Amr Shabana was Egypt’s first
winner of the World Open title in 2003, when he powered through
the field as ninth seed to win the event in Pakistan. Since then
he has added two more World Open titles and numerous other
tournament triumphs during an illustrious career in which he has
held down the world No.1 ranking slot for an unbroken spell of
almost three years, which emphasises just how strong he is.
 I
hope he will be in full working order after a recent injury in
the States. He will be 30 this year but he still has the hunger
to compete and train at the highest level.
We have seen a gradual evolution in his style of play, from a
very open shot maker to a clinical finisher with a very strong
basic game. I know that sounds ridiculous for such a great shot
player but he has matured into a truly majestic all-round player.
I have spoken to him about the changes in his career and he puts
it down to a fundamental change in his priorities, first of all
getting married and becoming a father, and his religious
beliefs.
Shabana recently accepted an invitation to become President of
the PSA, the governing body of the Men’s World Tour. |
FACT FILE:
Current world ranking: 2
Highest: 1
Left hander
Born: July 29, 1979 (Cairo)
Main titles: 22 PSA titles including World Open (3 times), Hong
Kong Open (4 times), Qatar Classic, Saudi International,
Tournament of Champions (New York), Bermuda Masters, Canadian
Classic, Heliopolis Open, Windy City Open (Chicago), Spanish
Open, St Louis Open, Hungarian Open.
 |
1 AMR
SHABANA (Egypt)