Excellent article from PSA Media Team about the Egyptian player that got injured during the Worlds in Chicago
Current World No.10 Aly Abou Eleinen was having the best season of his career so far on the PSA Squash Tour heading into the biggest event on the calendar, the PSA World Championships.
After successfully navigating through to the last 16, the Egyptian came up against former World Champion Karim Gawad for a spot in the quarter finals. Gawad had beaten Eleinen twice last year both 3-2. The younger of the two was in the form of his life however and would have seen this as a huge chance to reach the last eight of the World Championships for the first time and boost his ranking.
Eleinen led 1-0 in games but at 3-0 to Gawad in game two, the game was brought to an abrupt halt as Eleinen hit the floor. The 25-year-old was holding his knee after trying to push off to retrieve a ball in the front of the court. After trying to shake it off, it was clear that something was wrong and that he wouldn’t be able to continue.
Eleinen quickly realised that he would be sidelined for the rest of the 24/25 season but has received some positive news from medical professionals that there is no tear in the knee and surgery is not required. We caught up with the Egyptian to talk about his feelings in the moment, where he is at now and the recovery process to get back on tour.
What was your injury and how did it occur?
“It happened during my Last 16 match at the World Championships. I went to push off during a rally and my knee just gave out. I couldn’t put weight on it and I immediately knew something wasn’t right.
“The scans later showed a mild ACL sprain, bone bruising on both the femur and tibia, a small meniscus injury, and a sprain in the back part of the knee (posterior medial corner). It sounds like a lot, but honestly, I feel lucky there were no full tears and I don’t need surgery. It could have been way worse.”
What were your immediate feelings after the injury, and what did the next 24 hours look like?
“It was brutal. I was in shock, I couldn’t really process it. Then the uncertainty kicked in. Not knowing how bad it was, how long I’d be out, or what this meant moving forward.
“The flight back from Chicago was one of the longest I’ve ever had. For a second I really felt bad for myself as I was being wheeled around the airport, knee all wrapped up, and just stuck in my head the whole time replaying the injury and thinking about everything. It’s a weird mix of fear, frustration, and just not knowing.
“Once I got home and did the MRI, it was a massive relief to find out there were no tears or anything too too serious. That gave me a bit of peace and something to work from. And weirdly, after that, I felt really positive. I think because I’d already pictured the worst-case scenario, hearing it wasn’t gonna sideline me for too long gave me a spark. Having my family around me as well around has made it all so much better.”
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW
