Boys Squash Co-Captain Ali Gamal ’26 is known by his teammates to bring the energy of the squash courts. Growing up with a squash academy close to home, Gamal was introduced to the sport at the age of five and quickly fell in love. COVID-19, though, prevented him from pursuing squash deeply as academics became his primary focus. When Gamal came to
Andover, he quickly bounced back into the sport, joining the Varsity squad that has since become a large part of his life. Now as Co-Captain, Gamal leads with an intensity that sets the tone for his teammates.
Leading the team, Gamal explained that he seeks to bridge the gap between squash’s individual and team-oriented nature by energizing his teammates to unite behind the shared goal of representing Andover.
“It’s difficult [with squash] being an individual and a team sport at the same time. Having that [energetic] environment at the courts is very, very important because, yes, everyone needs to focus on [their] individual [games], but we still need to keep in mind that we all fight for one team and play for Andover. The energy during practice and during the matches is very important to keep us motivated. We’re not just playing for ourselves, we’re playing for the team as well,” said Gamal.
He continued, “Having that environment of energy is very important because, while we all need to focus on our individual games, it’s still helpful to get some cheering from the team.”
Gamal’s energy creates massive impacts on the team, according to Jonathan Xu ’28. Particularly in Andover’s tight 3-4 loss against Deerfield, Xu described the boost that he felt from Gamal’s cheers and mentioned the importance of that hype during crucial matches.
“He does a good job keeping us positive and excited for our matches, especially when it’s a tight match. An example would be [against] Deerfield, where all the games were close. Even if I’m playing on another court and I hear that he’s being passionate, cheering, screaming, bringing the energy, I get some of that same feeling,” said Xu.
Gamal also sets a passionate tone with his actions on the court. According to JJ Luo ’28, the Co-Captain’s playing style influences his teammates, who act to emulate his abilities.
“If you watch him on court, he gets into it. You’ll see him diving, yelling, getting hyped up. Even when he’s not the one playing and is just cheering for other teammates, he keeps that same energy. He’s always like, ‘Let’s go, Let’s go!’ bringing that fire, and that motivates us to do the same, to give our all on the court and off,” said Luo.
Luo also alluded to an anecdote from the Deerfield-Andover match, in which Andover won three of seven matches. Prior to the game, the team was nervous about the expected close scores. In Gamal’s crucial match, he stepped up and completed a comeback that impressed his audience.
“At Deerfield, he played the sixth, multiple courts down, and I could still hear the energy he was bringing. He was loud. He won 11 to 9 in five games. One thing I’ve noticed about Ali over the past two years is that he never gives up. He was down 9 to 6 against Deerfield in the fifth set and won five points in a row. At 9 to 9, he dove and won the point. After he won the point, he looked at me and started banging on the glass, getting hyped up. I hadn’t played yet, but his energy got me really hyped up,” said Luo.
Despite having a younger team than in past seasons, Gamal believes that the squad’s raw talent and preparation will translate to success. He also noted his excitement to captain the team alongside his fellow Co-Captains Cory Shen ’26 and Alexander Yang ’26.
“We have a pretty young team compared to the other teams, and we have a lot of potential this year. We’ve been training very hard, and I’m honestly looking forward to the season and looking forward to leading the team with Cory and [Alexander]. It should be a good season,” said Gamal.
