JAMES: 20 Questions      

James Willstrop is top seed for the event for the first time. He says he's comfortable with the pressure of being favourite, thriving on it, in fact.

We get behind the man in this Q&A session by Kimberley Tunney, taken during the Windy City Open in Chicago ...

Twenty Questions
with James Willstrop
by Kimberley Tunney

What’s your worst habit?
Being late.

What’s your routine on the day of a match?
Well, today I played Darwish. So I got up and had a breakfast, had a hit in the morning just to kind of get everything working. Got something to eat. And then watched some TV, nothing too taxing. Caught a little sleep. Went down to the court to see what’s happening with the matches. ½ hour before the match I had a warm up and had a mental preparation and got my music on. And made sure I was warm.

What music is on your Ipod?
All sorts of stuff. There’s a band called ‘The Smith’s’ I listen to a lot. Stereophonics, Coldplay, lots of English bands that I love.

What is a little known fact about you?
Probably that I play a little bit of guitar and sing.

What’s your favourite sport other than squash?
Rugby league or tennis.

What team do you follow?
I just watch and don’t follow a team.

If you didn’t play squash, what would you do for a career?
I’d be in a rock band.

What instrument would you play?
Guitar.

Who would your dream date be?
Elisha Cuthbert from “24”. (An American television show staring Kiefer Sutherland) Just the girl next door, really; would love that.

If length is so important in squash, why do the pros hit so many loose balls like club players?
Part of sport is that you’re never going to achieve brilliant length all the time because the other guy is putting you under pressure. I was sitting with a few of my non-squash friends watching squash on TV (recently) and they asked me “Why don’t to play a shot more, or why don’t you kill it?”

And it’s not quite so simple because you don’t get the chance that often. Sometimes when I go around the world and I sit with the crowd, I hear them say, “Why don’t they take the ball into the front?” And it’s true. But it’s because they are under so much pressure.

Just like in football, why don’t you put so many great passes together because the opponent is putting so much pressure under them.

How would you advise a beginner to improve their shot selection?
That’s a hard thing to teach. You can’t give them a single bit of advice on that. It’s down to practice against different situations. One of the best things I could advise is watching matches. Come watch the tournament (during) the week. Or get (pro match) videos. That’s what I used to do.

Did your dad influence your decision to play squash?
No not really. I was around the game a lot because of my dad. But to start playing the game was my choice totally.

How old were you when you started playing?
Well, that’s difficult to say. Because, you see, my mom would take me to the club when I was a baby and then I’m a little toddler at two years old and I’m flying around the club and people are putting racquets in my hand and throwing balls for me to hit. And it kind of happened like that. And because you are around squash, it kind of subconsciously got into my head. And then suddenly by six, I could hit the ball and I played in a few tournaments at seven and eight. So it’s hard to really pinpoint when I started to play.

What do you think it will take to get to World No. 1?
Hopefully, not too much more because a lot of the hard work has already been done. I’m in a good position now so to win a major event, like Qatar, where there are a lot of points on the board. If I won this one, I’d go to number one. What I need to do is win a lot more tournaments. But there’s six of us who are within a ‘shout’ in points and if any one of us win this, then they’d be in a great shot to take it from Power.

What’s your most annoying habit?
I’m not the most punctual person in the world. (Elisha, take note.)

What athlete outside of squash do you most admire?
Roger Federer. He’s an awesome athlete. I have so much respect for the way he is. Not just the play. But he’s fantastic as a person, a great ambassador for the game. And in rowing, Steve Redgrave and Mathew Pensen in England. Steve won five Olympic metals. That’s twenty years rowing at an incredible level.

Where do you live now?
Pontefract, West Yorkshire in England

Do you live with your folks or are you on your own now?
I’m on my own. All on my own.

If we visited your home right now, would it be clean or messy?
It’d be messy. Not clean. I’m not a tidy person at all. I’m quite clean, but I’m not tidy. Clothes everywhere…..(Elisha, again, take note.)

How much damage did you do to your credit card on Michigan Avenue shopping this week?
I wasn’t that bad. I actually bought an Ipod at the Apple store because mine was gone.

Thanks James ...