Building The Beast

By Nathan Clarke

Uttered by a fresh-faced Mohamed ElShorbagy in 2010, the then 19-year-old’s confidence was easily brushed aside as the arrogance and exuberance of youth.

Fast-forward the best part of 15 years and ElShorbagy’s dreams have indeed become reality.

For the confident 19-year-old is now a battle-hardened 34-year-old warrior. The arrogance of youth has gone, replaced by the certainty of experience.

This now is a man who has contested over 700 matches on the PSA World Tour, competed in 80 finals (for context Mostafa Asal hasn’t yet played 80 tournaments his entire career) and dominated over generations of the game; from the Thierry Lincou-era of the late 2000s to the aforementioned Asal and the current crop of 2020s stars, ElShorbagy has been an ever-present.

In fact, since he first spoke aloud of his dreams of domination 15 years ago, ElShorbagy has been at the very top of the game – recently racking up 169 months (14years) inside the top ten on the PSA World Rankings.

Not even Jahanghir Khan, who was World No.1 for six-plus years, can match ElShorbagy for top ten consistency.

And with 51 months as World No.1 (5th on the all-time list) and the capture of the 2024 China Open taking his career titles haul to an impressive 50 title (4th on the all-time list) – ElShorbagy isn’t finished yet.

With the Beast still in full flow, we’ve looked back at 10 of the matches that were the making of a modern icon of the game.

2008 – PSA Men’s World Championship: Mohamed ElShorbagy v Thierry Lincou

Ahead of the 2008 World Open, the attention of Egyptian squash was on the trio of Amr Shabana, Ramy Ashour and Karim Darwish – and it would be the later pairing who went on to contest the final, with 2008 remembered as the year Ramy Ashour won his first World Championship crown.

But before Ashour tasted success, it was another Egyptian, 17-year-old Mohamed ElShorbagy, who captured the attention of the squash world as he stormed through qualification to reach the main event of the tournament, which took place in Manchester, England.

Competing in his first ever World Championship, ElShorbagy saw off Issa Kamara and Joe Lee to read the main draw, where he then duly defeated Renan Lavigne in a five game battle to reach the second round.

There he faced the 2003 World Championship title winner, former World No.1 and then World No.5 Thierry Lincou – in a match that was to offer the young ElShorbagy a chance to test his level against one of the game’s very best practitioners, but no more than that.

ElShorbagy hadn’t read the script.

Showcasing his ferocious power and pace, ElShorbagy electrified the crowd as he attacked at every opportunity to take Lincou – considered one of the finest movers ever to step on court – out of his stride and punish anything loose from the Frenchman’s racket. After takin the first game 12-10, ElShorbagy doubled down and soon found himself holding a shock 2-0 game lead over the tournament’s number 6 seed.

Lincou called on his vast experience and managed to do just enough to remain in the match and, after winning the third game, edged a tense fourth game 12-10 – during which ElShorbagy held match ball – to force a decider.  

Where many players would have been reeling from seeing match ball stolen from their grasp, ElShorbagy showed impressive grit in the fifth game and he was force onto the defensive by Lincou – but, after 81-minutes – it was the 17-year-old who secured a breakthrough win.

The following day ElShorbagy scalped another higher raked player in the form of Hisham Ashour in a third consecutive five-game thriller to book his place in the quarter-finals of the sport’s biggest event at the very first time of asking.

While he lost in straight games to World No.1 Amr Shabana in the last eight, there was no doubt: Mohamed ElShorbagy had arrived.

WHAT MO SAID: “I was just 17 years old and Lincou was world number five. That was kind of my announcement, my arrival to the PSA World Tour. I had won the World Juniors two months before it and I think all the top professional players always follow who is doing well in the World Juniors, you know, because whoever wins the Juniors is always going to be the next danger. So this then was my first ever World Championships and I went through Qualification and I got into the main draw to play Renan Lavigne – who was top 20. I think I was world number 65 and I beat him 3-2 to meet Lincou. I had so much belief that I could beat him – I don’t know why, but I had always had so much belief in beating everyone I went on court with.

