'It is all about experience': Asian Games-bound India squash star Suraj Chand eyes home gold in FISU 2026

India is currently hosting the FISU Squash Championship 2026 at Somaiya Vidyavihar University in Mumbai where university students from across the globe are participating. India are the bronze medal winners of the last edition and are led by Suraj Chand, who is in the quarterfinal of the singles event at FISU and has qualified for the India squad that will go to Asian Games in September-October in Japan later this year. WION recently spoke with Suraj about his journey in squash, his training, goals for FISU as well as the Asian Games.

Could you walk us through your journey in squash so far?

I started playing squash like when I was 11 or 12 years old at Jindal Squash Academy under Lakshman Joshi, our coach. I used to play for fun and after playing for 2-3 years, the first tournament I played, I still remember, I lost in the first round. I went back and I was crying losing the first round. What kept me motivated was travelling to different place for the tournaments and after getting into higher categories, I started winning medals as well. So the motivation continues the turning point came during COVID years when I first time wore the Indian jersey and played for India at the Asian Championships. It really motivated me, this pressure of wearing Indian jersey which, at the same time was really proud moment for me. I kept on playing and went on to represent India at the World University in 2024 South Africa where we got two medals - one was team event bronze and second was my individual bronze medal.

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How physically demanding this sport is?

A lot. If you see at the world top 50 players, the level of fitness they have, the European players, they are really, really fit. One has to really work on the fitness because you can't just be depending on your skills at that level. You have to be good with fitness and skills both.

For FISU, you talked about being the home team and having the pressure of winning the Gold this year. So what has been your strategy and plan?

Talking about the training part, definitely we have an edge over the other teams as we are playing on our home court as we are used to playing these courts and that's a big positive for us. We're focusing more on fitness as we might have to play longer matches as the players from European countries and other countries are really fit. I'm making my strategy by working on things on and off court, including tactical things, technical things.

Where do you think that India stands apart among the other countries which are coming into the FISU?

As compared to the other countries, we have almost same players in other countries and the same players in Indian team as well so we pretty well know the game of almost every player. I think we have a really good chance of getting a better medal from last time as our team looks strong. We have the same team, we have good bonding in the team. It's especially important to get the medal, I think, in the team event where 2 boys and 2 girls play.

You'll also be going to the Asian Games to represent India in a couple of months' time. How do you think this tournament is going to help you prepare or is there anything different that you're doing for the Asian Games as well?

I'll be playing the Asian Games in the month of September and before that, the schedule is pretty packed. I'll be playing 2-3 tournaments and 2-3 training camps, and I think that should be more than enough to prepare for Asian Games. And this tournament, the FISU World University, will definitely help me as I get international exposure. I might be playing few of the players who might represent their country at the Asian Games. I think it's a good tournament for me to get the exposure.

What chances do you see for yourself as far as the medals are concerned in the Asian Games?

I'll be playing in the men's team event and the mixed doubles event, as top 2 players play individuals and the 3rd and 4th play mixed doubles. So I think last time India got a gold medal in the men's team, and this time we have like pretty good chance of getting the gold again. And talking about the mixed doubles, I've recently started playing doubles as well, and I'll be really happy if I can get a medal in the doubles as well.

Talking about your training, how much you emphasize on the mental aspect of the training?

The mental part is more important when you are playing at such big events because every player does the training and every player pushes hard. But one thing that's different between the top player and the rest others is the mental thing that's off-court. I really have to work a lot on my mental thing, preparing myself mentally for the tournament and matches. Even after losing or winning the match, I go back and analyze my match, think about the match, and plan for the next match.

How do you maintain the composure to come back during the matches?

Earlier it used to be difficult for me, but now, playing so many tournaments, traveling, It helped me a lot to gain experience. And as I have gained the experience, I've got that thing, after playing tough matches where I just go back, look at the match, analyze, and really try to plan for next time when I play the same opponent. It's all about the experience and after playing so many matches and tournaments, I've got that experience. It's not really difficult for me now to get that mentally strong aspect.