A veteran in the sport, Siddhant Sinha ’21 quickly found his place in Boys Squash after arriving at Andover his Lower year. Boys Squash Coach John Roberts said, “Siddhant is a three-year Senior who immediately immersed himself in the team. He very much leads by example, both on and off the court.” According to Roberts, Siddhant possesses strategic expertise in addition to his athletic talent, which advantages him greatly in the sport. Roberts said, “Siddhant’s a great athlete and is deceptively very quick and strong around the squash court… From a technical standpoint, Siddhant is excellent and plays smart squash which allows him not to have to rely as much on fitness or strength.”
How and when did you start playing squash? What clubs did you play for before Andover?
I started playing squash about ten years ago. Before that, my parents would occasionally play, so I would just hop onto the court. I was really young back then, maybe three or four years old. I only got serious about it when I was around ten. In India, I used to play on the National Circuit, so we have some national tournaments… So since I was around 11 years old, I’ve been playing tournaments.
What major tournaments have you participated in? Are there any tournaments that you have recently competed in?
I’ve participated in the Indian Nationals quite a few times. My highest rank was 16th in [Indian Nationals] and I would generally finish my age category in the top 20… It’s been difficult to play these days. I guess I’ve just been practicing alone and with a couple of friends in my neighborhood, but nothing in particular. There hasn’t been a tournament in [about] the last ten months.
Are there any coaches or past captains that have shaped you into a better player? How has being on the team help you develop as an athlete?
Yeah, absolutely. Obviously, at Andover, Coach Roberts… [has] been a great coach for me and for the rest of the team as well. He’s always ready to help us answer questions whenever we need, so I really appreciate having someone as experienced and knowledgeable as him. Also, my first captains, Alex Bernhard [’19] and Jack Lee [’20] –– they’ve also been role models in a sense. Seeing them play, seeing them excel, has kind of pushed me to excel and try my best to get to their level as well. A lot of my Seniors from when I was a new Lower acted as [role models] and were happy to help me and guide me which not only improved my game, but also me as a sports person, so I really appreciated that.
What are your favorite aspects about squash? Is there a favorite memory you have from being on the team?
Whenever I’m playing a competitive match, I get this adrenaline rush from just playing competitively. Having that aspect of community… was actually quite new to me when I came to Andover because in India, I used to play squash as an individual sport. At Andover, it became a team sport, so I really enjoyed kind of having six to seven other players that I could train with and that would always support me. I don’t have a specific favorite memory, but I did enjoy the trip to nationals last year where we finished eleventh in the country. I think that was the highest finish in a while and we reached Division 1 after a really long time. I was glad to see that we were able to take Andover to such a high level in squash. Outside of squash… going [away] for a weekend with the squash team is quite fun, so I enjoy that as well.
Did you enjoy playing squash individually or as a team?
I sort of still do play individually, but I have a team supporting me from the outside which is different. I definitely do prefer that to just playing alone, when either my coach or my mother would be cheering me on or something. Having that sense of community with my teammates, I think [is] irreplaceable, and I do enjoy that a lot.