I was two love up and I had much points in the third game, which I lost. And then fourth game was 12-10 and I lost it. And the fifth game I won 14-12 and that match kind of was the announcement of my arrival. I then beat Hisham, so I beat three top 20 players and I was only 17.  It’s a memory I would never forget, because it kind of gave me the confidence I can play all the top guys.”

2009 – Canary Wharf Classic: Mohamed ElShorbagy v Nick Matthew

Coming into Canary Wharf in 2009, there was further buzz surrounding the baby-faced 18-year-old ElShorbagy. After his breakthrough at the 2007 World Championship, the hard-hitting youngster who had moved to live in England and train under the guidance of Jonah Barrington, had scored further notable wins on the BSPA circuit during the year.

But the Canary Wharf Classic – already establishing itself as a premier event on the PSA World Tour – was a different category of challenge. Except no one explained that to ElShorbagy.

After coming through two rounds of qualifying to reach the main draw, the young pretender found himself drawn to face England’s Nick Matthew; the British National Champion, World No.5, recent winner of multiple Platinum level events and the game’s premier exponent of physical and mental combat.

In front of a sell-out Canary Wharf Crowd, ElShorbagy paid no attention to what the stats or the experts said. He attacked Matthew from the off, utilising a ferocious pace of play, oozing with raw power and talent, to take Matthew out of his comfort zone – using his power to trap Matthew in the back corners before showing impressive front court touch.  

Displaying an awareness and tactical nous that belied his tender years, he continued to disrupt disrupt Matthew and leave the Englishman searching for answers. But he couldn’t find a way to stop the halt as ElShorbagy surged to 10-9 match ball after 90 minutes of squash, before converting to claim a huge win.

The Beast was born.

NICK MATTHEW ON ELSHORBAGY: “With most young players they fall into two categories; One is that they’ve got raw weaponry but then it’s exactly that, raw, and there’s loads of weaknesses thrown in there as well. Or they’re a bit of an all rounder, where they’re kind of quite good at everything, but nothing that worries a top player.

Mohamed had both. He had that raw ability, that strength, that aggression on the forehand volley and he got stuck in and didn’t show too much respect. But he also didn’t have many weaknesses at a young age.

In that match in 2009, I remember thinking that a chink will appear in the armour, that something would break. But he didn’t give me anything. To do that at 17, in an event that had been very successful for me, was a statement from him – it wasn’t often a young player came through to get a scalp like that – and I certainly never took him lightly after that match ever again.

From a young age, he was a seven or eight out of 10 at everything, and he then developed a couple of things where he was 10 out of 10. His competitiveness and that pure physicality, you know, when he went into that “Beast Mode” it was like a freight train coming to just run you over.”

2012 – PSA World Championship Final: Mohamed ElShorbagy v Ramy Ashour

Building on his wins in 2009, ElShorbagy had grown into a genuine top ten player in the years that followed, but he was still considered an outside contender for a major title.

That perception changed in Doha in 2012.

Coming into the 2012 World Championships and seeded No.8, ElShorbagy was expected to earn a solid quarter-final finish. But a stunning victory over tournament top seed James Willstrop threw the draw on its head – and earned ElShorbagy a place in the title-decider against compatriot Ramy Amour in a battle that set the scene for what would go on to become an epic rivalry.

Ashour, ‘The Artist’, was targeting a second World title having previously triumphed in 2008 and has been in fine form all week in Doha – but its was ElShorbagy who looked the champion elect from the off, racing ahead to take the first game 11-2 in an accomplished display of nerveless squash.

However, Ashour started to find his groove in the second – a flow that once entered, very few players had found capable of stopping. The duo exchanged tactical and methodically probing rallied, which would burst into life with pace, power and dazzling angles to delight a capacity crowd.

Not to be out-done by Ashour, ElShorbagy switched up his game plan, electing to straighten the play and contain Ashour in the fourth, winning one of the greatest rallies ever seen at 9-9 to set the platform for the fourth game and force the final into an unexpected fifth-game.

That fifth-game was pure box office – with the pair trading points all the way to 8-7 in ElShorbagy’s favour with the younger man showing what would become his trademark grit and fight.

With the ball softening, an error from ElShorbagy followed by a stroke in Ashour’s favour turned the game, presenting Ashour with a match ball he duely dispatched to deny ElShorbagy a first World title.

