Joe White looks to hone in on Commonwealth Games goal

Walking out onto the court at a Commonwealth Games has been a goal of Joe White’s for a long time.

It’s been a moment he has been working towards for several years now and if selected for Birmingham 2022, it could be even more special with the 24-year-old still looking to make his senior international debut for Australia.

Previously, White has made Australian teams at a junior level including at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games where he won silver in the boy's doubles, but the road to making it a reality at the senior level hasn’t been without its challenges.

The 24-year-old came close to making his senior international debut at the 2021 Men’s Team World Championships in Malaysia last November but at the eleventh hour, the tournament was cancelled.

It was a tough blow for White who had just come back from a fractured tibia two months prior, which had put him on crutches for two weeks.

“The time off-court was really helpful for me in terms of being able to reassess where I was at with my squash then come back re-energised,” White said.

“It was disappointing to have the Men’s World Team Championships cancelled at the last minute.”

Despite the disappointment, the athlete from the Northern Territory continued to push on as he puts his best foot forward to have a shot at being selected on Australia’s Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Team.

To prepare, White has been spending time abroad playing on the PSA Challenger Tour. After starting his campaign in Central America at the Guatemala Open Squash Tournament, he spent time in the United States training.

“It’s quite a busy period for me with a lot of PSA events so hopefully I can get some good results on the board,” he said.

“I’ve been working towards making this Commonwealth Games Team for several years and again it’s something every player strives to do.”

White is not a novice to the international squash scene, initially going to the Czech Republic in 2017 to pursue a full-time professional squash career. He was invited to train with a club that had the world no.1 player at the time - Gregory Gaultier.

“That was a really valuable opportunity to see what it takes to get to the top of the sport and also see what the training looks like at that level,” said White, who has since spent more time in Europe to further his squash.

“It was a big eye-opener for me to see how I needed to shape my own training and how I needed to approach just getting better and the learning process.”

With a fire within himself to make his senior debut for Australia, White hopes he will be able to pull on the green and gold come Birmingham 2022 in 133 days' time.

“Anytime you are able to represent your country, you never take it for granted,” he said.

“Being able to do that, particularly at a senior level is something special and I hope to be able to do.”