James Willstrop

James Willstrop at the2017 Men's World Team Squash Championships
Country	England
Born	(1983-08-15)15 August 1983 (age 42) North Walsham, Norfolk, England
Height	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Weight	88 kg (194 lb)
Turned pro	2002
Retired	Active
Plays	Right Handed
Coached by	David Campion
Racquet used	Unsquashable
Men's singles
Highest ranking	No. 1 (January 2012)
Current ranking	No. 170 (December 2024)
Title	21
Tour final	46
Medal record Men'ssquash Representing England World Championships 2010 Khobar Singles 2005 Hong Kong Singles 2009 Kuwait Singles 2011 Rotterdam Singles 2012 Doha Singles 2015 Bellevue Singles World Team Championships 2005 Islamabad Team 2007 Chennai Team 2013 Mulhouse Team 2011 Paderborn Team 2017 Marseille Team 2019 Washington D.C. Team 2003 Vienna Team World Doubles Championships 2022 Glasgow Doubles 2017 Manchester Doubles Commonwealth Games 2018 Gold Coast Singles 2022 Birmingham Doubles 2006 Melbourne Mixed doubles 2010 Delhi Singles 2014 Glasgow Singles 2014 Glasgow Doubles 2018 Gold Coast Doubles

James Willstrop (born 15 August 1983) is an English professionalsquash player from Yorkshire who represented theEngland men's national squash team and is a formerworld number 1.^[1]

Willstrop has a large build for a squash player, being 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm) and 194 pounds (88 kg). He trains atPontefract Squash Club in West Yorkshire, where he was trained by his father, Malcolm Willstrop.^[2]

In 2002, Willstrop claimed his third consecutive British Junior Under-19 National Championship title, to establish himself as England's most successful junior player of all time – having won National titles at all age groups (under-12, under-14, under-17, and under-19), andBritish Junior Open trophies at under-14, under-17, and under-19. In the same year, he established himself as the world's top junior player, claiming both the European and the World junior titles.^[3][4]

Willstrop became one of the youngest players to represent the senior England team, making his debut at both the European andWorld Team Squash Championships in 2003.^[5] In 2004, he won the Pakistan Open title inIslamabad (upsettingAmr Shabana in the quarter-finals) in his first appearance in aPSA Super Series final.^[6] In 2005, he finished runner-up at theBritish Open as the seventh seed, then followed this by lifting theQatar Classic trophy in only his second Super Series final appearance.^[7] This first-time success led to Willstrop a career-high World No. 2 in the PSA world rankings published that December. This made Willstrop the top-ranked Englishman, which led to his promotion to squad number one in the England team for the 2005 World Team Championships in Pakistan later in the month when he led the team to victory for the first time in eight years.^[8] He also won the bronze medal at the2005 Men's World Open Squash Championship.^[4]

In the 2006Commonwealth Games inMelbourne, Willstrop partnered withVicky Botwright to a silver medal in the mixed doubles.^[9] In 2007, Willstrop won theBritish National Squash Championships title, beatingJohn White in the final,^[10] helped England retain the2007 Men's World Team Squash Championships title inChennai, India, and won the English Open, beating fellow YorkshiremanNick Matthew in the final.^[11]

Willstrop retained his British National title in February 2008, beating fellow Pontefract playerLee Beachill in the final.^[10] He also finished runner-up at the British Open for the second time in May 2008, losing in a five-set final toDavid Palmer. Willstrop held match balls at 10–9 and 11–10 in the fifth game, but Palmer ultimately won 11–9, 11–9, 8–11, 6–11, and 13–11 (3–2).^[12]

In 2009, he reached the semi finals of the2009 Men's World Open Squash Championship and in January 2010, Willstrop won his firstTournament of Champions title in New York, defeating World Number 1Ramy Ashour in the final and dropping only one game during the tournament.^[4] In the singles final of the2010 Commonwealth Games inDelhi, Willstrop was defeated by compatriotNick Matthew 11–6, 11–7, 11–7. The match ended after 66 minutes.^[13] He also finished runner up to Nick Matthew during the final of the2010 Men's World Open Squash Championship; it was the first time in the history of the competition that it was an all English final.^[14]

