Georgina Kennedy Talks Commonwealth Games and Becoming World No.10

Shooting from World No.167 to World No.10 in just a year, England’s Gina Kennedy is unstoppable. The Londoner has been playing since she was nine years old, progressing from junior to professional through the England Squash performance programme pathway.

Following 50 out of 55 wins, 11 finals, and nine titles in the last 12 months, the 24-year old broke into the top 10 long before she ever imagined. With the world coming to a standstill and squash tournaments put on hold in 2020, Gina certainly made the most out of a challenging year.

“I think COVID surprisingly ended up helping me quite a lot. My ranking was lower than it should have been, and with no tournaments running, it helped me to get in more training. I had a lot of time with my coach Ben Ford too, where we worked on technical adjustments. Having that year just to train and not think about competing was really beneficial to me. It raised my level to top 50 before I started on the PSA World Tour.

“I owe my ranking to Ben. It feels amazing to be amongst the top players, and having two English women in the top 10 for the first time since Laura Massaro retired, puts England Squash back on the map. I can’t quite believe it. It was amazing to have my photo on the new rankings, I never thought I’d get there!”

Alongside the unwavering support from her coach Ben Ford, Gina appreciates the long-term support and guidance from England Squash.

“My first real competitive experience was for England Squash, and as a junior I had the chance to go to the national squads training sessions and they’d expose me to the players so that I could test myself against them. There were so many coaching opportunities with England Squash coaches who have provided me with so much information and insight. Through the pandemic, England Squash also opened hubs for us to train at and put on a series of challenge events for us to compete in against each other, which was honestly priceless. Along with the sports science back up and match analysis, they’ve provided financial help too. I was able to play at events because of their support.”

As a pivotal moment in her career, the AJ Bell England Squash Championships in 2020 was Gina’s first squash event after returning to England following her Harvard squash scholarship.

“It was huge for me. The Commonwealth Games has always been at the back of my mind so I was excited to test myself against the England girls. Obviously I didn’t know how I’d get on but it was such a motivation as it was a really tough period because of COVID. I was given the chance to actually play and people could watch me on TV and see me in a competitive environment. It was so amazing that they put that event on.”

Having decided to turn to professional squash after graduating, the player’s time at Harvard gave her the life skills she needed to prepare for competing on the PSA World Tour.

“It was really beneficial. Our team was so strong and we had the best training facilities on our doorstep. They taught me the mental side of the game during the four years I was there. You have to be so disciplined to balance everything, and it taught me about controlling what I can control and priming my body and mind to compete at all times.”

Despite being in different time zones, Gina kept in touch with her coach Ben Ford during her time at Harvard.

“Ben has been since my coach since I was nine years old, even when I was studying at Harvard I would call him before my match! He’s family to me at this point, we have such a tight relationship which makes everything all the more rewarding. He looks out for my best interests, and I actually trust his intuition more than I trust my own. He’ll tell me when to do more or stop for a bit, I’m so lucky, he’s the best coach and I’m really glad he’s in my corner.”

Due to her talent and commitment, Gina is a very likely contender for Gold at the Commonwealth Games. Held on home soil in Birmingham, she feels it will be an extra special moment to be selected for Team England.

“It was my main motivation since I graduated at Harvard, so being selected would be a lifetime goal. With the strength of the current England team, it would be such an achievement to get picked, especially at home in Birmingham. That makes it even more special as my friends and family can come along and support.”

The player recognises that the Commonwealth Games is the pinnacle of the sport and is putting in the extra hours with her teammates to be on top form.

“England Squash are currently doing doubles preparation. We have such good singles players but we don’t play doubles much, so we’re setting aside at least one session a month to train for that.

“And then I’m preparing as I would for any normal event - the season is very busy leading up to the Commonwealth Games so I’ll be keeping both physically and mentally fit. “

Speaking of doubles, it excites Gina that it’s a whole new territory for squash players.

“From the way the practices have gone, it’s honestly up for grabs which is so exciting. It’s such a different game, you could be the best player in the country but the worst at doubles, there’s really no telling! It’s great to change things up.”

As a female athlete rising to the top, Gina hopes to inspire the next generation of female squash players.

There’s been such an amazing response to my ranking. I hope to inspire younger girls to get involved, there’s nothing more rewarding than exceeding at your sport, even just with the day-to-day training with the boys.

Fortunately in our sport, it’s pretty equal at the top, so at platinum events you get the same pay as the male players.“

Gina knows first-hand just how much having a role-model to look up to can make a difference to a young player’s mindset.

“I think a lot of the England girls are huge inspirations. Especially Alison Waters, I actually trained a lot with her because of her living in London too. She plays similarly to me, she’s quick and likes to hit the ball hard. She’s been a big help in my career and of course Laura Massaro and Sarah-Jane Perry are massive inspirations.”

Reflecting on her career so far, Gina feels most proud of some of her earlier achievements despite recently breaking into the top 10.

“I was most happy when I won the England challenge events. Even though these didn’t make a difference to my ranking, they gave me a chance to get selected for the Commonwealth Games. I was proud of myself for winning against my fellow English teammates.

Gina wants our readers to know that working hard is what will get you far in life. You don’t necessarily have to be the most naturally gifted to get started. There’s always room for improvement.

“If you work hard, a lot of doors will be unlocked. I’ve never been the most naturally gifted with my racket, that was never my strength. But I’ve worked really hard and improved a lot technically.

“I do think if you work hard, train smart, good things will come to you. Also, I would say you can explore other options in life, squash doesn’t have to be everything. Going to Harvard helped my squash, gave me the chance to step away from the game and realise actually, this is what I want to do.”

As she reached her goal of becoming World No.10 long before she expected to, Gina looks ahead to her next achievements.

“I couldn’t even have imagined being world No.10 already so I’d like to be breaking that top 5 and reaching the top end of platinum events, the semi-finals and finals.

“My goal was to win a bronze title this year, obviously I’ve already done that so to win an even bigger title would be the next goal!”

Watch Gina in action at the upcoming Allam British Open – book your tickets now.