SQUASH - If it gets too hot, Kitchen has helping hand on tour

The worsening political situation in some of the countries Shelley Kitchen will be playing squash in before Christmas is cause for concern but, fortunately for the 28-year-old squash star, help is close at hand.
New Zealand Squash has arranged for their high performance coach Anthony Ricketts - who also happens to be Kitchen's partner - to accompany the Kiwi team on tour and that's good news both on and off the court for Kitchen.
"It's going to be nice to have someone there to support us because normally you're just on your own and left alone to battle it out, but Anthony has been there and done that all before so we're all looking forward to the extra help," she said.
Ricketts, a former British Open champion, was playing on the tour himself until last season and is well aware what the Kiwi team members need to perform on tour.
The team contains six of the top-ranked men and women on the road for 10 weeks beginning with the prestigious World Open Championships in Manchester. There are a number of other top events on the programme such as the World Women's team's event in Cairo before it culminates in the World Doubles Championships in Chennai, India.
"Anthony knows the tour so well and what travelling takes out of you and what kind of mental preparation you need so it's going to be an advantage to have him with us."
Ricketts' presence on tour will also help to calm her nerves about playing near some of the politically troubled areas of the globe.
"Recently I've been getting a bit more spooked about travelling, especially with the Pakistan bombings and the kidnappings in Cairo, there are some risks out there but you just keep on going and hope nothing will ever happen to you," Kitchen said.
She said that previously staying in the best hotels had always been a key security factor but the recent bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, had forced her to modify that theory.
"You've just got to be a bit more aware, got to watch who you're with a bit more and who's driving you around, that sort of thing," she said.
Kitchen is still enjoy playing and competing on the world squash circuit but has switched her base from England to New Zealand this year, causing her to be more selective about which tournaments she will enter. The approach has certainly had a positive effect on her performance on the circuit over the past 12 months, helping her improve from world number-14 to her current ranking of six.
"I've definitely pleased with the way I'm playing at the moment and my build-up for the World Open this year has been about five or six weeks long, which is pretty unusual really, we don't usually have this much time," she said.
Kitchen has fond memories of the World Open last year, when she upset Malaysian world number one Nicol David in the second round. David has won all nine world tour events she has played in since.
Kitchen has a pretty good draw at this year's World Open in Manchester but admits, with the standard of play so tight at the top in world squash at the moment, they're all pretty tough.
"Apart from Nicol who's way out there in front at the moment, everyone else is pretty close to each other so there's no such thing as an easy draw these days."
"It's more down to who's prepared the best and who reacts the best to the atmosphere on court."