CHENNAI: Every day, some or the other sporting event is getting cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If Wimbledon bore the brunt on Wednesday, it was squash on Thursday, with the Professional Squash Association (PSA) extending the suspension of PSA Tours until July. For a non-Olympic sport like squash, Tours are the major source of income for players. And with no competitions until August, players are going to have a tough time.
With most of India’s top players back home, the uncertainty surrounding the whole situation is worrying them. “Our main source of income is not there. It impacts players from different ranking brackets in different ways. But it’s going to get to you at some point,” said Saurav Ghosal, India’s top-ranked men’s player. It’s not just about tournaments. Some of them are not even sure when they can hit a squash ball again. “If the PSA Tours start by August, it’s fine. If the suspension lasts till October or November, then you are looking at almost a year’s income getting wiped out.
You cannot play any leagues or exhibition matches as well. All associated income is also lost,” the World No 13 added. Trying to keep fit, Ghosal is making the most out of the lawn in front of his house to do some sprints. He has even resorted to baking some deserts with plenty of time to get back into the scene. For his colleague, Ramit Tandon, using water bottles and bags for weight training has become a thing. Tandon feels that a real picture about the financial aspect of his game will only be clear when there is clarity regarding the duration of this lockdown and lack of competitions.
“It depends on how long this goes on. If it lasts six or eight months, then it is going to be difficult. It’s like any other business. For example, the coaches might lose money because players cannot afford them. Even sponsors for tournaments might pull out or reduce the money they want to invest. It’s a demand-supply dynamic like any other industry,” said the World No 53.
Squash, according to him, helps one live a basic life. For the players, the main source of expenses involves travel, paying the coaches and fitness trainers. Most of what they earn are being spent to develop themselves into a better player. “If you go to an event and if you are in the top-50, let’s say we might make a minimum of $2500. So if you calculate the number of tournaments we are missing, we are losing out on a lot.” However, he is not complaining and is grateful to have a roof over his head and three meals a day.