Raneem El-Welily is the world’s highest-ranking female squash player. The 26-year-old Egyptian is also the first Egyptian female to hold this title, leading the Professional Squash Association world rankings with 26,280 points. El-Welily, who has been playing squash since she was six started playing at the Alexandria Sporting Club, then moved to the Heliopolis Sporting Club, before finally playing for Wadi Degla for the past three years. eniGma’s Mohamad Nagi had the chance to meet this professional player and discuss her rise to greatness and her passion for the game.
How did you get into squash?
My brother started playing about a year before I did. My parents thought squash was a better choice than tennis as it rains a lot in Alexandria and there weren’t any indoor courts, and also because at the time the Egyptian Under-19 national team had won the world teams event. I used to go watch my brother and other players, until one day his coach let me on the court and I fell in love with the game. Squash is such a challenging game and I became excited about it.
What’s your favorite thing about squash?
Squash combines so many things: speed, physical and mental strength. It has so many details that you don’t get the chance to get bored. You are constantly trying to perfect your abilities, constantly working on something new and you always have room to evolve and improve yourself.
What did it take for you to become number one?
It took years and years of training, of discipline, of setting goals and trying to achieve them. I worked very hard with my coaches Haitham Effat and Ahmed Faragallah over the past six years and was blessed to have their support at all times. Their teaching approaches and their training methods were like none I had ever experienced before.
How does it feel to be the number one female squash player in the world?
It feels great. It is something that I have dreamed of for so long and wanted to achieve badly. Especially this year, I put that target in front of my eyes and tried to win as many matches as possible and to get as many points possible, and it worked alhamdulilah.
How does it feel to be the first female Egyptian to ever attain this status?
It came as a shock to me when I found out that no Egyptian female ever reached this status in any other sport. But what makes me happy is that I’m sure that I’m definitely not the last. I won’t be the last Egyptian to become number one in squash and definitely not the last to make it in other sports.
Did squash ever get in the way of anything else in your life?
Well squash has always been my number one priority, even when I was in school. So I believe your question should be the other way around, because squash is my life. It’s what I love to do the most.
What advice would you give to someone who wishes to become successful?
The keys to success, in my own humble point of view, are four things. The first and most important one is that success cannot be achieved on your own. If you reach the top and there’s no one next to you, then it’s not success. Support and help from those around you is very important. So yes, being dedicated to something is great, but paying attention to your personal relations (family and friends always come first) is much more important. Two, never stop listening to others. Advice can be very helpful. Learning what is good for you and what’s not is a must, but first you have to listen. Three, everyone is going through different things, so never compare yourself to others and never ask why me; everything happens for a reason. And last but not least, arrogance is very hard to avoid. No matter how hard I tried, every now and then it got to me, so I learned the hard way that the moment you think you know it all is the moment you lose it all.
What are previous squash titles/tournaments/championships that you have won?
I won national titles in all age groups: six British Junior Open Titles in all age groups, two World Junior Open titles, two World Junior team titles, two World Women team titles and 11 Professional Squash Association titles.