NEW DELHI: AS a sport, squash is a dichotomy of sorts. The investment required to enter it is huge because of the cost of equipment and associated gear. But it will take years of hard graft before breaking even. And that’s only for the true elite who have funding to keep their PSA dreams alive. For the rest, it’s just blind passion without any guarantees over whether they can sustain themselves.
India’s Mahesh Mangaonkar is one among those. But he hit upon a novel idea to keep his dreams alive. To keep afloat his PSA career, he became a professional sparring partner. If you are wondering whether that’s an official post, Mangaonkar, who on Wednesday reached the final of the PSA Challenger here, is currently employed with the Finnish Squash Federation as a ‘professional sparring partner’.
“I currently am based out of Finland as I am working with the federation there,” he said. “I do this in the summer mostly, it also helps get me money to fund my tour. I was previously working in Prague (with the Czech Republic federation).” Why did he resort to become a sparring partner when most players like to take a break in the off season? The answer is obvious. “I don’t have any sponsors and I have never had any luck with sponsorships. But I have always been lucky with getting work. So I found this alternate system to make some money.”
Of course, this isn’t just a money-making exercise for the World No 54. He has also sparred with the likes of France’s Gregory Gaultier, a former World No 1 as well as a former world champ. “This thing is also beneficial. I’m also constantly training... I need to keep doing stuff like this.”
When he hits with lesser-ranked players, as is the case in Finland, he also sets himself challenging tasks in sessions. “When I train with guys who are lesser-ranked than me, I try and restrict my hitting zones to a specific area on the wall. That makes it difficult for me.”
Apart from this, the 25-year-old, who won the nationals this year, is also an essential part of the club scene in Europe. He is, as of today, a player representing eight clubs across eight countries (England, Netherlands, Germany and so on). When he isn’t playing on the circuit, he is usually in trains and flights across Europe. This is another way to keep his bank balance in the green as the clubs pay for travel, accommodation as well as appearance. It gives him much-needed match practice with some of the best players.
His immediate focus though is on Thursday’s opponent, Ivan Yuen. The World No 47 starts the favourite but don’t rule out the Indian. He trailed Harinder Pal Sandhu 2-1 before besting him 8-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7.