BOZZA’S BACK…
 The
Australian is back… At 27, the former world number 4, having recovered
from a nasty back injury, is back on the International scene, and is
playing in the first round of the tournament against Sheffield wonderboy
Nick Matthew.
But win or lose today, the Australian has already won. He succeeded to
qualify after a superb match against pal Davide Bianchetti.
I caught up with him, and I discovered a calm, intelligent, measured young
man, and cute… Seduced? You bet your SquashSite shirt I was…
When did it all start?
 I
started playing squash at the age of 8 in Canberra. I had started tennis
at 6, but one day, my mum saw an advert for some junior squash training in
a community centre near our home. So for a year, I went once a week, but
from the following year, I’ve been playing squash every day of my life…
Were you a very gifted as a kid?
I was not really brilliant as a junior… I guess I started to get
noticeable around the age of 16, I was World Junior runner-up in 1996, but
no, I can’t say that I made my mark on the Junior circuit. I was not
naturally fast or strong, and it’s only when I was 17, and when I joined
the AIS to train with Geoff Hunt and Rodney Martin that I had some input
about what my weaknesses were.
And what were those weaknesses?
You could say that I had a strong basic game, I had some good straight
shots, but volleying, attacking, movement, fitness, all that needed to be
worked on.
You seem to have a bit of a deliberate racquet movement…
Yes, that’s one of the things I really worked on for years and years,
well, since I arrive in the AIS really, I had to improve it to increase my
efficiency, it’s one of the areas that needs constant improvement…
 Let
talk about the back trouble…
My last tournament was two years ago, the Masters in Qatar. After that, I
went home to try to find out what was wrong with my back. I had it all,
x-rays, scan, MRI, nobody was able to find out what the problem was for
about a year. I was getting more and more frustrated, more and more
worried.
And then?
Then I had the immense chance to work with a physio based in Adelaide,
Steve Saunders, with whom I spent a lot of time, and who was able, not
only to isolate the cause, but to analyse the way to overcome the pain, as
he believed it was all a question of imbalance in my way of training, in
my muscle structure. And it worked. In three months, I was getting back to
normal.
 Then,
you had to get back into shape…
I started with Pilates, and practicing on the court on my own. Then I used
the gym a lot, and did a lot of specific exercises, adding a few squash
games, and from there, started to build on my fitness.
Is your back a constant worry now?
Well, it feels like now, I know what to do to prevent it to ever come
back, but I guess I’m first of all more careful about my training. I don’t
think about my back while playing squash in a match, but it made me more
aware while I’m training, to start with. Also, it made me realise that we
are not invincible, that things like that may happen, and may happen
again… I guess I enjoy my life more now…
So, now what…
 I’m
not kidding myself, I know I’m not playing remotely at the standard I used
to play when I stopped, and I’m fully aware of the amount of hard work
that will be involved if I want to get back to where I used to be.
But on the other hand, when I look at how bad things were about a year
ago, when I didn’t know if I was going to ever touch a racquet again, I
feel pretty good!
What are your ambitions for this event?
For this one, I just wanted to qualify really. It’s unfortunate I had to
play against Davide to get there, but I’m just happy to be in the main
draw… I was aching a bit after my match, but I was lucky enough to have a
day’s rest…
So, your ambition, to be back to
the top?
My first goal is to get back to my level. By the end of the year I hope to
be back to where I was. I'll just try to play as many big tournament as I
can, and as many top ten players as I can.
Is your age a worrying factor?
In a manner of speaking yes. I’m 27, I had two years cut out of my prime
in playing time, but I feel that I have another 4 or 5 years of decent
squash in me. I didn’t have any surgery, any damaging operation, I can
hold up for that. And I feel that I haven’t reached my maximum physical
potential yet…
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