Fram Gommendy reports:
Back in May 2024, Santa Barbara School of Squash Executive Director Robert Graham decided to start a FB page. And “Squash for Good“ was born.

I am a member. It’s not a big group, but I like the tone and respectful atmosphere of the discussions. Discover ‘Meet The Pro’

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Time for another guest in the Meet A Pro series…Sami Elopuro.

Sami was playing at the same time as me and I remember him being ridiculously fit, twice as hard to beat in Finland as in any other country, and a gentleman on the court. Thanks for being a guest, Sami!

1. What years did you compete professionally and what was your highest ranking?

I started playing on the tour in 1986 and stopped playing professionally in 1996.

2. Top highlight of your career?

Difficult to name one highlight but being number 6 in the world ranking list and highest ranked European player at the same time must be one of those.

There was a 3-4 year period between 1991 and 1995 where I reached quarterfinals or better in most big tournaments around the world. I also played twice in major tour finals – I remember in one of them I lost in the final against Brett Martin.

3. Favorite tournament(s) you played in and why?

One of my favourite tournaments was always the British Open. I loved the courts at Lambs Club in London and the venue at Wembley was really nice. The World Open in South Africa was also something that I will never forget. The hospitality and enthusiasm around squash was great to experience. Definitely a place to go again one day.

4. Favorite memory(ies) from the tour?

Soooo many nice memories that would be hard to pick one or two, but maybe Adrian’s and Mark’s pranks with their pipe … (Davies and Maclean)

5. Who was the toughest opponent of your career and why?

Toughest opponent for me was Jansher (Khan). My game was moving the ball around the court with decent pace without mistakes. It worked against most players but he was able to play that game just way better … frustrating.

6. Where are you from originally?

I am originally from Hyvinkää (Finland). It is a small town about 60 km north of Helsinki.

7. Age when you first started playing and what/who got you into it?

I started playing squash at the age of 13 which is pretty late but I had a good background of different sports. My mom and dad used to play as a hobby and that is how I was introduced to it.

8. Where do you live now and what are you doing?

Currently I live in Espoo with my family (3 kids and a dog) and I am working as a Country Manager in an American IT company called Ingram Micro.

9. Do you still play?

I don’t play any more due to bad knees + some other issues but I do coach some juniors and just lately I joined a team who will start raising funds for juniors around Finland.

10. A former or current player you admire that might surprise people?

Difficult to name one since many players have different skills to admire but maybe I’ll pick Paul Coll. I admire his dedication to our sport. Coming from a small country and developing new skills every year on top of his great physics makes him a great role model to everyone. When I was still a junior I used to look up to many Swedish players and especially Jan Ulf Söderberg whose speed and fitness around the court was really impressive.

11. A coach of any era you admire and why?

I met lot of good coaches during my career like Rahmat Khan, and Keith Griffiths, but for me it has to be Hannu (Mäkinen) who was my coach throughout my career.

He taught me to focus on the most important things at the time and he was also confident enough to ask for help from different sources when we needed advice. We got help from track & field coaches, boxing coaches, weight lifting coaches and many others.

I also need to mention that we had a nice group of hard training people who were pushing each other to get better every day.

12. Advice to an up-and-coming Pro?

There is no time to fool around. Being a Squash Professional is a real full day job without compromising. You can learn almost everything by putting enough hours and focus into it.

13. Thoughts on financing a professional career in squash?

Working with sponsors is part of being a professional athlete. Not many people are in a position where new sponsors are calling you and asking for a partnership. I would ask myself how many hours per week I had spent on finding the right people/companies who could partner up with me. It is part of the discipline or routine that you need to have in your toolbox.

14. Thoughts on the future of squash and its Olympics inclusion?

The Future of Squash is looking very promising now that we are part of the Olympic family. You can already see new countries entering the squash scene with junior programs and organizing tournaments with nice prize money. We just need to keep the momentum going.

15. Best general squash advice to anyone?