2013 – Qatar Classic Final: Mohamed ElShorbagy v Nick Matthew

Victories over Daryl Selby and Karim Darwish earned ElShorbagy passage into the final of the 2013 Qatar Classic – 12 months after he’d lost the World Championship final to Ashour on the very same court in Doha.

This time around it was England’s Nick Matthew, fresh from winning a third World Championship title just weeks before, standing in the way of ElShorbagy claiming his first World Series title.

And in a tactical masterstroke, ElShorbagy put Matthew’s traditional game plan into action – stepping up to take the volley at every opportunity and take the middle of the court away from the Englishman, a tactic Matthew employed with great success in his championship winning campaigns.

Utilising extreme power to send the ball deep into the corners before attacking anything loose around the middle, ElShorbagy refused to allow Matthew to settle. But despite twice falling behind, Matthew – every inch the stubborn Yorkshireman – refused to give in and came back to force the match into a deciding fifth game.

But, after trailing 3-0 at the start of the game, the sheer determination he’d shown on this court 12 months prior return in full force once again, as he stormed through to 10-4 before producing an Ashour like cross-court nick to finish the match and claim his first major win on the PSA World Tour.

WHAT MO SAID:“Qatar will always have a special place in my heart. I won my first Platinum title there, my parents always come and support me there and they were there to witness it, which made it extra special. I remember Nick [Matthew] beat Greg [Gaultier] in the World Champs final the week before and after I beat [Karim] Darwish in straight games in the semis, I knew how big that win was. Nick was obviously such a competitor, but even more so in finals. Nick was a big time player and big time players raise the bar in finals. I was only 21 at the time so went into it with no fear and thankfully came out with the win.

“One thing I remember is that after I won, Nick went across and congratulated my parents. The way in which he took the loss was a big learning moment for me. He could recognise that it was big moment for me and he allowed it to be all about me. I tried to do a similar thing for [Mostafa] Asal when he beat me to win his first big title. I felt like it was the right thing to do and I felt like Nick was already thinking that one day I would be in that position and it definitely taught me how to be gracious in defeat.”

2014 – U.S. Open Final: Mohamed ElShorbagy v Amr Shabana

That victory over Matthew in the Qatar Classic proved to be a springboard for the young Egyptian, as he went from strength-to-strength through the 2013-14 season – with his consistency and success leading him into he 2014 U.S. Open knowing that if he reached the final, the World No.1 spot would be his for the taking.

But, after slicing his way through the early rounds of the event, ElShorbagy lined up against Gregory Gaultier in a block-burster semi-final. With the top spot within his grasp, ElShorbagy was a man possessed, never allowing Gaultier a chance to find the rhythm and flow that so often accompanied him on court, and eliminated Gaultier in straight games before taking a seat to watch Amr Shabana take on Nick Matthew in the second semi-final – where a win of Shabana would guarantee his spot at the top of the rankings for the following month.

ElShorbagy’s idol and 4x World Champion Shabana then rolled back the years to defeat Matthew – cementing ElShorbagy’s spot as World No.1 for the first time.

Far from being overwhelmed by the moment however, ElShorbagy steppe onto court 24 hours later to face Shabana in the title-decider where, in true World No.1 style, he crowned his achievement by recovering from a 0-1 game deficit to beat Shabana in four and add yet another major title to his rapidly growing collection.

WHAT MO SAID: “In the semi-finals I became number one for the first time. So that night, I couldn’t sleep. That was my first night to sleep knowing I’m officially world number one. I was only 22 years old, the fourth youngest to ever do it. I only slept maybe three hours but at the same time, I had a final to play and I did not want to lose in my first ever final as a world number one. 

“But I was also playing my idol Amr Shabana in the final – in what would be the only final we played against each other. I think I lost the first game, very, very easy. I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t really do what I needed to do. There was so much going into my mind. And then I was six – one down in the second game and then he lost his focus just for a few seconds, but that was all I needed to come back into the match. 

“I won the second and then from that I was hard to stop. But I will never forget that match – it was my first as World No.1, it was the US Open final and it was against my idol – he was the person who set the Egyptian record of 33 months at World No.1 – so it was an unbelievable moment. My mom was there, she witnessed it as well.”

