Nicholas Matthew OBE (born 25 July 1980 in Sheffield) is a former English professional squash player who has won the two most prestigious tournaments in the professional game, the British Open and the World Open, three times each. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 1 in June 2010.[1] His home club is Hallamshire Tennis and Squash Club in Sheffield which has named 'The Nick Matthew Showcourt' after him.[2]
 Nick Matthew at the 2017 Men's World Team Squash Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Nicholas Matthew | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | “The Wolf” | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  England United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 25 July 1980 Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Sheffield, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1998 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Plays | Right Handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | David Pearson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Racquet used | Dunlop Force Evolution 120 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Men's singles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (June 2010) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) | 33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tour final(s) | 71 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Open | W (2010, 2011, 2013) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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He married Esme Taylor, a sports physiologist who has worked with British Cycling, in 2013 and the couple celebrated the birth of their first child Charlotte Rose on 9 September 2014.[3]
Career overview
editNick Matthew, who attended High Storrs School,[4] first came to the squash world's attention as an outstanding junior player. He was the 1999 British Junior Open under-19 champion, a semi-finalist at the 1998 World Junior Championships, and a member of the England team which won the 1998 world junior team title. He made his first appearance on the professional tour in 1998.
In 2006, Matthew became the first English player to win the British Open men's title since 1939. In the final, against Thierry Lincou of France, he came back from 0–4 down in the fifth game to win 11–8, 5–11, 11–4, 9–11, 11–6. In 2007, Matthew won the US Open title, beating James Willstrop in the final 11–7, 11–4, 11–7.
Matthew won the British National Championship title in 2006 and 2009. In 2006, Matthew played Lee Beachill in a tight final, which he won 11–9, 6–11, 11–9, 10–12, 12–10. In 2009, he defeated Adrian Grant in the final 11–4, 11–3, 11–9. Matthew was a member of the England team which won the World Team Squash Championships in 2005 and 2007.
2009 saw Matthew soar up in rankings to world No. 4 in December. His best achievement of the year is by winning the Qatar Classic Open title in November. In the Saudi International Open, Matthew's fine run was halted by Ramy Ashour who beat him in the final that decided the next world No. 1. Matthew lost in 110 minutes in a gruelling 5-game match.[5]
In June 2010, Matthew topped the world rankings for the first time.
In the men's singles final of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Matthew defeated compatriot James Willstrop 11–6, 11–7, 11–7 in 66 minutes to win the gold medal.[6]
December 2010 Matthew won the World Open Squash Men's Title, becoming the first Englishman in the premier event's 35-year history to win the PSA World Championship[7]
Matthew won the PSA 2010 World Open, defeating James Willstrop of England in the final by 3 games to 1 in 74 minutes at The Sunset Beach Resort in Saudi Arabia on Friday 10 December 2010.[8]
Matthew won the PSA 2011 World Open, defeating Grégory Gaultier of France in the final by 3 games to 1 in 92 minutes at the Luxor Theatre in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on Sunday 6 November 2011.[9] After struggling with an injury in late 2011, Matthew entered the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, beating then world number 1 James Willstrop. He has since regained his position as world number 1.
He won his 3rd British Open title on 20 May 2012, becoming the first Englishman to win the title three times in the professional era.[10]
Matthew won his third PSA 2013 World Open, defeating Grégory Gaultier of France in the final by 3 games to 2 in 111 minutes in the Central arena Manchester, England on Sunday 3 November 2013. The 33-year-old world number one from Sheffield joined a select and distinguished group of players – Australian Geoff Hunt; Pakistanis Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan; and Egyptian Amr Shabana – who have three world titles to their name.
