Would be good to have a coach with us on pro tour, says Joshna Chinappa

The Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) has come under fire of late after they had insisted that coach Cyrus Poncha was present with the Indian contingent when they travelled to Kuala Lumpur and won two Asian Championship titles.

The players had always maintained that it was their physiotherapist and colleague-turned mentor who were the only people present with them, and Chinappa didn’t change her stance when she was asked about it again. However, she further went on to explain the immediate need for a good regular coach for the team.

“Harry, as coach, and our physiotherapist were the only officials who travelled with us,” she said in an interview with HT.

“I work with my coach, Hadrian Stiff, in Bristol, England, so I keep going as often as I can to train there. Also, I train at the squash academy in Chennai. The coaches at the academy are helpful, but it would be great to have an experienced coach based here or even a part-time coach work with the juniors and seniors. I hope we can get a coach to travel with us on the pro tour as it makes a huge difference to have someone in our corner, helping us in-between games,” she added.

Squash has been one of the less popular sport in the country and Chinappa has been of the opinion that until it gets more TV time and is included into the Olympics, the sport isn’t likely to see any traction anytime soon.

“We need more TV time and better infrastructure, which is monitored by quality coaches and trainers. The development of the sport and financial support from the government and corporates would be a lot more if squash was an Olympic sport,” she added.