2015 – British Open Final: Mohamed ElShorbagy v Gregory Gaultier

Heading into the 2015 British Open, ElShorbagy had lost in four of the past five finals he appeared in – including the 2014 World Championship and 2015 El Gouna International finals against Ramy Ashour in what are two of the greatest matches ever played.

Those two defeats book-ended a run that also saw him lose in the finals of the Cambridge Cup and Windy City Open, meaning he arrived in Hull for the British Open narrowly holding onto his World No.1 status and with many questioned whether his run at the top was over.

Indeed in the second round ElShorbagy narrowly escaped defeat in a five-game battle with tenacious Spaniard Borja Golan. Victories over Simon Rosner and a hard-fought attritional win over Nick Matthew followed, securing ElShorbagy a place in the final against World No.2 Gregory Gaultier – with the Frenchman hungry to retain his title and move closer to dethroning the then 24-year-old ElShorbagy at the top of the rankings.

What ensued was a physical, mental and emotional battle between the pair.

Gaultier, the wily ‘French General’, was slowing the pace down in the back corners and chipping down the walls to keep ‘The Beast’ tamed. As a result ElShorbagy lost his accuracy, enabling Gaultier to control the middle and move the top seed into all four corners – with ElShorbagy making error after error in an uncharacteristic display.

Trailing 2-1, ElShorbagy reverted back to ‘Beast Mode’, coming out in the fourth game at a blistering pace that very few players, other than ElShorbagy, would have been able to sustain. With the unrelenting pressure, Gaultier began to fade and, sensing the opportunity, EShorbagy made his move.

After equalising at 2-2, he ran through to a 10-5 lead in the fifth and needed just one opportunity to win a maiden British Open title.

GREGORY GAULTIER ON MOHAMED ELSHORBAGY: “Every time you stepped on court with Mohamed you knew it was going to be a challenge – to was always a battle.

“He was ferocious, you know, like an animal – that’s why we call him the beast. He was so physical, so powerful, he had no fear. Especially, I remember playing him from a young age – you could see he didn’t really mind playing against a top player and you could see in his eyes that he had that hunger, that he was always chasing that number one spot.

“And he could play a brutal five-game match, and back it up the next day and push through that pain barrier day after day – it was incredible to watch actually. Not many guys can do that because it isn’t just the physicality, it’s the mental strength to come back every day and keep pushing.

“To keep that level, to be that consistent and to stay at the very top of the game for 10 years and more, it is very impressive.”

2017 – World Series Finals

After dominating the game through 2015/16 – setting a record rankings average twice in the process – ElShorbagy endured the worst run of his career to date through the 16-17 season, losing the World No.1 ranking and winning only one major title – a dismal return by his standards.

Going into the season-ending World Series Finals, ElShorbagy was determined to put his bad form behind him and end the season on a high note, and he began the event in scintillating form as he navigated past Gaultier, Ali Farag and James Willstrop in the group stages to secure a semi-final berth.

There he faced ‘German Tree-chopper’ Simon Rosner – a player who had been in good form for most of the season. On a hot, bouncy court in Dubai, the rallies were long and punishing, with attacking opportunities hard to come by for either.

But Rosner was putting in one of the best performances of his career to date and dominated ElShorbagy for large period of the match – sending the Egyptian into the deep corners and extending the court at every opportunity. ElShorbagy had to call on every bit of grit and determination just to stay within touching distance of Rosner, managing to inject some pace into the play to unsettle the German, but it looked to be in vain as Rosner moved ahead 12-11 in the deciding game.

With the court at his mercy, and ElShorbagy out of position, Rosner squandered a huge chance to close the match out – handing ElShorbagy a life-life that he needed and duly took advantage of, going on to win the next three points and with it the match and a place in the final.

Former World No.1 James Willstrop was his opponent in the decider, but fired up from his narrow escape the night before, ElShorbagy dominated the play, exposing Willstrop’s physicality to close out the match 3-0 and win the coveted title for the first time – ending his worst season to date with a high note that set the scene for a return to dominance that was to follow in the 17/18 season.