In February 2014, Matthew won a record sixth British National title with victory over fellow Englishman James Willstrop in the final[11] before getting the better of Willstrop once more in the final of the Canary Wharf Classic to win his fourth title at the London event.[12]
2014 saw more 2014 Commonwealth Games success for Matthew despite a knee injury, sustained in training, which overshadowed his preparations.[13] Matthew carried the baton through his native Sheffield before the Games[14] and was then chosen by his teammates to be flag bearer for Team England at the opening ceremony at Celtic Park in Glasgow.[15]
In competition, Matthew competed in singles and doubles with Adrian Grant. He won Gold in singles courtesy of a 11–9 8–11 11–5 6–11 11–5 over James Willstrop in what was described as an 'absorbing contest', shown live on BBC Television.[16] He and Grant then took silver in the doubles after falling 10–11 11–7 11–9 to Australians Cameron Pilley and David Palmer.[17]
2015 has proved to be another successful year for Matthew. He became the first man since Ramy Ashour in 2013 to win three PSA World Tour titles in a row when he followed victories in the Swedish Open and Windy City Open with a record-breaking fifth Canary Wharf Classic trophy.[18]
Matthew has had continued success in 2016, despite bad luck with injuries and illness at key times of the season. He won a record eighth title at the British National championships in Manchester in February, beating his long-time rival James Willstrop 11-2 6-11 11-3 11-3 and dropping only one game all week.[19]
On the PSA World Tour, he was runner-up to World No.1 Mohamad El Shorbagy in three prestigious finals. At January's J.P Morgan Tournament of Champions, played in the iconic Grand Central station, Elshorbagy defeated Matthew 8-11 11-6 11-8 6-11 11-6 in the final.[20]
In March, Matthew met El Shorbagy again in the final of the Windy City Open before injury prevented him from completing the match.[21]
In October's Delaware Investments US Open once again saw a potentially epic encounter brought to an early end as Matthew was forced to retire in the fifth game.[22]
Off-Court
editMatthew launched the Nick Matthew Academy in February 2016, based in Sheffield and run in association with the One Health Group. The Academy has the goal of coaching and nurturing the next generation of English squash players and has created a pathway to help children go from beginners to elite players.[23]
As well as his association with the One Health Group (which works with the NHS to treat patients referred by their GP for orthopaedics, spine, general surgery and gynaecology), Matthew also works with a range of commercial partners: AJ Bell (a financial and investment services provider); equipment suppliers Dunlop, Hi-Tec, 2-Undr and Trion-Z; Rowe Motor Oil; FairBriar International; Benz Bavarian (which supplies his Mercedes car); Netsuite; Sea Island Resort and Squash and Beyond squash camps. He is also supported national governing body England Squash.[24]
Matthew has been a patron of the Sheffield Children's Hospital since 2014.[25]
In November 2016 he was named as an Athlete Ambassador for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games by Commonwealth Games England.[26]
World Open final appearances
edit3 titles and 0 runner-up
edit| Outcome | Year | Location | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2010 | Saudi Arabia | James Willstrop |
7–11, 11–6, 11–2, 11–3 |
| Winner | 2011 | Rotterdam, Netherlands |  Grégory Gaultier |
6–11, 11–9, 11–6, 11–5 |
| Winner | 2013 | Manchester, England | Grégory Gaultier |
11–9, 11–9, 11–13, 7–11, 11–2 |
Major World Series final appearances
editAustralian Open: 2 finals (1 title, 1 runner-up)
edit| Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2010 |  Ramy Ashour |
14-16, 11-7, 12-10, 11-4 |
| Runner-up | 2011 | Ramy Ashour |
12-14, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 11-4 |
British Grand Prix: 1 final (0 titles, 1 runner-up)
edit| Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 2011 | Ramy Ashour |
1-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-4 |
British Open: 5 finals (3 titles, 2 runner-up)
edit| Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2006 | Thierry Lincou |
11–8, 5–11, 11–4, 9–11, 11–6 |
| Winner | 2009 | James Willstrop |
8–11, 11–8, 7–11, 11–3, 12–10 |
| Winner | 2012 | Ramy Ashour |
11–9, 11–4, 11–8 |
| Runner-up | 2014 | Grégory Gaultier |
11–3, 11–6, 11–2 |
| Runner-up | 2017 | Grégory Gaultier |
8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-3 |
