THE BREAK DOWN (TBD): #16 Special Preview of World Champs in Chicago w/PaulJohnson

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As you know, the biggest tournament in squash is going to be taking place this month. The timing is unusual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there was a lot of ambiguity around whether it would happen at all, but that hasn’t taken away from the excitement we are all feeling. In today’s episode PJ explains why the World Championships are in a different league from other squash tournaments, and gives us a rundown of the various male and female players who he thinks are contenders for the win this year. Unfortunately, for reasons you’ll hear today, PJ won’t be commentating at the event this year, so this is the place to hear his expert opinion on the possible outcomes. None of us are afraid of a bit of controversy, so we also discuss the heated debates that PJ found himself in the middle of, regarding the young Egyptian superstar, Mostafa Asal, and the dominance of Egyptian players in the sport.

Key Points From This Episode:

• How the World Championships differs from other events.
• PJ explains where the World Championships originated.
• Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the scheduling of the World Championships this year.
• The controversy surrounding Egyptian player, Mostafa Asal, and how PJ and Joey became involved.
• Dominance of Egyptian squash players at the moment.
• PJ’s opinion on interactions between referees and players during squash games.
• Prize money for the winner of the upcoming World Championship event.
• Why PJ is not going to be commentating at the event.
• An analysis of the top female players, one of whom PJ expects to win the World Championships.
• PJ runs us through the men who he thinks have a chance at taking the win.
• The importance of the early rounds of major squash events.
• Bill, Conor, and PJ share their top picks for winners of the men’s and women’s events.

Highlights:

“The World Championships, it’s the pinnacle of our sport really.” — PJ [0:02:58]

“We are being paid and brought in to say it as we see it. So if something is taking place, and I know Joey is the same, I’m not going to sit on the fence.” — PJ [0:12:03]

“The top four ladies in the world at the moment have a little bit of a gap between themselves and the rest of the players on the World Tour.” — PJ [0:24:38]

“When you’re coming into an extra round of best-of-five, that reservoir of energy, that tank that you need coming into these types of events, needs to be pretty extensive.” — PJ [0:43:50]

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