Australian coach Rodney Martin’s advice has been the singular reason for Abdulla Al Tamimi’s rise during the ongoing PSA World Championship and turning him from an average player to a giant killer.
The Qatari World No.47, who gave a scare to second seed Tarek Momen in the third round clash before going down to last year’s World Championship runner-up in five games on Monday, had been struggling with his form for the last few months.
Concerned with his inconsistent show and lack of results, Tamimi turned to Martin, a former World Open winner and three-time British Open runner-up for advise.
Tamimi, who was into playing an open and aggressive game, was advised to change his approach to the game by the Australian.
Qatar’s Abdulla Al Tamimi reacts during the PSA World Championship in Doha. (source: Peninsula Qatar)
“I always believed I can take on the top guys but I could not make it happen because I’ve always tried to be too aggressive,” said the Qatari.
“Lately I’ve been working with Rodney Martin and in the US and we found a solution. If I play more simple squash the wins gonna come more and more and that’s what’s been happening lately,” he added.
And the new approach has given him confidence and got him results especially during the World Championships.
Al Tamimi emerged as one of the surprise packages of the tournament, beating French duo Gregoire Marche and Mathieu Castagnet. He defeated the World No. 14 in the first round and followed it by beating World No.28 Castagnet in the second round.
“I’m really enjoying playing this way and hopefully it gives me a big push for the season,” he added.
After his win on Monday, Momen said Tamimi is set for a big push in the coming months. He also said that Tamimi doesn’t have to wait for the next season but in the ongoing season he will be the one player to watch out for.
“This is only the beginning of the season and I think he can actually do well this season, he doesn’t have to wait until next season, and he’s already doing really well,” said Momen while talking to journalists.
Momen, who also won a five-game tussle with Tamimi at the US Open last month, said the Qatari player had made rapid strides in his game play.
“He’s improved a lot and I think if he keeps playing like that he can do really well this season,” added the Egyptian.
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old, who reached a career high of 34 in 2018 during which period he won the Malaysian Open, is expected to move a few notches up on the ranking calendar at the end of the month following his splendid show in the ongoing championship.
According to current estimates of PSA ranking criteria he is expected to move among the top 30 depending on his performance in the upcoming Channel Vas Championship which will be held from November 19 to 24 in the USA.
Meanwhile, legendary Geoff Hunt, a former World Champion turned coach, who has played a key role in shaping the Qatari’s career, is set to leave Qatar and return back to Australia.
“Unfortunately Geoff has to go. We have been together for almost 14 years and I have to say without him I wouldn’t be playing squash. When I was 16-17 I was 99% sure I wanted to quit squash and play football but he believed I could get to the top one day. It was the biggest decision of my life,” Tamimi said while talking to journalists after losing his third round clash.
“I wanted to make this one to remember for him and I am a bit disappointed I could not give him that, but I hope he is happy with the way I am playing at the moment. We will for sure be in touch because our relationship is more than a coach and a player, he is like my dad he means so much to me. I feel like he is part of the family, so it’s really good,” he added.
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