Hong Kong Open: 2 finals (1 title, 1 runner-up)
edit| Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 2004 | Thierry Lincou |
11–8, 11–4, 13–11 |
| Winner | 2013 |  Borja Golán |
11–1, 11–8, 5–11, 11–5 |
North American Open: 4 finals (2 titles, 2 runner-up)
edit| Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 2009 | Ramy Ashour |
11-8, 13-11, 10-12, 5-11, 11-8 |
| Winner | 2010 | Ramy Ashour |
11-9, 16-14, 5-4 rtd |
| Winner | 2011 | Ramy Ashour |
11-9, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6 |
| Runner-up | 2013 | Ramy Ashour |
11-7, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7 |
PSA Masters: 2 finals (1 title, 1 runner-up)
edit| Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 2009 | Ramy Ashour |
11–6, 9–11, 11–9, 11–9 |
| Winner | 2010 | James Willstrop |
11–8, 11–7, 11–8 |
Qatar Classic: 2 finals (1 title, 1 runner-up)
edit| Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2009 | Karim Darwish |
11–5, 12–10, 11–6 |
| Runner-up | 2013 | Mohamed El Shorbagy |
11–5, 5–11, 11–6, 6–11, 11–4 |
Saudi International: 1 final (0 titles, 1 runner-up)
edit| Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 2009 | Ramy Ashour |
11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8 |
| Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2010 | Karim Darwish |
6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 13-11 |
Tournament of Champions: 6 finals (1 title, 5 runner-up)
edit| Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 2006 | Amr Shabana |
11-6, 11-9, 11-4 |
| Runner-up | 2009 | Grégory Gaultier |
11-9, 2-11, 11-8, 11-4 |
| Runner-up | 2011 | Ramy Ashour |
11-3, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7 |
| Winner | 2012 | James Willstrop |
8-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 |
| Runner-up | 2015 | Mohamed El Shorbagy |
5-11, 11-9, 11-8, 12-10 |
| Runner-up | 2016 | Mohamed El Shorbagy |
8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6 |
| Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2007 | James Willstrop |
11–7, 11–4, 11–7 |
| Runner-up | 2011 | Amr Shabana |
11–9, 8–11, 11–2, 11–4 |
| Runner-up | 2013 | Grégory Gaultier |
11–4, 11–5, 11–5 |
| Runner-up | 2016 | Mohamed El Shorbagy |
10-12, 12-14, 11-1, 11-4, 3-0 rtd |
Windy City Open: 2 finals (1 title, 1 runner-up)
edit| Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2015 | Mohamed El Shorbagy |
11–7, 11–2, 11–7 |
| Runner-up | 2016 | Mohamed El Shorbagy |
11–6, 11–3, 2–0 rtd |
Career statistics
editSingles performance timeline
edit| Terms | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W–L | Win–loss | NWS | Not a World Series event | ||||||||||||
| NG50 | Not an international event | NH | Not held | ||||||||||||
| A | Absent | LQ/#Q | Lost in qualifying draw and round number | ||||||||||||
| RR | Lost at round robin stage | #R | Lost in the early rounds | ||||||||||||
| QF | Quarterfinalist | SF | Semifinalist | ||||||||||||
| SF-B | Semifinalist, won bronze medal | F | Runner-up | ||||||||||||
| F | Runner-up, won silver medal | W | Winner | ||||||||||||
To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded.
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | Career SR | Career W-L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA World Series Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||
| World Open | NH | 2R | QF | 1R | 2R | 2R | SF | QF | QF | W | W | SF | W | SF | QF | 3 / 14 | 44–11 | |
| British Open | Absent | QF | A | W | QF | A | W | Not Held | W | SF | F | SF | 3 / 8 | 29–5 | ||||
| Hong Kong Open | 2R | A | NH | F | NH | 2R | QF | 2R | A | QF | QF | SF | W | A | SF | 1 / 10 | 24–9 | |
| Qatar Classic | 1R | 1R | SF | NH | 2R | SF | QF | SF | W | SF | 2R | NH | F | NH | A | 1 / 11 | 25–10 | |
| PSA Masters | Absent | 1R | 1R | QF | QF | Not Held | F | W | A | Not Held | 1 / 6 | 13–5 | ||||||
| Tournament of Champions | Absent | 1R | QF | QF | F | Absent | F | SF | F | W | SF | QF | F | F | 1 / 12 | 37–11 | ||
| North American Open | Not Held | Not World Series | Absent | F | W | W | SF | F | Not Held | 2 / 5 | 21–3 | |||||||
| Kuwait PSA Cup | Not Held | Absent | NH | QF | A | NH | 2R | QF | NH | 3R | Not Held | 0 / 4 | 6–4 | |||||
| US Open | NH | A | QF | QF | SF | QF | W | NH | Absent | F | SF | F | SF | SF | 1 / 10 | 31–9 | ||
| Saudi International | Not Held | SF | QF | QF | SF | F | Not Held | 0 / 5 | 14–5 | |||||||||
| Pakistan International | NH | A | NH | SF | QF | A | NH | NWS | Not Held | Not World Series | 0 / 2 | 5–2 | ||||||
| Windy City Open | NWS | Not Held | Not World Series | SF | W | F | 1 / 3 | 12–2 | ||||||||||
