once again wanted to be the World No. 1. But unfortunately, I failed to regain even the minimum level of fitness which is required by a professional squash player. So, after giving it some serious consideration, I finally made up my mind to quit. And surprisingly I am quite happy with this decision.
Q: What went wrong? Was it the knees’ problem or the groin injury that forced you out of the circuit?
Jansher: Both, I suppose. First it were my knees. I had an operation in 1998 after the British Open. The operation was carried by a Pakistani doctor in Lahore.
It was OK. But even then it was not the same again.
I mean once you get your knees operated, you cannot expect the same kind of fitness you had before.
Anyway, I made a comeback in the Hong Kong Open a few months after the surgery but unfortunately, this time sustained a groin problem during when I was playing my first match there.
I had some treatment for the injuries afterward and later started training again. But probably the lay-off was too long and by that time it was a bit too late for me to make a successful comeback.
Q: An early retirement means that you are quitting without winning the World Open for ten years. That was the target you had set for yourself. Any regrets for not having fulfilled it?
Jansher: Yes and No. Yes because I wanted to win the World Open ten times but failed to do it. No, because I managed to win it for eight years, something that has not been done by anybody before and I doubt that anybody can do it again. As far as my career as a squash professional is concerned I have no regrets. I feel as if I am the luckiest man alive. I feel as if God has given me much more than I deserved and I am thankful for it.
Q: As a squash professional, you were the No. 1 player for more than ten years. What were the high and low
points of your career?
Jansher: Winning my first World Open title was something I will never forget for the rest of my life. It was something that I always wanted to do. I always wanted to show the world that I am the best and proved that by beating all the top players in the world at the age of 18. One of my worst moments was in the Hong Kong Open in 1998 when after having my knee surgery I tried to make a return on the circuit. But I could just finish the first game of the opening round against Faheem Khan and had to withdraw because of a groin injury. That was a very frustrating experience but such things are a part of life.
Q: What was the secret behind all the success that you enjoyed during your career?
Jansher: A lot of things. First of all, it was the grace of God. The help of my family and friends who loved me and prayed for me. My employers PIA who had trust in me and helped me in traveling all over the world to compete on the circuit. My sponsors. My own hard work and commitment. I used to train for hours and did not give up because of some early setbacks.
Q: Now that you have retired at a young age of 32 what is your plan to do in the coming years?
Jansher: I have devoted 20 years of my life to squash. I started when I was twelve and since then have seldom found the time to do anything else. Now I guess I have all the time in the world for myself and my family. I intend to devote most of my life to preach Islam because I think whatever I am today is because of the grace of God. But I will not be leaving squash altogether. I still love the game and plan to play exhibitions every now and then. In July this year I will be going to Egypt to play show matches and hold coaching clinics for local youngsters and will undertake similar trips all over the world in the coming years.
Q: Do you have any plans to take up full-time coaching?
Jansher: I have not yet thought about starting a career as a coach. Most people expect you to become a coach once you retire as a professional. But I think taking up coaching is not an easy decision to make. You have to devote a lot of time for such a thing. I am not saying that I will never coach but so far my options are open.
Q: Don’t you think that Pakistan squash, which is going down day by day, needs some help from people like yourself and other former greats?
Jansher: Frankly speaking the people in charge of Pakistan squash do not want to get any help from people like me. The Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) will only do what it will want to do. If a person like me will offer to help they will not show much interest because they know if Jansher Khan will join them it will end their monopoly. A lot of things are being done without any proper planning and being an outspoken person I cannot keep my mouth shut when some body is doing something wrong. So I don’t think its a good idea to be a part of a set-up which does not even appreciate your contribution.
Q: Jahangir Khan and Qamar Zaman are a part of the PSF as its vice presidents. What kind of role are they playing?
Jansher: I am sorry to say but it is true that even Jahangir and Qamar have done nothing for squash being PSF vice presidents. The PSF is run by Pakistan Air Force officials and they are the ones who take all the decisions. I think this is the greatest misfortune of Pakistan squash.
Q: You made a statement a few weeks ago about offering your services for the coaching to youngsters. What was the response of the PSF?
Jansher: To my great disappointment, the PSF turned down my offer. My intentions were good and I sincerely wanted to help. But as I’ve said before the PSF is least concerned about the downfall of squash. The PSF bosses think they know everything. They will keep taking decisions that have failed time and again but will not listen to the suggestions of others. I think the game has suffered more at the hands of such PSF officials than anything else.
Q: What do you think is the root cause of the decline of Pakistan squash in recent years?
Jansher: There are so many factors. But the main reason is the lack of proper planning. I’ve been a part of Pakistan squash for more than 15 years and I’ve seldom seen any solid step taken for the betterment of squash. If today we have a rich history is only because of the hard work and dedication of a few individuals. The PSF as a body that has been formed to look after squash and promote it has failed to perform its job. They have made courts but have failed to maintain them. They have held training camps but without much success. Just take a look at the current national training camp in Abbottabad.
The PSF has selected players who are all overage. You cannot teach a player who is already more than 24 years of age. I was already a world No. 1 for more than five years at that age. To make a world champion you will have to concentrate on players between the age of 12 to 15.
You should concentrate on the kids and prepare them for the future. As far as the senior players of the country are concerned, they should be allowed to compete on the world circuit. I don’t agree with the PSF decision to stop these players from taking part in international competitions and force them to stay in training camps at home. The PSF did not even send its players for this year’s British Open. That was a bad move.
You cannot expect a player to improve his world ranking by not taking part in competitions. Its true that these players have not performed well on the circuit but that doesn’t mean that you bar them from playing in those events. I myself used to lose in the qualifying rounds in the early stage my career but as my confidence grew I started winning. I would also like to say something about an academy that has been launched by the PSF in Peshawar recently. It’s just a farce, an exercise in futility. The academy is being run by club level players. I wonder when you have experienced coaches like Gogi Alauddin and Maqsood Ahmed, who were world class players in their time, why in the world do you opt for people who were not even good enough to represent their cities. By setting up the academy, the PSF has tried to copy the Australians but they should not forget that in Australia great players like Geoff Hunt are running those academies and not novices like the ones given the responsibility in Peshawar.
Q: What do you think is the future of Pakistan squash?
Jansher: At the moment it appears to be very bleak. The way things are progressing and the way squash is being run in Pakistan, I don’t think we will have a world champion in the next ten years. My sincere advise for all the squash players of this country is to start looking for coaching assignments abroad. I mean as a squash professional if you are not in the top 25 world rankings, you just can’t make enough money. Unlike tennis or golf, squash does not offer much prize money to its players. But if you are lucky to get a coaching contract in the West or the Middle East, you can make good money as some of our players are already doing.
By that way at least you can have a secure future for yourself and your family.
