Squash conversations from the tour, the sidelines and the archives.
Jerry Gibson, whose own best squash came between the late 1980s and around 2000, talks with people from across the sport: a rising tour player, a college coach, a tournament sponsor and the data team at Cross Court Analytics. The talk moves between this season's draws and the England side that won the 1997 world team championship.
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In squash - The Podcast is a conversation show about squash, hosted by Jerry Gibson. He says in one episode that his own best playing years ran from the late 1980s to around 2000, and that memory runs through the questions he asks. With Peter Marshall, part of the England side that won the 1997 world team championship, he goes back to that title and notes how rarely it comes up now that Egyptian teams dominate team events. He also retells a story Simon Park once shared on the podcast about going through a top-10 ranking list, which shows the show carries its own history. That conversation ends somewhere ordinary, with Marshall planning a game against his son, who wants to run him around a tennis court first. The current tour gets as much room. Matias Knudsen, introduced as a rising talent and a trick-shot specialist, describes a run in which he beat second seed Cesar Salazar, a player he grew up watching. After that came his training partner Spencer Lovejoy, and then a final against Alejandro Enriquez, an opponent he has played since they were about ten. Gibson sends him off with good wishes for Bermuda, his NSL matches and the world championships. Bassim Haidar, sponsor of the Optasia Championship, comes on as that event returns to the PSA calendar, a slot Gibson says usually went to Danny Lee. Gibson goes through the men's and women's fields and asks how Haidar's approach to sponsoring and building tournaments has evolved. The numbers come from Cross Court Analytics, back for a fourth appearance, this time with Tom Glover. His headline finding is simple: winning the first game raises a player's chances of taking the match by 80 to 90 percent. The opening rallies matter more than they seem. Coaching has a thread of its own. Gibson calls his talk with Rahul Vashishtha a return to the show's roots, and Vashishtha traces a path from India to Singapore, which he calls a huge jump, then on to Bates College, with a head coaching post at Louisville Collegiate School in Kentucky next. History comes through James Zug, whose podcast Outside the Glass Gibson credits with pushing him to start his own. Zug recounts spending three weeks in England trying to work out how squash was created, following a rumour of 1920s letters from Old Harrovians to the Times of London. Gibson adds a personal link: his name went on the Newfoundland Open trophy in 1992, and the two close on how much of the game's early story in places like Nova Scotia is still unwritten. A listener gets real range here, from a pro's bracket and a coach's career path to a sponsor's view and a hard statistic, all tied together by a host who once competed at a serious level himself.
Made for: Suits a listener who follows the professional squash tour and also wants the game's backstory, from England's 1997 team title to the search for where squash began. It also fits players curious about coaching careers or what match data says about winning.
What sets it apart: The host's memory of competing in the late 1980s and 1990s puts current-tour interviews next to history, sponsorship and analytics. The show even traces its start to another squash podcast, James Zug's Outside the Glass, and Zug has been a guest.
In Squash is a squash podcast that we've all been waiting for. Interviews and conversations with world class players, coaches, squash media, referees, and enthusiasts like myself, and anyone else who is a friend of the game. Enjoy the squash podcast.
Jerry Gibson can take you from squash's origins to the voice that rattles your match.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Peter Marshall connects an Observer debate with illness, comeback, and England's 1997 world team title.
Peter Marshall's third InSquash appearance sets his late-1980s-to-2000 peak against a measured response to the tone of an Observer piece on Mustafa Assal.
A coach's route from India to Singapore and Maine gives this episode a practical angle on crossing borders in squash.
Jerry Gibson's conversation with Bates College assistant coach Rahul Vashista follows a coaching career built across borders, from India to Singapore and then the United States.
A personal squash memory leads into archival detective work and the elusive origins of the game.
James Zug's appearance on InSquash turns the second edition of Squash, A History of the Game into a discussion about how a sport comes to understand its own past.
Matthias Knudsen reflects on the mental tests behind matches with veterans, training partners, old rivals, and a growing trickshot profile.
Matthias Knudsen's season comes across as a study in learning which mental thresholds actually matter. The episode follows him through matches shaped by reputation and proximity: Cesar Salazar, a veteran he had grown up watching; training partner Spencer Lovejoy; and Alejandro…
A concise look at how a Surrey squash trial grew into a near-sold-out Wimbledon fixture.
