Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan, HI,born 10 December 1963 in Karachi, Pakistanis a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered to be the greatest player in the history of squash. Jahangir Khan is originally from Neway Kelay Payan, Peshawar. During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times. From 1981 to 1986, he was unbeaten in competitive play. During that time he won 555 matches consecutively, the longest winning...
NationalityPakistani
ProfessionAthlete
Date of Birth10 December 1963
CountryPakistan
Every winning streak will have to end sometime.
We shouldn't be thinking about individuals or departments. We should be thinking about national interest. Lifting the standard of Pakistan squash is like working towards national interest.
There is a tremendous amount of pressure when you are a world No. 1 with everyone behind you trying to knock you down. But I always believe you should be enjoying the pressure at the top. It is a case of being able to relax and keep playing the game that got you there in the first place.
Pakistan is rich in sporting talent, but the only thing needed is to have sincere and honest administrators who should be held accountable by the government. Pakistan should be recognised as a sporting nation and not as a terrorist country.
Squash was my livelihood and as in business, I had to stay on top.
Squash is my passion, and it is in my blood.
I enjoyed my 15 years at the top, and now I enjoy watching the current crop. What I did, maybe they can't do, and what they do, perhaps I couldn't do. It's like that. I wanted to simply be the best. On a professional level, I wanted to be No. 1, and I worked hard to be that.
I was very keen on squash. My father used to go to sleep in the afternoon. Normally, in Pakistan, everybody goes to sleep in the afternoon, because it's really hot. I'd go and play without telling anybody.
When I play in a tournament, sometimes I'm feeling tired and don't want to play in the tournament. I don't want to lose.
That was one of my bad days and that was the day Ross chose to play his best. It was a little disappointing, but I got over it eventually.
I began playing in the senior circuit when I was 15 and won the world senior amateur title the same year.
However, there is no assurance that we can produce world class players so soon. Only time can tell.
To be the best, I had to work harder than everyone else.
I wanted to start a proper academy and recruit juniors from all over Pakistan following my retirement after the World Open in 1993 but there was no support.