2017 – PSA World Championship Final: Mohamed ElShorbagy v Marwan ElShorbagy

Having lost the 2012 and 2014 finals to Ashour, and crashing out of the 2015 and 2016 events when favourite for the crown, it had began to appear as if the stars would never align for the ElShorbagy with the sport’s most coveted title.

Going into the event ElShorbagy was seeded to face Ashour, Gaultier and Nick Matthew before a place in the final could even be earned – in what is possibly the toughest draw any player has face in a World Championship title campaign.

A monumental 14-12 opening game against Ashour in the third round went the way of ElShorbagy, a platform he used to execute an impressive straight games win over his compatriot. He followed that up with a 3-1 win over Matthew before dismissing Gaultier in straight games to earn his place in the final for the third time – where he would face arguably his toughest opponent to date, young brother Marwan.

It was an historic moment for squash with both ElShorbagy brothers navigating their way through the draw to reach the 2017 World Championship final in Manchester – the first time a sibling pair had done so in the men’s game.

Normally very close during events, the brothers kept their distance on the day of the match – barely acknowledging each others existence. With the biggest title in the game on the line, and with the knowledge that to win would deny your sibling the chance of glory, the match was tense and tight from the outset.

Knowing each other so well, playing almost daily practice matches, the pair engaged in a fascinating battle. Mohamed was trying to inject pace where he could, with hard hitting lengths and kills, whilst Marwan was trying to absorb the hitting of his brother to slow the pace down and frustrate Mohamed – a tactic that was paying off as he forced the match into a fifth game.

Mohamed stormed off court at the end of the fourth game and returned with a steely look in his eye – but Marwan wasn’t to be overpowered. They traded points to 6-6 before Mohamed once again entered BeastMode to increase the pace and inject extra power into every shot and race out to a 10-6 lead.

A fading crosscourt left Marwan stranded – and Mohamed ElShorbagy was finally crowned World Champion.

WHAT MO SAID: “The World Championship final – that was a big, big moment for both of us. I remember I had my semi-final against Greg, which I won and then he played, I think, three four hours later against Ali. 

“I was watching from my room cheering for him and then the moment he won his last point, I was celebrating. But a few seconds later, I fell on the bed. I started realising, in order for me to win the World Champ, I need to stop my brother from winning it – and it really got into me. 

“In that world champion particularly, I was my zone. I was really in the zone to win it and I was really not talking to anyone. I stayed away from everything – just to stay focused in the event. Then on the morning of the final, I went to get some food. On the way back, I saw my brother in the reception and that was the first time I probably saw him during the whole event, because we played on different days. We smiled and we gave each other a hug and it got into me emotionally. 

“I had a job to do in the final but it was so tough, because that’s the only match that went to five games in the whole event. I was ready for every match in this event but I never thought in my head I was going to meet my brother in the final. 

“You can never forget the match when you win the World Champ – but imagine playing your brother in that final too.”

2022 PSA World Championships – Mohamed ElShorbagy v Paul Coll

Following his World Championship win in 2017, ElShorbagy went on to dominate at the top of the rankings again throughout 2018, 19 and 2020 – prior to the arrival of Covid and the worldwide hiatus that followed.

Returning to the circuit in late 2020, the Beast then endured his worst ever run of from, suffering disappointing early round losses at the 2021 Black Ball Open, 2021 US Open, 2021 Qatar Classic and 2022 British Open – where a second round defeat to Raphael Kandra resulted in his earliest exit from a major tournament since 2013.

Less than a month after that defeat to Kandra, ElShorbagy travelled to the World Championships with many questioning whether he could ever win a major title again.

But impressive, and dominant, displays against Karim Gawad and Fares Dessouki saw him secure a place in the semi-finals to face then World No.1 Paul Coll – the Kiwi player who had dumped ElShorbagy out of both the last British Open and NetSuite Open.

It was clear from the opening exchange that ElShorbagy was out to prove a point against Coll and prove to those watching that there was still life left in the Beast.

He took the opening game convincingly 11-4, only for Coll to turn the tide and play his attritional, physical game to perfection and halt the charge of ElShorbagy. With Coll takin the second and third games by narrow 11-8, 12-10 margins, ElShorbagy was once again on the back foot – and up against a player who appeared to have his number.

