Englishman Curtis loves battling inside four walls

Had he taken a different path, he may not have had the privilege of wearing the royal red of England in a World Championship event. “Squash is something I have been playing since age five. I have also had a crack at cricket, football, rugby, tennis and badminton. But, I don’t think there is a more skilful sport because of the sheer physicality and technique involved. Hence, I fell back to it and took it up seriously,” said Curtis, whose twitter handle’s bio reads ‘I battle inside four walls’. 

While it was his dad Kamran Malik who sowed the seeds when he was barely six years old, Curtis, who has a Pakistani connection, is reaping the benefits now. “I enjoyed it so much more than the others. This is one sport where you can trick your opponent,” added the 18-year-old.  

The Surrey-born lad knocked off Dillon Huang before breezing past German Maximillian Baum in the second round of the World Junior Squash Championship here. Speaking about his target for the ongoing tournament, the Sussex-based player asserted, “I am placed the highest among the players who are seeded between nine and 16. Just play well in the Round-of-16 and let’s see how it pans out from there.”  

The mere mention of the words ‘Football World Cup’ was enough for some disappointment to creep into him. 

The England national team finished fourth after it suffered a 0-2 loss to Belgium in the playoff match. “Of course, I did follow it (World Cup). I would have loved to see them (England) play the final of the WC,” remarked Curtis, who supports the London-based club Arsenal in the Premier League.  

Curtis also stated that he looks up to clay court legend Rafael Nadal for inspiration during his tough days at the office. “He is just phenomenal. He keeps coming back from injuries and to win Grand Slams at this age and regain the number one spot is just amazing,” he expressed his admiration for the Spanish star.  About his time away from the squash courts, he said, “I have a big family. I hang out with them and my friends.”