| El Gouna International | Not Held | A | NH | SF | NH | A | SF | 0 / 2 | 6–2 | |||||||||
| Australian Open | NWS | W | F | NWS | Not Held | NWS | 1 / 2 | 9–1 | ||||||||||
| British Grand Prix | Not Held | Not Held | 1R | F | NWS | NH | Not World Series | 0 / 2 | 4–2 | |||||||||
| Sky Open | Not Held | A | 2R | W | Not Held | NWS | Not Held | 1 / 2 | 6–1 | |||||||||
| Win Ratio | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 5 | 0 / 7 | 0 / 7 | 1 / 8 | 1 / 7 | 0 / 4 | 2 / 8 | 5 / 10 | 2 / 9 | 2 / 7 | 2 / 8 | 0 / 5 | 1 / 7 | 0 / 2 | 16 / 98 | NA |
| Win–loss | 1–2 | 1–2 | 8–5 | 13–7 | 14–7 | 20–7 | 18–6 | 10–4 | 30–6 | 35–5 | 32–7 | 26–5 | 30–6 | 16–5 | 24–6 | 8-2 | NA | 286–82 |
[27] Note: NA = Not Available
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Nick Matthew Confirmed As New World Number One". WSF. 1 June 2010. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ "NICK MATTHEW". Squash 2020. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ "Sheffield squash star Nick celebrates arrival of baby girl". The Star. 10 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "World champion eyes 'home' title". Sheffield Telegraph. 13 December 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ Steve Cubbins, Framboise Gommendy (18 December 2009). "Dream final it really was". Squashsite. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
- ^ "Day Five – the Finals". Squashsite. 8 October 2010. Archived from the original on 12 October 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- ^ Gilmour, Rod (12 December 2010). "World Squash Open 2010: Nick Matthew hails title as 'beyond wildest dreams'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ^ "Today: 2010 World Open". Squashsite. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ^ "World Open Squash 2011 – Official Site". Archived from the original on 1 November 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ^ "Nick Matthew". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
- ^ "Nick Matthew beats James Willstrop to win national title". BBC Sport. 16 February 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "Nick Matthew Wins 4th Canary Wharf Squash Classic Title". The official website of Nick Matthew OBE. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "Squash star Nick Matthew in fitness race for Glasgow 2014 after knee surgery". Sunday Express. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "Squash ace joins Sheffield relay leg". Sheffield Telegraph. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games: Nick Matthew to carry England flag at Glasgow 2014 opening ceremony". The Telegraph. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "Glasgow 2014: Nick Matthew beats James Willstrop to win gold". BBC Sport. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games 2014: Nick Matthew denied record-equalling fourth gold in men's squash doubles".
- ^ "Magnificent Matthew Wins 2015 Canary Wharf Classic". PSA World Tour. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "National Championships: Laura Massaro & Nick Matthew win". BBC Sport. 14 February 2016.
- ^ "Nick Matthew Denied 2nd Tournament of Champions Title". The Official Website of Nick Matthew OBE. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "Windycity Update: Elshorbagy Takes Men'S Crown". PSA World Tour. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "US Open: ElShorbagy Is US Open Champion". PSA World Tour. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "VIDEO: Nick Matthew's new venture aiming to spark kids' love of squash". The Star. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "Sponsors". The Official Website of Nick Matthew OBE. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "Squash champion Nick Matthew is new Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity patron". The Star. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "Massaro and Matthew named as Team England Athlete Ambassadors for Gold Coast 2018". England Squash.
- ^ "Nick Matthew - Professional Squash Association".
Further reading
edit- Friend, Tad (4 February 2013). "In the box". The Talk of the Town. The Sporting Life. The New Yorker. Vol. 88, no. 46. p. 22. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
External links
edit
- Nick Matthew at the Professional Squash Association (archive) (archive 2)
- Nick Matthew at Squash Info
- Nick Matthew at the Commonwealth Games Federation (archived)
- Nick Matthew at the World Games
- Page at Squashpics.com at the Wayback Machine (archived 22 October 2006)
