Sanjay’s journey blends struggle, sacrifice and standout success on court as he shares the unseen struggles behind his growing list of achievements
THE career of young and promising national squash player Sanjay Jeeva needs little introduction, given the impressive achievements he has enjoyed so far.
His triumph at the 2025 SEA Games and shock victories over far more experienced opponents rank among the highlights of the 26-year-old’s career.
However, many fans, including locals, are unaware of the struggles he faced early on or the immense pressure that comes with being a professional athlete.
Still, his sacrifices have paid off, with Sanjay enjoying numerous memorable moments and setting increasingly ambitious personal goals.
This is the story of Sanjay’s highs and lows, shared exclusively with theSun.
Turning Pro
Growing up in Belgium, Sanjay first fell in love with badminton, but a lack of coaching options left him at a crossroad.
Faced with that dilemma, he eventually turned to squash, where his interest deepened after enjoying success in an international-level tournament.
“My father decided for me to stop playing badminton and move to a club closer to our house and play the sports that were there. In those clubs, I played tennis, swimming, football and also squash. That’s where I picked up the game.
“But I really got into it because I competed in my first squash tournament when I was 12 years old. It was in Luxembourg, and it was an international competition.
“I didn’t think much of it, but I ended up winning that tournament, and that really sparked my interest in playing squash,” he told theSun.
Sanjay remained in Belgium until the age of 18 before moving to the United States after receiving a scholarship to study at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania, awarded on the strength of his sporting achievements.
The move proved pivotal in his career, as it gave him the opportunity to compete at university level, further fuelling his ambition to become a professional athlete.
“I then started working at a country club as a touring professional, where I began my professional career in squash.
“After three years, I then received another scholarship offer, this time in the United Kingdom (UK), to pursue postgraduate study in high-performance sports, which I completed last year,“ he added.
Consistency and perseverence
After nearly 10 years as a professional, Sanjay admitted there is still plenty of room for improvement, particularly in the mental aspect of his game.
This remains a significant obstacle in his pursuit of a top-50 world ranking, with his personal best standing at No. 58 in March 2025.
“Right now, the challenge I am facing is the mental side of the game. I have started with a sports psychologist to help me through my mental state because of the pressures that I am facing from the country, from my parents, and from myself.
“It can be as simple as just winning matches, but it is not simple to get to that point to win matches back-to-back and consistently to break into top level,“ he claimed.
Now ranked world No. 63, Sanjay is aiming to build consistency with the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 PSA World Championships just around the corner.
The qualifying event, to be held in Hong Kong from tomorrow to April 4, will feature Sanjay alongside several other national players, including Duncan Lee and Ameeshenraj Chandran.
Memorable moments
Reflecting on the most memorable moment of his career, Sanjay described his victory at the 2025 SEA Games as one of the standout highlights.
He defeated compatriot Lee 6–11, 11–6, 11–5, 11–4 in an all-Malaysian final at Vajiravudh College in Thailand to secure the gold medal.
“I still look back to the day when I won the SEA Games, and every time I think about it, I felt relief and joy because I was top seeded, and in Malaysia squash, we were expected to bring home all gold medals,” he said.
The achievement was even more meaningful for Sanjay as it came just six months after he had been outplayed by the same opponent in the National Squash Championship final, making his SEA Games triumph a “redemption.”
“I knew that the second seed was against my teammate (Duncan Lee) who is also a Malaysian and beating him made it even more special,” Sanjay added.
His victory over then world No. 22 Abdulla Al-Tamimi at the 2025 New Zealand Squash Open is also one to remember, as the Qatari was the highest-ranked opponent Sanjay has defeated.
Sanjay won 10–12, 11–9, 11–6, 5–11, 11–6 in a 54-minute match to book his place in the quarterfinals.
“It was also in my first ever Silver-level tournament, which is quite a high level tournament. The result helped me move up to my highest ranking of World No. 58,“ he told.
With the experience and knowledge he has gained over the years, Sanjay remains hopeful of achieving more milestones in his career.
No excuses
Like many athletes, Sanjay has faced difficult periods in his career, with technical setbacks at times preventing him from performing at his best.
“There are no excuses,“ he claimed. “Sometimes it’s the time you get into an event as some of it was last minute while some of those events are across the world.
“Getting there last minute, having to deal with the time zone changes and adjusting to the court is quite difficult. Sometimes, you’re not 100% when you have to play your match.”
Apart from technical challenges, Sanjay admitted pressure has also increased as he faces more experienced opponents due to his rising ranking.
“As my ranking is moving up slowly, I am able to get into bigger events, where I am playing top, higher ranked players that are at the moment a lot better.
“It will be a lot harder to beat them. So that’s another factor, but I can say it’s a good experience,“ he said.
One of the most challenging periods for Sanjay came in early this year, when he endured a five-match losing streak that began with defeat to Hong Kong’s Alex Lau at the Karachi Open.
The slump continued with losses to Moustafa Elsirty at the Motor City Open, a 3–1 defeat to Patrick Rooney at the Squash on Fire Open, an early exit at the New Zealand Open to Yannick Wilhelmi, and a hard-fought 71-minute loss to France’s Auguste Dussourd at the Australian Open.
Sanjay’s run of defeats finally ended when he overcame Om Semwal 11–5, 11–5, 11–2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Indian Open. He built on that momentum with a convincing 3–0 win over Egypt’s Ibrahim El Kabbani.
His impressive campaign, however, ended in the semifinals after a 11–7, 11–5, 5–11, 11–6 defeat to home favourite Veer Chotrani in a 37-minute match.
Despite those setbacks, Sanjay showed resilience by continuing to work on the mental aspect of his game while striving to regain consistency.
“There are times where I can play really well when I am not overthinking, but there are also times where I can play really bad.
“Those moments come and go, depending on the pressure, my travel, the tournament level. Plus, during that period, I have been in some unfortunate circumstances where I’m not feeling great,“ he added.
With proper coaching and guidance, Sanjay is poised to reach his peak both mentally and physically in the near future.
