"Loss stokes world ambition"

Published: 06 Jan 2006 - 07:27 by Viper

Updated: 06 Jan 2006 - 07:27

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"Australia's leading player aims for the top ranking by the Commonwealth Games, Samantha Lane writes.

"Apparently, and I hope this is true for me, you're supposed to peak at about age 28 in squash," Australia's top male player and world No. 3 Anthony Ricketts says.

If his words are true, then there is plenty of improvement in the 26-year-old yet. Ricketts recently missed his first chance to claim the No. 1 ranking, but has several opportunities to become the fourth Australian man to do that before the Melbourne Commonwealth Games begin.

After winning the British Open in November, his seventh major title and his career high-point, Ricketts was downed by Canadian Jonathon Power in the final of the Saudi International just before Christmas. It was also a battle for the chief male ranking. "I guess you go into the match knowing there's a lot on the line, and you're concentrating a lot differently knowing that if I get this, I'm No. 1," Ricketts said from Sydney, where he has been enjoying some downtime following a series of tournaments that took him from Boston to Qatar.

"I didn't feel like I deserved to be No. 1 in the world after that match.

"I've got lots of opportunities in the next few months to get that ranking, and I think having been in that position before will just make me a lot more relaxed … so I look forward to that match again."

The Australian Open, which starts this Tuesday at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on the courts constructed for the Commonwealth Games, is not a professional tournament, so will not alter world rankings.

But Chicago's Windy City Open, from January 19-24, and a couple of other major tournaments before March will count towards world rankings, meaning that Ricketts may yet win the top-dog tag before returning home again.

"As a squash player, you want to finish your career, I guess, having been No. 1 in the world, winning the world championships and winning the British Open … so I've only got one of three!" he said.

Ricketts, the 2000 Australian Open men's champion, will use this year's national titles meeting as a warm-up of sorts.

Apart from world No. 4 Natalie Grinham, all of Australia's best squash players — five men and three women are ranked in their respective world top 30s — will be taking part. "The idea would be to kind of use the Australian Open to get myself back on track and then obviously my real focus would be Chicago the week after and that opportunity to get to No. 1," Ricketts said.

Squash was introduced to the Commonwealth Games in 1998 at Kuala Lumpur. Ricketts, whose mother once managed a Sydney squash centre, won the silver medal playing men's doubles with Stewart Boswell in 2002 at Manchester.

This time around, now as Australia's best-ranked male in singles, he'll be challenging compatriot and former world No. 1 David Palmer, a strong list of Englishmen, as well as Power.

"I wouldn't say we're guaranteed medals, but I think we'll be very disappointed if we don't walk away with at least one gold somewhere," Ricketts said of the national squash team.

The Australian team of 10 — five men and five women — will be selected following this week's competition."

http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/loss-stokes-world-ambition/2005/12/31/1135915726090.html