Interview: Mahesh Mangaonkar aims to become a better squash player

Mahesh Mangaonkar was waiting for his turn to go on to the court. The occasion was the camp at the Indian Squash Academy called for the Indian team members prior to the 2017 World Doubles Championship in Manchester. The country's best talents were on view.

As his time neared, he got up to start his warm up exercises. There was a certain calmness in his ways. Smiling and friendly to his mates to the extent that laughter rings out as they huddle up. But the man himself strictly is far from collected when the topic came to squash and his journey from Mumbai.

The CCI was his temple of learning when it came to the sport. Mahesh looks a man who keeps to himself and prefers to make his own plans. With parents supporting him to the hilt, it was not difficult to indulge in his favourite pastime, that of enjoying playing squash and he gives his all for that!

“I used to take interest in swimming and badminton too in my childhood days. But squash it was finally though I am still pretty good at badminton and can play a decent game,” he quipped tongue in cheek. Still, squash remained his interest though from the look of it, he has not drawn the maximum from the sport.

“I think I need to look deeper into myself and see where I am heading. Am I doing things correctly? Is there a course correction somewhere?” are some of the thoughts that confront him now as he looks at how things have gone for him in squash.

In a way, though he did not say it in so many words, it is time for introspection and Mahesh is confident he would come out a better person and a squash player. Not that there is any chance of his leaving the sport but frustration seem to haunt him in a way.

“I know I am extremely fit, play well all the strokes in the sport and I am confident. Then why am I not progressing?” he asks, revealing a disturbed mind.

Mahesh is so concerned that not only did he switch his place of residence to Holland but is seriously thinking of taking a six-month break and analyse his involvement in squash. The 23-year old however was reticent when it came to elaborating his plans.

“At the moment I want to keep this to myself,” he said almost with a wry smile.

“I know this break would mean I will drop precious points when it came to PSA rankings,” he said but he was clear he needed this measure to ascertain what more he required to do to emerge into a player who matched his potential. For one who became a professional in 2009, Mahesh has five titles to his credit but stressing on the point, he said, “this from the 12 visits to the final”.

His last title was won in the March of 2016. Since then he was twice runner up, once to his team mate Vikram Malhotra in a Scotland tournament where the two earned a slice of history by being the first two Indians to feature in a PSA final away from India.

The Mumbai man talked highly of his coach Australian Shaun Moxham who, he said, tuned him up into a good squash player. “I am like this all because of his schedules, training and encouragement,” he said.

Much of his involvement with Moxham was in Europe and that explained Mahesh's intent on shifting from India. He was in Belgium for a while and currently resides in the Hague in Netherlands. The Australian coach though now has left Europe and settled down in America and Mahesh considers that as a big miss.

“Currently I still find staying in Holland beneficial because of the proximity to venues of major squash tournaments and in addition, I am able to be actively involved in the European league, which is quite remunerative and keeps me going,” he said. Mahesh believes this constant interaction with players in the league also helps him to be on his toes, so to say.

For the moment, this 66 ranked (his best was 44 two years ago) player is focussed on the World Doubles where he pairs Vikram Malhotra. “We get off very well. In fact I have a good healthy relationship with all,” he said.

May be post-Manchester, Mahesh will unfold his plans though one thing is clear, he wishes to be in the league of the top players. “It is my dream to be a top 10 player and remain that way till my last day as an active player,” he smiles off.