Saurav Ghosal Retires from Professional Squash

India’s most successful male squash player, Saurav Ghosal, has announced his retirement from professional squash. In an Instagram post on 22 April 2024, Saurav Ghosal announced his retirement. It brings an end to a 21-year-old successful career in professional squash.

Achievements of Saurav Ghosal at the PSA circuit 

• The Professional Squash Association (PSA), just like the ATP for men’s tennis players or BWF for professional badminton players, is a circuit for professional squash players. 
• Saurav Ghosal has won several Professional Squash Association (PSA) titles on the PSA professional tour. 
• Saurav Ghosal started his professional career in squash in 2003. He has won 10 Professional Squash Association (PSA) titles and has reached the finals of the 18 PSA tournaments.
• Saurav Ghosal won his last PSA title in 2021, when he won the Malaysian Open Squash Championships, defeating Colombian Miguel Rodriguez in the final.
• His last PSA tournament was the 2024 Windy City Open, where he lost to Timothy Brownell.

Highest-ranked Indian Squash Player 

• Saurav Ghosal was the first Indian player to be ranked junior World No. 1 in 2004. 
• He is the only squash player from India to reach the world’s top 10 in the senior men’s singles.
• He was ranked world no.10 in April 2019 and remained there for six months.  

National Champion and Asian Games Medals winner 

• Saurav Ghosal has been the National champion 13 times. He has won a total of nine medals at the Asian Games.
• He won the first-ever squash medal for India in the Asian Games by winning a bronze medal at the  2006 Doha Asian Games.
• He won the silver medal in the singles at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
• Saurav Ghosal, along with Mahesh Mangaonkar, Harinder Pal Sandhu, and Kush Kumar, won the first-ever gold medal for India in the squash team event at the Incheon Asian Games.
• He also led the Indian men’s team to a gold medal in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. 

Medal win at Commonwealth Games and other Events 

• Saurav Ghosal is the only Indian to win a single medal at the Commonwealth Games. He won the bronze medal at the 2022 Birmingham Games.
• He, partnering with Dipika Pallikal, won mixed doubles silver at the 2018 Gold Coast Games and bronze at the 2022 Birmingham Games.
• Saurav and Dipika are the first Indian pair to win a gold medal at the mixed doubles event of the World Doubles Championships 2022 held in Glasgow.
• Ghosal also has an individual Asian Championships gold to his name.

First squash player to be Awarded Arjuna Award 

In 2007, Saurav Ghosal became the first ever squash player to be awarded country’s second highest sport award ,Arjuna Award.