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Jonathon Tyler Power (born August 9, 1974) is a Canadian retired professional squash player. In 1999, he became the first North American squash player to reach the World No. 1 ranking. He won 36 top-level squash events during his career, including the World Open in 1998, and the British Open in 1999.
| Full name | Jonathon Tyler Power |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Magician |
| Country |  Canada |
| Born | August 9, 1974 |
| Residence | Toronto, Ontario |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 82 kg (181 lb) |
| Turned pro | 1991 |
| Retired | 2006 |
| Plays | Right handed |
| Coached by | Mike Way |
| Racquet used | Harrow, Dunlop |
| Men's singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (May, 1999) |
| Title(s) | 36 |
| Tour final(s) | 58 |
| World Open | W (1998) |
Medal record | |
| Updated on September 19, 2010. | |
Career overview
editPower began playing squash at the age of seven and turned professional at age 16. After joining the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour in May 1991, he went on to win 36 PSA tournaments, and appeared in 58 finals. Career highlights included winning the World Open (1998), the British Open (1999), the Super Series Finals (2003 & 2005), the PSA Masters (2001, 2002 & 2005), the Tournament of Champions (1996, 1999, 2000 & 2002), and the men's singles Gold Medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Power is considered to be one of the greatest shotmakers in the history of the game, having perfected a wide range of drop shots and deception shots. He was often a crowd favourite,[according to whom?] partly because of his emotional outbursts and verbal exchanges with referees, which sometimes led to him being compared with John McEnroe. Power's rivalry with Scotland's Peter Nicol was one of the most famous and extended in the history of the game.
In January 2006, Power returned to the World No. 1 ranking, four-and-a-half years after the previous time he was ranked in the top spot (marking the longest gap between periods of holding the World No. 1 ranking of any player in history). He lost the No. 1 ranking in February 2006 to David Palmer, but regained it again on 1 March 2006. One day later, on 2 March, Power announced his retirement from professional squash. His wife, Sita, gave birth to their daughter named Parker on January 23, 2007.
Power played for Canada at the 2007 and 2009 World Team Championships. He defeated several highly ranked players and showed he was still competitive at world level.[citation needed] He also won the 2008 Canadian Championships, defeating Shahier Razik in the final.
World Open final appearances
edit| Wins (1) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1998 | Peter Nicol | 15–11, 15–12, 15–12 |
British Open final appearances
edit| Wins (1) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1999 | Peter Nicol | 15–17, 15–12 (retired) |
Commonwealth Games final appearances
edit| Wins (1) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 2002 | Peter Nicol | 9–4, 4–9, 9–3, 9–0 |
| Runners-up (1) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1998 | Peter Nicol | 3–9, 9–2, 9–1, 2–9, 9–2 |
External links
edit- Jonathon Power as a professional coach to Diego Elias Archived 2020-06-05 at the Wayback Machine
- Jonathon Power – PSA World Tour profile at the Wayback Machine (archived 2013-07-10)
- Jonathon Power at Squash Info
- Page at Squashpics.com
- SquashTalk article on Power's retirement
- SquashSite article on Power's retirement
- BBC article on Power's retirement
- Photo tribute at Squashphotos.com
- Bruce Grierson article "Court Jester" on Power's rise