If you are old enough to remember the Bangles’ song “Walk like an Egyptian,” you would know that it was quite the rage during the late eighties and nineties. 

There is a line in the song that goes: 

“They spin around and they cross the floor, they’ve got the moves oh whey oh…“

The song may have run its course, but when it comes to squash, walk-like-an-Egyptian is as relevant as ever. Or, more appropriately, play like an Egyptian. The Egyptian squash players have certainly figured it out.They have the moves!

Squash enthusiasts know that the players from Egypt — men and women — are killing it on the squash court. 

All you have to do is look at the PSA world rankings. 

Currently, five out of the top ten female squash players are Egyptian. The men fare even better. Six out of the top ten male players hail from Egypt. 

So, what’s it with the Egyptians and squash?

While many articles have been written on the subject, Egypt’s utter dominance in the game of squash continues to be an enigma.

Quality over quantity

Egypt’s success in squash cannot be attributed to the sheer number of people who take up the game. According to a New York Times article, “Egypt has about 400 courts and fewer than 10,000 players.” The US, in comparison, has 1.7 million players and roughly 3,500 courts. 

The Egyptian Squash Federation has managed to achieve quality over quantity. 

Not just about money

Surprisingly, the most popular sport in Egypt is not squash, it is football (soccer.) Unlike squash, football is more accessible to the common folk. 

There is also money in football. 

Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool star from Egypt, is rumored to make £200,000 per week in base salary alone. The top players in the PSA World Tour would be hard-pressed to make that much in a year. 

So, it cannot be about the money either.

That would leave glory and pride as the primary motivators for athletes taking up squash.

Success breeds success 

Over the past fifteen years or so, Egyptian squash players have slowly made their mark by winning high-profile tournaments at home and in international venues. They have displaced conventional techniques with attacking styles and improvisations that break their opponents’ rhythm. As you can see in the linked video, when two Egyptians face off against each other, the rallies can be lengthy. 

Inspired by the winning ways of their role models, a new generation of Egyptian squash players has evolved. They are not constrained by traditional schools of thought on how the game should be played. Their style of play is aggressive and unorthodox; their game quicker and wristy, with a lot of it being played in the forecourt. 

For now, it is a winning formula.

Private enterprises in Egypt are chipping in to help maintain the momentum. Orascom Development and Commercial International Bank (CIB) are examples of Egyptian squash attracting corporate money. 

Then there are the likes of the Black Ball Sporting Club in New Cairo. 

With nineteen squash courts and visions of becoming the biggest squash facility in the world, Black Ball Sporting Club represents Egypt’s push to continue its dominance in squash. For more on this, check out Alan Thatcher’s post in Squash Mad. 

One thing is clear. When it comes to Egyptian squash, there is clearly no dearth of fresh talent. 

So, if your moves are not quite cutting it on the squash court, you may want to do a reset and switch your style.

Remember, when it comes to squash, walk like an Egyptian!