Saurav Ghosal retires from professional squash, hopes to continue playing for India

India’s Saurav Ghosal, a former world No. 10 player, announced his retirement from professional squash on Monday.

The 37-year-old Ghosal brings to an end a successful professional career that saw him win 10 PSA titles and multiple Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medals. He is the only Indian squash player to reach the world’s top 10 in the men’s rankings, breaking into that career-high rank in April 2019 and spending six months there.

“I started my journey on the PSA World Tour 22 years ago. At the time, I never thought in my wildest dreams, I would play professional squash for so long,” said Ghosal on social media.

“I am overwhelmed with emotions as I write this message. This sport has been my passion, my livelihood, and my identity for so many years. So, with a heart filled with pride and a tinge of sadness, I announce my retirement from the PSA,” he added.

Saurav Ghosal made his PSA debut in 2003. Over the course of his career, he has won 10 PSA titles and has managed to reach 18 finals. He has also won 281 of his 511 matches on the PSA Tour.

Ghosal secured his final PSA title at the Malaysian Open Squash Championships in November 2021. He defeated Miguel Rodriguez of Colombia in the final to conquer his joint-biggest PSA crown.

He made his final appearance on the PSA Tour at the 2024 Windy City Open where he suffered a defeat at the hands of USA’s Timothy Brownell in the round of 64.

The PSA World Tour is a professional circuit for men's and women's squash players, much like the ATP and WTA in tennis and BWF in badminton.

Away from the PSA World Tour, Saurav Ghosal has also been prolific for India. He has won medals in five different Asian Games editions, including winning the team event gold in Hangzhou 2022 and Incheon 2014.

Ghosal, however, hopes to continue playing for India. “Finally, I hope this is not me saying goodbye altogether from competitive squash. I would like to play for India a little while longer. Hopefully, there’s some fight left in me and I can achieve a bit more for my country,” wrote Ghosal.

He has also secured a World Doubles Championships gold medal after partnering compatriot Dipika Pallikal Karthik in the mixed event at the 2022 Glasgow competition.

Ghosal and Pallikal also won a silver medal in mixed doubles at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The former world No. 10 also became the first man from India to earn an individual Commonwealth Games squash medal after winning bronze in Birmingham in 2022.

He has also enjoyed a stellar career on the domestic circuit and holds the record with 13 national titles to his name.