In 2011, Willstrop reached the semi finals of the2011 Men's World Open Squash Championship and finished runner up with England in the2011 Men's World Team Squash Championships. He ended his 2011 season by winning 15 matches in a row en route to winning theHong Kong Open, theKuwait Open, and ThePunj Lloyd PSA Masters.^[4] With those threePSA World Series titles, Willstrop succeeded fellow EnglishmanNick Matthew as the World No. 1, in January 2012.^[3] The rivalry with Matthew continued for many years as Willstrop struggled to overcome his compatriot. Matthew regained the World Number 1 ranking and beat Willstrop in six National finals from 2010 to 2018.^[10]

In 2013, Willstrop won his third World team title, after winning the2013 Men's World Team Squash Championships in France.^[15] He won two medals at the2014 Commonwealth Games; a silver in thesingles and a bronze in thedoubles.^[16]

He continued to compete at the highest level into his thirties and won two silver medals in the2017 Men's World Team Squash Championships and the2019 Men's World Team Squash Championships.^[3] In between he won the gold medal in the singles and bronze medal in the doubles at the2018 Commonwealth Games. In the men's singles he beatPaul Coll of New Zealand in straight games, 11–9, 11–4, 11–6.^[17][16]

In 2019 and 2020, Willstrop won the British National title, beatingDaryl Selby andJoel Makin respectively in the finals.^[10] At the2022 Commonwealth Games (his fifth Games) he won the gold medal partneringDeclan James in the men's doubles.^[18] Also in 2022, Willstrop won his 13th gold medal for the England team at the2022 European Squash Team Championships.^[19][20]

Willstrop continued to play on the PSA World Tour and in 2024 he won his 23rd PSA title after securing victory in the Harrogate Open during the2024–25 PSA Squash Tour.^[21]

Willstrop is avegan.^[22]

He resides in Harrogate, Yorkshire, with his partnerVanessa Atkinson, herself a professional squash player.^[23]

Outcome	Year	Location	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2010	Al-Khobar,Saudi Arabia	Nick Matthew	7–11, 11–6, 11–2, 11–3

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2005	Anthony Ricketts	11–7, 11–9, 11–7
Runner-up	2008	David Palmer	11–9, 11–9, 8–11, 6–11, 13–11
Runner-up	2009	Nick Matthew	8–11, 11–8, 7–11, 11–3, 12–10

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2008	Ramy Ashour	11–7, 14–12, 11–9
Winner	2010	Ramy Ashour	12–10, 11–5, 9–11, 11-3
Runner-up	2012	Nick Matthew	8–11, 11–9, 11–5, 11–7

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2005	David Palmer	11–1, 11–7, 11–7
Runner-up	2011	Grégory Gaultier	11–8, 11–7, 2–11, 11–8

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2009	Nick Matthew	11–7, 11–4, 11–7

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2004	Anthony Ricketts	6–11, 11–9, 13–11, 11–3

• Friend, Tad (4 February 2013)."In the box". The Talk of the Town. The Sporting Life.The New Yorker. Vol. 88, no. 46. p. 22. Retrieved8 January 2015.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJames Willstrop.

• James Willstrop at theProfessional Squash Association (archive) (archive 2)
• James Willstrop at Squash Info
• James Willstrop atTeam England
• James Willstrop at theGold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (archived)
• James Willstrop at theCommonwealth Games Federation (archived)
• James Willstrop at theWorld Games
• Page at Squashpics.com at theWayback Machine (archived 17 November 2006)
• Official website at theWayback Machine (archived 31 December 2021)
• Birthday tribute on SquashsiteArchived 22 June 2007 at theWayback Machine

• 1983 births
• Living people
• English male squash players
• Sportspeople from North Yorkshire
• People educated at Ackworth School
• People from North Walsham
• Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England
• Commonwealth Games gold medallists in squash
• Commonwealth Games silver medallists in squash
• Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in squash
• Squash players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
• Squash players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
• Squash players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
• Squash players at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
• World Games silver medalists for Great Britain
• World Games bronze medalists for Great Britain
• Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England
• Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England
• Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
• Medallists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
• Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
• Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
• Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
• Medalists at the 2005 World Games
• Medalists at the 2009 World Games
• 21st-century English sportsmen

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