New Zealand squash player Paul Coll has admitted to struggling with the mental side of his game ahead of his defence of his British Open title in Birmingham which starts next Tuesday.
Coll, the former world No.1 and current No.4 who won a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the sport in the same city last year, said a recent victory in the Canary Wharf Classic PSA tournament in London had given him a huge lift after a second-round exit in a tournament in Egypt a fortnight earlier.
“It was huge... to be honest I was struggling to find my game coming off my world No.1 and Commonwealth Games last year.
“Myself personally, I wasn't feeling my game on court, I was struggling with confidence.
“I had to put work in on the mental side of it that week before the Canary Wharf Classic so to get the win it was nice in terms of reassuring me how I want to play squash, and gives me confidence going forward into the British Open.
“I felt like myself on court again, so it was a nice bounce back and it gave me a lot of confidence with how I play squad cause like I said I was struggling for a few months.”
Coll said he had spoken to his mental skills coach and squash coach and had also contacted former All Black Israel Dagg and world-class shotputter Tom Walsh about a strategy to improve his confidence.
“I spoke to people who've been at the top before from other sports and get their thoughts on how they dealt with pressure and stuff... cause it was a whole new pressure for me being at the top, being No.1 wasn't something I’d had before... I achieved three of my biggest career goals in a short time… so … I had to work it out and deal with it.
“I almost wasn't expecting to win [the Canary Wharf Classic]. I was using it to prepare for the British Open and find my squash again."
Coll said his team’s analysis had led him to believe he was playing “too many shots... I was trying to add a lot to my game all at once and I don’t think it was helping what my strengths are – my physicality, not making mistakes.
“I was letting people off too easy so I’m going back to my basic game - really good accuracy, no mistakes, counter punching, and that's where I feel comfortable.”
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