DAVID PALMER - Australia's Rising Star

DAVID PALMER, the young Australian who stunned the squash world by winning  his first British Open title earlier this year, is raring to go as the new  season approaches.

Here, in an exclusive eyesquash.com interview with Alan Thatcher, Palmer tells of the impact his victory made back home, and, incredibly,  he reveals how he had to fight the system Down Under. He insists that, instead of encouraging him, certain Australian Institute coaches deliberately undermined his progress and told him he would never  make it. Well, he certainly stuffed that argument back down their throats by winning the British and reaching a career-best ranking of three in the world. 

He is looking forward to appearing in the season's curtain-raiser, the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open, and is looking forward to more glory in the World Championships on home soil later this year. Then, maybe those Aussies who doubted his potential will wake up to his tremendous ability once and for all.

Alan Thatcher asks the Questions ...

... David Palmer Replies

Q1:
David, it's been a long time since we had an Aussie double in the British Open. What was the reaction back home?

Very exciting, I got a lot of press when I arrived home, also my family and friends were very happy for me.

Q2:
Your old coach Joe Shaw must have been especially delighted. Did you see him when you went back home?

I didn’t see him, but I still talk to him once a week. He always wanted to coach a British Open winner, so I was happy for him to get a lot of recognition for my win.

Q3:
You and Joe have had a stormy relationship with the Australian Institute of Squash. This nearly ended in a court case. How is that relationship now?

Still not 100%. I am staying out of it now, but I know Joe is still trying to prove what really went on.

Q4:
Joe told me that the institute had tried to make life difficult for you because you refused to sever your ties with him. Is it true that certain coaches at the Institute told you that you "would never make it" and that they refused to offer you the same kind of support as other players on the programme?

Yes that is true.

Q5:
Will you be playing for Australia in the World Team Championships in Melbourne later this year?

Yes I will be, I was selected in the team about 2 weeks ago. I think we have a very strong team and a great chance to win it.

Q6:
With the new World Championships also in Melbourne, you will be looking forward to competing on home soil as British Open champion and the highest-ranked Australian squash player.

Definitely, it’s the first big tournament in Australia for some time, so it will be great to play in front of my family and friends, who don’t get to see me play to often.

Q7:
Since moving your base to Belgium, and linking up with new coach Shaun Moxham, you have climbed from No.13 in the world to British Open champion in the space of a year. What do you put this down to? What are you doing that's different?

I think my training got a lot more professional and now we are planning our training months in advance. Being able to hit with Shaun everyday is probably the biggest difference.

Q8:
Please tell us a bit about Shaun, his background, how you got to know him and how you worked out plans between you.

Shaun is from Queensland Australia, he went through the institute with guys like Hilly, Eyles, Martin. His highest ranking was 30. Financially he had trouble travelling the circuit, so he started coaching, and has been coaching in Europe for about 8 years now. I met him through Joe Shaw and Peter Pastijn. I was travelling with Joe, and we were looking for a European base for me. So we have known each other for about 4 years now, became good friends and the coaching developed from there. We are very good friends off court as well, which also helps.

Q9:
Going back to the British Open, did it surprise you to see Peter Nicol (to Lee Beachill) and Jonathon Power (to Del Harris) knocked out so early? That's two years running most of the top seeds have fallen early in the Open. What do you put it down to - and do you think the new glass court has something to do with it?

I was very surprised to see Power lose because in Hurghada I thought he was playing the best I’ve every seen him. As for Peter I was expecting to play him in the semi, but Lee has been playing well all year, but overall it was a surprise. I think the new glass court has nothing to do with it, I think the pressure of winning the British Open has more to do with it.

Q10:
Your run to the final was fairly smooth (Ricketts, Boswell, Gough, Beachill). Beachill played out of his skin to beat Peter Nicol but you didn't allow him to play the same game against you. Please tell us your thoughts on that semi-final.

I was more focused on my game and I was very determined to make it into the final, since I lost in the semi’s last year. Lee has been playing well all year, and we haven’t played much before, but after his win over Peter he was probably under a lot more pressure to back it up against me. So it was important to get a good start, which I did, then I managed to play my game for most of it. I thought it was my best match all tournament.

Q11:
Chris Walker stunned everybody by coming through qualifying and then beating against Elborolossy, Evans, Beng-Hee and White to reach the final. Apart from the Green Magic, what do you put it down to?

Hard to say, he had no pressure all week, and got more confident as the week went on.

Q12:
Do you think Chris' spell away from the game helped to make him more relaxed?

I think that it’s very hard to play for as along as Chris has on the tour, so the break probably made him relax more.

Q13:
Chris opened up a 2-0 lead in the final. Were you nervous to start with?

I was trying not to, but I was in the first game.

Q14:
You were on the receiving end of a shocking "No let" decision that gave Chris the second game. What did Shaun say to you between games to get you focused again?

We were talking about playing my game, not his. I thought I started to play better towards the end of the second, but the no let definitely got me pumped up, but Shaun was still confident I could win.

Q15:
Chris had obviously "gone" and chucked the third game (15-2). Here you were in a British Open final and suddenly your opponent stops trying. Did that feel weird?

I was surprised, but I thought I did play a great game, and he really only stopped with a few points to go.

Q16:
Obviously it put you in the driving seat and apart from a spell in the fourth game there was only going to be one winner - you. What was going through your mind as you finished off the match?

My main thought was to keep the tempo high and rush him as much as I could, not to let him get the rhythm that he had at the start of the match. When I got to 8-2, I wasn’t going to let this chance slip away.

Q17:
The volley nick kill has now become something of a trademark shot. Please tell us a bit about your training and practice programmes.

I practice a lot of volleys with Shaun, and it’s become one of my favourite shots. We finish with nick practice at the end of each session.

Q18:
After winning the Open you said that the success had come a little earlier in your career than you had expected. You are now number three in the rankings, with Nicol and Power above you. What are your plans for this season and how do you set about climbing above those two?

My goals for the rest of the season are to maintain my no. 3 position, and put a lot of pressure on Jonathon and Peter at every tournament. Winning the World Open would make a nice double for the year.

Q19:
Your matches with Power, especially last year's British Open quarter-final and this year's Super Series semi-final, have become increasingly physical. Clearly you guys are having problems with referees, and each other. What's it all about?

I don’t think that I have any problems with referees, the 2 matches with Power were both rough and a bit loud, but at the end of the day they were great matches. We are both big guys and both play very fast and physical games, so sometimes we will have problems. It really depends how the referee controls the match. At the end of the day we are still friends, and I’m sure we will play more rough matches in the future.

Q20:
Sky TV loved the drama of your Super Series battle, which was broadcast live, but it clearly upset some of the purists. The World Federation have asked for several copies of your Super Series semi-final match to show senior referees around the world, and to discuss it during the World Festival in Melbourne. What do you, as a leading player, think of recent rule changes, current refereeing standards, and do you have any views on how the situation can be improved?

It’s a good idea to analyze the match from the Super Series. But unless the referees can travel to every major tournament with us, and see us play more often then its going to be tough to raise the level of refereeing, but financially this is difficult to do so.

Q21:
Finally, you and Sarah Fitz-Gerald walked off with the British Open squash titles, Pat Rafter came very close to winning at Wimbledon, you stuffed us in the rugby and cricket, so it must be a good time to be an Australian involved in sport.

Yeah, it has been a great year for Australia in Sports. I always have a great time when I get home, so I’m really looking forward to Melbourne. I’m sure the rest of the guys will have a great time as well, and hopefully they will get to watch a few Australian Rules games while they are there.