Greg Lobban savours the moment after world top 20 breakthrough
Greg Lobban’s breakthrough to the top 20 in the world squash rankings was an achievement ten years in the making.
Having now hit a milestone which had eluded him for close to a decade, he has learned from experience how important it is to enjoy moments like these.
Greg said: “When I reached the top 50, the next milestone was to get into the top 20.
“That was something that I thought was going to be achievable, but at the same time it was a little bit out of reach, and I knew it was going to be a real challenge to get there.”
“I’m getting a bit older obviously, and I know that the highs can be short lived – but nobody will be able to take away from me that I was a top 20 player – so it’s something I’ll always remember fondly.”
The 31-year-old is the first Scottish player in 15 years to break into the top 20 in the world rankings, after reaching 19th place when the rankings were released on Monday this week.
The last Scot to reach the top 20 was John White, who was ranked 15th in 2008.
Greg’s victory against seventh seed Victor Crouin in Qatar last week helped him secure a first ever quarter final in a PSA Platinum event.
That result – and the subsequent ranking points boost – will ease some pressure and allow Greg to stay fully focused on putting on great performances on court for the rest of this season.
Greg in action at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last summer
It came at a cost, though, as the squash ace was scheduled to start a new chapter in his life as a student at Heriot-Watt University last week.
Greg laughed: “I wasn’t able to attend the first week of classes because I won a few more matches than I might have expected to last week.
“I’m still fully committed to being a full-time athlete, and hopefully studying at university will be a nice distraction from squash while helping me to better myself and become more knowledgeable.”
As he continues to hit new heights in his career, he is keen to give thanks to those that have played a part in his development.
Greg reflected: “I’m really thankful to everyone that has helped me, from my first coach in Inverness to everyone that has helped me since.
“Paul Bell (Scottish Squash Elite Performance Coach) has done a great job in creating a great coaching environment – and I think moving back to Edinburgh and feeling comfortable with my surroundings has really helped me improve.”