A huge effort of will followed as ElShorbagy dug deep into his reserves to once again change the momentum of the match, levelling at 2-2 and forcing a decider. With tempers rising on court, the pair exchanged some heated words after a series of gruelling, spell-binding rallies that was sapping every last bit of energy from the legs.

But after 109-minutes – one of the longest battles of his career – it was ElShorbagy who stood victorious, with a place in the final awaiting and questions about his big-match mentality answered.

While he ultimately couldn’t convert in the final, twice seeing a game lead eroded by Ali Farag, ElShorbagy proved that he wasn’t finished as a championship contender – and would go on to add the 2022 Qatar Classic, 2022 NetSuite Open, 2022 New Zealand Open, 2022 Singapore Open and 2023 Black Ball Open titles to his impressive collection.

PAUL COLL ON MOHAMED ELSHORBAGY: “I think mentally Mohamed has to be considered one of the greatest to ever play the sport. He’s been at the top for nearly 14 years, which is incredible – every time you step on court with him you know it’s going to be a battle, and you know he’s going to enjoy it.

His presence on court is just huge and he is so tough to play against. Whenever you step on court, if you’re not prepared to go to war with the man, you’re going to lose for sure.

Being at the top, being World No.1 – i’s tough. I think, emotionally, mentally, it’s so much tougher than what people realise – it’s so much tougher than I even sort of expected and I have so much respect for what he has done for so long. That intensity that he has on court and that desire to win – I don’t think people can understand the level that he is, and continues to be, at.

2022 – European Team Championship Final: England v France

Having spent the majority of his life in England, ElShorbagy made a controversial switch to represent England in June 2022.

With heavy expectations on his shoulder, he quickly delivered on his switch – claiming the British National Championship at the first time of asking just weeks after making the switch.

That result, combined with a reinvigorated run of form on the PSA World Tour that saw him back in contention for the World No.1 ranking, saw ElShorbgay arrive at the 2022 European Team Championships in Helsinki, Finland as the leader of a young England team that were looking for their adopted-star to deliver on the team stage.

Victory over Hungary’s Farkas Balazs secured a winning start to his representative career, with wins over Raphael Kandra of Germany and Nicolas Mueller of Switzerland following quickly as England booked their place in the final – to take on the favourites and Europe’s strongest team, France.

Up against Victor Crouin, ElShorbagy’s run looked to be coming to an end as he faltered and struggled to contain Crouin, twice falling a game behind. But the tenacity that epitomised his career came to the fore as he came through to win a fifth-game tie-break after 78-gruelling minutes – a win that proved to be vital as England went on to clinch the title.

ENGLAND COACH DAVID CAMPION ON MOHAMED ELSHORBAGY: “After that event Mohamed told me that it was one of the best experiences of his career. He really embraced the role of leader within the team and he showed those leadership qualities on and off the court throughout the event.

“He wasn’t playing his best during the tournament but he showed the kind of determination and fighting spirit that has personified his career to come back from behind against Victor Crouin and secure the win – and that kind of performance was truly inspirational for the team really.”

2024 China Open – The 50th Title

Having been stuck on 49 career titles for over a year, ElShorbagy’s wait for a 50th PSA Squash Tour title is over after the Englishman overpowered Egyptian Mohamed Abouelghar to win the 2024 China Open.

That victory makes him one of the most decorated squash players ever in the history of the game. ElShorbagy requires just three more titles to claim outright third place on the men’s all-time title-winning list, which would put him behind only the legendary Khans – Jansher and Jahangir.

WHAT MO SAID: “50 titles was definitely on my mind. I did 50 months at World No.1 and now I have 50 titles, so thats a good number for me. What makes me really proud is that the lowest level is a Bronze and half of them are Platinums. So all of these wins are big wins. My friend and sponsor Bassim Haidar told me right after the win in China that I need three titles to go to outright third in the all-time list. My motivation has always been to end my career as a great of the sport and I think just having my name up there as it is now is amazing, but I want more.

“I know I don’t have too long left in the sport, but as long as I’m still competing, I’ll give it my all and hopefully get to 53.”