NICK MATTHEW: THE SPECIAL ONE
NICKMATTHEW THESPECIALONE
One of the oldest lessons in life, let alone in sport or indeed squash, is that for any endeavour to be successful you have to believe that it can be done. Whilst many have admired the dedication and work ethic of Nick Matthew, very few have shared the player’s belief that he would one day achieve his dream of being the best player in the world.
Victories and defeats are the currency by which the recently crowned World No.1 lives, and if intensity alone won major titles surely he would have reached the pinnacle of the men’s game many years ago. However, so often intensity can have the opposite effect by inhibiting shot production and playing havoc with the thinking processes.
The most significant recent addition in the Englishman’s armoury is control. It has been his uncompromising wanting-it-more approach, his intensity, but applied with control, that has inspired him to brilliance, and has got him to World No.1 by reaching a standard unmatched by any of his numerous rivals.
No game proves more graphically than squash how a fear of failure can freeze the mind. Any player at any level knows the crippling nature of self doubt and the contrasting days when the ball meets the middle of the strings and everything thereafter seems easy. Fear of failure, it is convincingly argued, is the main reason for the inability of many seemingly more technically gifted players to perform on the biggest stage. The careworn appearance of the performances of many ‘underachievers’ contrasts sharply to the uninhibited nature and approach of a winner such as Matthew.
The 30-year-old Englishman had started 2009 ranked outside of the World’s top 10 following surgery to repair damaged shoulder cartilage and nine depressing months on the sidelines. To achieve his lifelong dream of reaching the summit of the men’s game, a feat he fulfilled in June, he played seventeen World Tour events following his return, reaching thirteen finals and winning eight. After lifting the Sky Open trophy in Egypt, and so ending the five-month reign of his mercurial rival Ramy Ashour, he had taken his unbeaten run to twenty-eight matches.
A significant difference between the Nick Matthew then and Nick Matthew now is not so much technical but more an altered attitude and a willingness to take risks. It is not quite as simple as all-out attack, which without forethought is an unwise policy in any endeavour. It is self-belief and confidence which have allowed free expression to join a winning formula of playing inventively, mixing tactics, pace and variety with equal measure. Quite possibly only Jonah Barrington, Geoff Hunt, Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan and Peter Nicol of the professional era have known a similar feeling or have possessed the expectation of victory at the start of every match and the belief that no challenge will be insurmountable.
His career-threatening shoulder injury which he sustained at the English Open in 2007 is a perfect example of his mental fortitude and need for the right positive mindset. Injury led to an absence from the game, loss of form, dented confidence and a period of introspection during which necessary technical and psychological adjustments were made during his
www.isportgroup.com/InternationalSquashMagazine 06 | September 2010 INTERNATIONALSQUASHMAGAZINE
intense rehabilitation and return to the international circuit. The old command was quickly restored to his stroke play and the benefits of his mental adjustments quickly realised. Without any trace of arrogance he treats all opponents with respect, and if confidence and judgment go hand in hand, he will continue to succeed and may claim that elusive Commonwealth Games Gold Medal and World Open trophy: these remain the only major titles to have eluded him in his stellar career.
Since his return, Matthew has done what he has learned to do better than anyone in the game: he has simply dismantled every player put in front of him, often using his opponent’s power and strengths as his own weapons. To the casual observer, it has frequently looked as if his opponents have surrendered, but the more informed know that each time it has been an induced surrender, one brought about by accuracy, intelligence and the sheer malice of Matthew’s play.
Finding your way when you need it most is what professional sport is all about. It is not just about being consistent day in,
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