Calvert gets call-up for Men’s World Team Championships

Nick Calvert has been called into the Australian team for next month’s Men’s World Team Championships.

With 2023 Australian National Champion Ryan Cuskelly now unavailable to make the trip to New Zealand, Calvert gets his second opportunity in Australian colours this year.

“Ryan’s preparation for the MWT has been impacted by his coaching commitments in the US,” said Lachlan Johnston, Squash Australia High Performance Director. “While his presence around the team as a senior player and former World Number 12 would have been excellent for the three debutants originally named, his absence does allow another player to make their Men’s World Team Championships debut for Australia.

“Nick has played for Australia on two previous occasions – the 2019 World Doubles and 2023 World Cup.

“The Men’s World Team Championships is a step-up in standard from those events and Nick’s previous experience will hold him in good stead.”

The decision to make the team change was one which was not taken lightly, however both Ryan and Squash Australia believe this is the best option.

“Ryan has always been an excellent supporter of the next generation of Australian squash,” said Johnston. “Most recently, he and Rod Martin have been working with Alex Haydon and Joe White in New York who’ve both had some encouraging results of late.

“We worked with Ryan to come to this decision regarding Men’s World Teams as there were positives for both options – him playing or opening up his position for another player.”

The Queenslander joins Rhys Dowling (NT) Dylan Molinaro (VIC) and Joseph White (NT) in Tauranga, New Zealand from 11 to 17 December 2023.

The tournament will feature nearly 100 of the world’s best squash players amongst 24 national teams, and is the first time it has been played since 2019.

Calvert continues his preparation for the tournament this afternoon when he takes on Cameron Darton (QLD) in second round of the PSA Challenger 6 Bondi Open in Sydney.