A tournament preview turns into a brisk history of how a squash event grew into itself. Jerry Gibson speaks with the founder of Optasia, formerly Channel Bass, about the Optasia Championship returning as a PSA Golden Platinum event, moving from its small St.
Candid paddle talk for serious pickleball gearheads.
A steadier mind for better pickleball.
Tennis, argued over properly, by two friends.
Peter Marshall tells Jerry Gibson he still played that morning at South Bank in central London and now gets on court two or three times a week.
["InSquash episode 395 follows Rahul Vashista\u2019s route from a one-court locality club in New Delhi to Bates College and Louisville Collegiate School in Kentucky.", "He describes Indian college squash as a growing system, citing the 2026 World University Championships in India, university nationals, and four or five PSA Challenger Tour events.", "Rahul compares coaching in India, Singapore, and the United States, emphasizing the shift from formal, high-hour environments to a more collaborative U.S.
InSquash episode 394 pairs Jerry Gibson with James Zug to discuss Squash, A History of the Game, the second edition of a book that grew out of years of archival research.
["Matthias Knudsen says a second surgery and a rapid growth spurt to 6'3 forced him to rebuild his game before his second healthy PSA season.", "He describes Bermuda as a work trip hosted by PSA referee Spencer Moss, but also as the place where beaches and golf can pull attention away from squash.", "Knudsen says his ranking has moved him into silvers and golds, with Platinums still gated by the top-32 cutoff and a main-draw seat at the world championships still the big target.", "He also explains how trick shots became his calling card, why the Olympics wanted to collaborate on a video, and how Miguel Rodriguez shaped the path he is following."]
Basim Hader says Optasia started by lending airtime to prepaid mobile users and later grew to more than 42 countries, $5.5 billion in loans, and 432 million users.
Jerry Gibson interviews Tom Glover of CrossCourt Analytics about measuring more than 10,000 squash data points per match, including shot locations, rally lengths, winners, and errors.
Jerry Gibson interviews squash coach Hadrian Stiff about leaving Heights Casino in New York after two and a half years and returning to Bristol, UK.
Jerry Gibson interviews Greg Marsh about reaching the Windy City Open semifinal at nearly 36, making him the second-oldest PSA player to reach a major semifinal.
Jerry Gibson interviews Zena Wooldridge, President of the World Squash Federation, about squash’s preparations for the LA 28 Olympics after the sport’s 2022 inclusion.
In squash - The Podcast’s Episode 387 examines the five qualification routes for 16 men and 16 women at LA 2028, including five Continental Games winners per gender.
In squash - The Podcast episode 386 features former world number one and British Open champion Kumar Zaman discussing the Karachi Gold event and Pakistan's emerging players.
Jerry Gibson interviews Yusuf Ibrahim about his improving season, knee recovery, tournament anxiety, and return to Karachi for a gold event.
Jerry Gibson and Bill Buckingham review squash storylines from 2025 and the opening events of 2026, including Mustafa Asal's dominance, Paul Cole's second-place season, and Diego Elias's absence from the top level.
Jerry Gibson interviews former world number one and world champion Gregory Gaultier about coaching Noor El-Sherbini, who recently won the Hong Kong Open against Hanya El-Hammami and Olivia Weaver.
Jerry Gibson’s Episode 382 reviews the first half of the 2025–26 PSA season, with Mustafa Asal dominating the men’s side and Noriel Sherbini winning major points through her backhand-corner play.
The host previews the squash world championship finals, discussing key players and matches.
Host Jerry Gibson interviews BG Lemon, part of the ownership group of the expansion Philadelphia Lightning team in the National Squash League.
Jerry Gibson interviews Miles Jenkins, coach of world number five Joel Macon, discussing Joel's recent Pittsburgh Open win and his rise in the rankings.
Jerry Gibson interviews Canadian squash player Nicole Bunyan about her season, world teams performance, Pan Am gold, and the recent Tournament of Champions.
Host Jerry Gibson welcomes listeners to episode 347, recaps recent episodes, and previews the Tournament of Champions.