For one man, the 2023 PSA World Championships, presented by The Walter family, provides a chance to both create a unique piece of squash history and join a very exclusive club.

Since the creation of the World Championships back in 1976 only three men have managed to hold both the global gong and the British Open in the same year and they are the greatest serial trophy winners in the sport’s history: Geoff Hunt, the first ever World Open professional champion and No.3 on the major title winner list, Jahangir Khan, the game’s greatest ever British Open champion, and Jansher Khan the record world title winner.

But this year, after finally claiming his first British Open title despite being on the comeback from a debilitating knee issue which threatened his career, Ali Farag will kick-off his bid to claim a fourth world title against India’s Ramit Tandon fully aware that this is a worlds campaign like no other. One where he could claim a place at squash’s top table of true greats.

Seeded No.4, Farag is in the same half of the draw as top ranked Mostafa Asal who returns from his six-week PSA ban for dangerous play and about whom Farag admits he has “no idea” in terms of The Raging Bull’s fitness – in both the physical and mental stakes.

Yet speaking to Squash Mad, the world champion said: “I can’t believe it. When I first started playing I had so many dreams but they were just dreams but to be able to put my name on these prestigious trophies and be mentioned in the same sentence as Geoff, Jahangir and Jansher is just scary.

“I am forever grateful for what I’ve achieved but if I achieve such a feat I will be incredibly happy but then again if I don’t I will still be a happy man with what I’ve been blessed with in my life both in terms of squash and non-squash.

“But my mindset is always the same. The world champs is the one tournament we all try to peak at and I am very lucky that my injury did not hinder me at the time of last year’s world champs and then has given me time to get back to my best ahead of this year’s championship.

“So I have played a good few tournaments and of course finally won the British Open and I have to thankfully say I am back in my best form at the moment and that has given me the best chance to defend my title.

“Also I am even lucky in that I haven’t played many tournaments, so my physical levels and my hunger is strong.”

Reflecting on where his main dangers come from Farag admits these will originate from a mix of the unknown and the familiar.

He said. “With Mostafa (Asal) I don’t know where he is with his preparation, I have no idea really as he keeps himself to himself and does not train with the other Egyptians, but he is top seed and he will be very hungry to win his first ever world title.”

“With the exception of myself, (Mohamed) ElShorbagy, (Karim Abdel) Gawad and Tarek (Momen) we are the only ones to have won it before, so in a way that takes pressure off us as we don’t need to prove anything to ourselves as we have done it before.

“Karim maybe wants to prove he can do it again, Tarek that age is not a problem and Mohamed is just Mohamed and always hungry.”

When it comes to the level of focus Farag will be applying to his meeting with Tandon tonight there is reason for the intensity of the microscope – the duo have met only once before back in 2016 and the World No.34 prevailed in five sets in the ToC qualifiers.

Chewing on this the three-time world champion said: “I spoke with Nathan Clarke (PSA Photographer) a couple years back and I said to him how little people realise the challenges of the opening match.

“I play Ramit Tandon in my first match and for 24 hours before one guy is in my head: Ramit Tandon and how I am going to play against him. So psychologically it is very taxing.

“When you are top seed you have to plot your way through the match, be focussed as if you get off on the wrong foot against any opponent, especially at the world champs and you are edgy then believe me it can mean the flight home the next morning.

“So for me right now the world champs are all about Ramit Tandon.”

Taking stock of his British Open success, which came in his fourth final at the game’s oldest major championship, Farag shared: “What made me happy the most was coming back from injury. The goal right from the start of my return at Pittsburgh was to build my form up for the world champs.

“So the British Open, as big as it is, was still a stepping stone from where I was two months back, really it was never a goal to win it this year and I surprised myself and am ahead of schedule in beating some of the top guys and finally putting my name on that trophy.

“When you are injured you doubt yourself and your ability to beat the other guys – not just physically but in all respects. So for that to all come together at the British Open, with it being the only title I have missed and it being so prestigious, well I couldn’t have asked for anymore.

“In the final against Diego (Elias) if I had lost the first game, given the history of my issues and the fact I have not contested a big final for a while, I might have doubted my plan and should I continue with that.

“So the first went my way and even although I lost the second it was vital that I had the first to resort back to and go on with my game plan and staying true to that got me through.

“Over the last years as a professional I am proud of how I have dealt with the challenges I have faced but then to be thrown such a big challenge for the first time, although I must say I am not the first athlete to get an injury and I won’t be the last, then overcome this was something I took a lot of satisfaction in.”