Don’t Get Paid Regularly! Squash Star Abhay Singh Asks ‘Why Would Anyone Want to Do This in Their Sane Mind?’

Abhay Singh made headlines when he came back from two match points down to win the deciding game as India beat rivals Pakistan and clinch gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Squash will be returning to the Olympic fold come Los Angeles 2028 as Abhay Singh, who recently bagged his second National title in Mumbai this month, feels lack of interest and funds for the sport is worrisome.

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“I am potentially the best squash player in India as of today and I don’t get paid regularly, except for my performances at events where I win a medal for my country. So why would anyone want to do this in their sane mind? I never shy away from the fact that I come from a family that has been fortunate enough to support me financially but some kids can’t, and that really needs to change. If my dad didn’t have the money to fund all of this I wouldn’t be sitting in front of you today,” Abhay Singh was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

“Maybe the fact that I didn’t get that support pushed me harder to prove myself. But that needn’t be the case. Shaurya (Bawa) has also shown he’s got what it takes mentally to do well at the highest level, he came back from a matchball down in the quarterfinals at the Worlds. That’s the kind of talent that needs to be backed. There are even kids who are 12-13 right now at the squash academy in Chennai who can go much further than probably I have if given the right backing.

People keep saying we don’t have the next Saurav (Ghosal), we have a lot of guys who can potentially be that good but are they being given the right infrastructure and the right guidance to fulfil their potential?,” he added.

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When asked about his plans for the immediate future, he said: “I think top 50 in the world ranking is the first goal still, I think some good performances on the PSA world tour should get me there. I am still new to consistently playing at this level, I have only had two proper seasons. A few matches last year didn’t go my way, that could have changed my rankings, but I am still learning. I know my game is there, now it is just about putting it together consistently. I am very happy with the team I have around me right now, I am very fortunate to be working with people that I want to work with. I am really looking forward to a massive season, I don’t think I have been this motivated in a while to really go out there and you know put some good results in. So hopefully the body and mind sync when the events come through.”