As the final Platinum event of the 2023/24 PSA World Tour season draws nearer, we spoke to British No.2 Joel Makin ahead of the event as he is determined to finish the season strongly despite his injury issues.
The Welshman recently claimed his first title of the season at the Manchester Open but hasn’t been able to perform at his best until last week due to ongoing injury issues. The Birmingham-based player has featured in only 12 events but has still managed to maintain his position inside the top 10, highlighting his quality and consistency.
Makin is relishing another British Open on his doorstep and told us that the win by Wales’ Head Coach David Evans was massive for him and adds to the importance of the British Open.
“I never went to the British as a junior but I know how huge it is in the sport,” said Makin.
“There’s so much history there and for me, David Evans winning was so big in Wales and that was really important and it’s obviously a huge event in the calendar.
“The first one has to be the World Championships, then after that it’s the British Open for me. Some of the names on the trophy are legendary, the likes of Jonah Barrington and Geoff Hunt and with the matches being played over at Edgbaston Priory, where the tournament was initially, there’s a nice bit of history there too.”
Makin has been living and training in Birmingham for several years now and will be hoping that the home advantage can work in his favour.
“I hope so. It didn’t go too well last year but I’m hoping for a god run of form. It’s not been my best year so far for numerous reasons but I’m hoping to put a god run together and there’s no reason why I can’t get stuck in.
“I’m hoping to get a few friends and family down to support me this year and hopefully that can give me an advantage. I’ve had a good few matches with Tarek [Momen] over the years, some long ones that have gone both of our ways. It’d be a good one to win and hopefully I can get over the line to make the third round for the first time.”
Many would be shocked to learn that in the 6 years that Makin has played in the British Open, he is yet to make it past the second round. The Welshman has faced former champions such as Paul Coll and Mohamed Elshorbagy early on but understands that these things are sometimes unavoidable due to the strength of the tour.
“They’re all good opportunities because if I could have won any of those tough second round matches then the draw would have opened up for me. The standout thing is the depth for me, there.so any guys capable of beating eachother. There are more upsets happening for the top 10 players than I’ve seen for years. I’ve got a lot of respect for the depth of the tour now.
“People are fatigued coming into this tournament as the last Platinum event of the season and I think it’s wide open this year, anyone can take it. I think there’ll definitely be a few upsets taking place in the early rounds.”
Makin has been a constant in the world’s top 12 for many years now but insists that despite his ranking, he is still chasing the top players and major titles.
“I feel like I’ve been constantly in the top 10 for a few years now but I’m always trying to attack the top players and win major events. What am I doing this for if not to compete at the very top and be in the mix for major titles. It’s always been a goal of mine to win a Platinum event and that’s what I train so hard for.”
This season has been a staggered one for the British No.2 due to ongoing injury setbacks. The British Open will be only the fourth Platinum event that he has played in the 23/24 campaign but insists that everyone is carrying injures but he’s just determined to try and finish strongly.
“I’ve been doing hard work for 10 years as a pro now and I’ve been lucky that my body’s held up really well. I’ve had niggles and I’ve had wear and tear issues but for the last nine years, I had pretty much no issues. Then I had a slight issue in my hamstring and then one thing added to the next, which into the next thing. I also rolled my ankle a day before going to Hong Kong so when you’re dealing with other issues and then something freak happened like that and then it sets you back again.
“Everyone’s dealing with issues. I mean if you spoke to all the top ten and they all went through their issues honestly, I think you’d be amazed at how many people are carrying things and protecting things at different parts during the season or their careers so this is just a weird patch for me where I haven’t been able to do what I want to do but I think I still got some good stuff in there during this season.”
“I think you can easy come into the back end of the season very fatigued. I think a few people will be at this point. The sport is just that hard and the demands are that high. If you’re going to play 16/17 events with league matches and exhibitions in as well you;’re going to mamas some damage. But yeah I think I’ve protected myself a fair bit bit still been able to get some good squash in so hopefully I can benefit from that next week in Birmingham.”
