Gaultier Hungry On Eve of PSA Men's Worlds by Nathan Clarke November 11, 2014
- French World No.2 Gregory Gaultier, the four-time World Championship
runner-up, says he is preparing harder than ever before to end his
Championship hoodoo ahead of the 2014 Qatar PSA World Championship
which gets underway in Doha on Friday November 14.
Gaultier, who held the World No.1 ranking for eights months in 2014,
lost an agonising final against Nick Matthew in England last year and
he's hoping that a change in approach to the competition will pay
dividends when the world's top players converge in the heat of the
Middle East.
"I am really looking forward to the tournament," said Gaultier. "My
training has been going well recently and I am trying to peak for the
event.
"I chose to play less tournaments during the last few months compared
to how many I played at the same time last year and that was all so
that I can go into the World Championship as fresh as possible.
"I have a lost a few World Championship finals in the past but that
gives me extra motivation to try and get that trophy in my hands
because winning the Worlds would be a dream come true."
Gaultier lost his World No.1 ranking to Egyptian Mohamed Elshorbagy,
who won the 2013 Qatar Classic in Doha, in the November rankings but
despite losing to the Bristol-based 23-year-old in consecutive PSA
World Series tournaments, in Hong Kong and Philadelphia, Gaultier says
his focus is not on the younger man.
"Mohamed is in good form and he is maybe the man to beat but there are
other players who will be going there who will be very dangerous," he
said.
"There will be a lot of players who have prepared specifically for that
event and while the crowd might favour and encourage the Egyptians more
than the other players in Doha, I remember when I won there a few
years ago the public were on my side as well so I'm looking forward to
the challenge."
The 2014 Qatar PSA World Championship takes place at the Khalifa Tennis
and Squash Complex, Doha, Qatar from Friday November 14 - Friday
November 21 with the main draw action to be shown live on SquashTV:
www.psasquashtv.com
