"It's a lot of pressure but it's good pressure" - Abhay Singh on biggest compliment of 'next Saurav Ghosal' in squash
Dynamic Indian squash player Abhay Singh identifies his personality as a soft guy, not the one of a hot-headed ordinarily seen on the squash court. He doesn't shy away from showing his emotions something that he links to his 'Punjabi blood'.
When it comes to compassion, Abhay stands at the top among his contemporaries. A heartfelt message ensued for his Pakistan opponent Noor Zaman after an enthralling 3-2 win in the decider to help India bag men's team gold at the Asian Games.
When Abhay asked Noor to keep his head up after the triumph, it wasn't sportsmanship; perhaps that state of mind that said 'I've been in your shoes'.
It wasn't long back when Abhay decided to quit the sport in 2021 because of a lack of clarity about his game. A whirlwind PSA season for 2022-23 followed for the youngster, where he bagged five titles to win the PSA Challenger Tour Male Player of the Year.
Coming back to his dramatic game against Noor, Abhay hogged the spotlight simply with his determination to not drop points. He was zestful even when his back was against the wall with Noor having two match points in his bag.
That never-say-die attitude from Abhay signified that Indian squash had found a successor for its poster boy Saurav Ghosal, who is at the twilight of his career at the age of 37 at present.
"I think my biggest compliment I could have got from the game is when people come saying you know he is the next Saurav. He will take India’s squash forward," Abhay told Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview.
"I think that is a very nice conversation to be part of. It's an honor to be spoken of in the same conversation as Saurav is. I don't have to sit and talk about what he's achieved and what he's done. That is all very clear out there in the squash world," he added.
No matter how much Abhay's resemblance to Saurav's game will be talked about, the 25-year-old has a knack for carving his own path in the face of glory. He admitted that the pressure intrinsically falls the moment comparisons are drawn.
"I feel that it is important to let every athlete take their own journey, rather than always being compared to someone above. And it's a lot of pressure for us athletes when you guys talk about: 'Oh we need to do it like how Saurav has done and we need to fill the boots he's filled'. You know, and stuff like that. It's a lot of pressure but it's good pressure," Abhay revealed on being touted as the next big thing in Indian squash.
"It's not the pressure that we crumble under. It's sort of, it's very motivating and you know, hopefully, one of us can. Indian squash needs it, even in the girls. I think with Joshna now slowly graduating out of the sport, having Anahat come in and bring that sort of calm composed," he added.
"I will be there as India's No.1" - Abhay Singh on Olympics dream
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) inducted squash among five additional sports for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. This was a long-due recognition for the racquet sport.
Abhay will have his eyes set on the quadrennial event with a major focus on his fitness. He is confident of going into the event as India's No.1 and has already onboarded a new coach and trainer to meet the standards of high performance with intense training.
"I will be there. I think the squash is going to be there if my body is fit. Obviously, we as athletes sometimes don't have control over it. Injuries are a part of life and touch wood, there's none of that in the picture," he continued.
Abhay will focus on the Asian and World Team Championships for this year, where squash won't be in the scheme of the Paris Olympics.