English world No6 James Willstrop was highly impressed by the facilities at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex and hopes the exhibition he played there on Wednesday night with Egyptian world No4 Ramy Ashour can help boost the sport across the UAE.
The clash that took place between the two former world No1’s as part of the ongoing Nad Al Sheba Sports Festival which has brought together hundreds of athletes to compete in cycling, running, futsal, volleyball, squash and padel tennis.
The padel tennis event features a host of the world’s best players from Spain, Argentina and seven other countries and coincides with the founding of a new UAE Padel Tennis Association and the launch of the new 800-seat padel arena at the complex.
Ashour and Willstrop also played a short exhibition with the finalists of the residents’ squash tournament Aamir Khan and Mubarak Mohsin and Willstrop hopes the sport can experience a surge in the UAE, similar to that of padel tennis at the moment.
“It’s an amazing sport facility. Incredible… out of this world really. You don’t see a lot of things like this back in England,” Willstrop told Sport360 at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.
“We’re trying to get some interest going here and hopefully what’s happening with padel will happen with squash.”
Ashour and Willstrop represent squash’s most riveting rivalry which has developed between Egyptian and British players at the very top of the sport and the 30-year-old Englishman says the contrast in style between players from both nations is what makes it particularly exciting.
“Egypt and England are having probably their strongest periods ever in the game at the same time, so there’s just a really nice contrast,” said Willstrop.
“If you’re putting into a stereotype you’re thinking England is more sort of reserved conservative game. I don’t really like it when we do that. The Egyptian players obviously have a lot of flair. But the English players have moved with the game, they’re very attacking players and are very good to watch as well.
“It is a good contrast and we’re having a great time with it, both nations at the moment. The team events recently have been close and shared. The world titles are getting shared out. So it’s good, so hopefully it will help expand the squash audience.”
