World's No. 2 Ali Farag Retires from Pro Squash

Egypt’s four-time World Squash Team Champion and former World No.1 Ali Farag announced his retirement from professional squash.

Farag, ranked at No.2 in the PSA World Rankings upon his retirement won World Squash Team Championships on four occasions as well as four PSA World Championship titles.

Farewell beautiful game… pic.twitter.com/L5gBgnLQp0

— Ali Farag (@AliFarag) May 28, 2025

His retirement comes five months after helping Egypt clinch a sixth World Squash Team Championship title after a dramatic battle with Mohamed ElShorbagy at Hong Kong Football Club, and two weeks after winning a silver medal at the PSA World Championships in Chicago.

Farag spent 238 weeks at World No.1 between March 2019 – March 2025 and won 46 PSA Squash Tour titles throughout his career, which puts him sixth on the all-time men’s winners list.

Since making his PSA debut in 2005, Farag played in 81 PSA finals, with a 57 % win rate, while he won 445 of his 553 matches on the PSA Squash Tour.

He is the fifth longest-serving men’s World No.1 after Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, Peter Nicol and Geoff Hunt.

Farag was a vital part of the Egypt squad that captured a historic double at the 2024 World Squash Team Championships

“I always knew this day would come and I knew it would be very emotional. And it is, but in a good way,” Farag said.

“It’s been a long time coming. Ever since Covid, really. When I’d achieved all my goals, I always thought ‘What’s next for me?’

“Squash been my passion, my identity and my purpose for as long as I can remember, but there was always another part of me, a family man. Now, I’m a husband and a father to two beautiful young girls, one about to turn four and the other born three months ago. I’ve missed so many of the milestones that I wanted to be there for: the school pickups, the late-night cuddles, the bedtime stories. All of those things that pass too quickly when you’re always chasing the next flight, the next match, the next tournament.

“I’ve always believed in balance, and I feel like the balance has shifted now. This is what I want the next chapter to be.

“I’m walking away at the perfect time. Squash is in a place it has never been and the level is higher than ever in the men’s and women’s game. Even if I’m not playing, you can count on me always being there as a fan, a supporter and someone who will always love this game.”

World Squash President Zena Wooldridge paid tribute to Farag, saying: “Ali exits the game having earned the respect and admiration of the global squash community and beyond.

“Besides being one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, it is perhaps his grace on and off court that will be most fondly remembered. World Squash, and all who love our sport, owe Ali an enormous debt of gratitude for everything he has done for squash and I wish him the very best of luck in the next chapter of his life.”