WJC Profile: Amelie Guziak - ready to fire at home

Amelie Guziak was just four years old when she would tag along with her dad, Andre, to watch him play pennant squash in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick. 

“There were only two courts, so I’d sit there happily watching and, whenever a court was free, I’d quickly jump on and have a hit by myself, even though I was hitting against the wrong wall,” Amelie recalls. “I had my own little racquet which was about half the size of a standard one. I just enjoyed it so much, I remember it so clearly.”

Recently turned just 16, Amelie’s long-term goals are to turn professional and become a top-10 player in the world. She’s excited, therefore, to test herself as one of the younger players at the 2023 WSF World Junior Championships at Melbourne Sports Centres.

The challenge of taking on older and more experienced competition is nothing new, it’s something Amelie says she thrives on.

“I was the underdog for quite a long time,” Amelie says. “When I was in U13s, I was 11 or 12 years old, there was the number one in the state, she was a much better player than me. I still remember the joy when I got my first game off her. I lost the match, but I got my first game and it looked like I’d won because I was so happy. Later on, I beat her for the first time and it was such a milestone for me. 

“I’m aware of the experience they have over me, but I’m confident in my ability, my fitness and my skills on the court. I’m gaining this experience so much earlier on, which in the long-term will benefit me greatly.”

Amelie is making progress, and quickly.

She represented Australia for the first time just last year, part of the Under 19s team that defeated New Zealand in the Trans-Tasman series for the first time in eight years. In January, she debuted at the British Junior Open. She has also since claimed her first PSA Satellite tournament victory.

Now working with coach and former World No.1, Cassie Thomas, and supported by the Victorian Institute of Sport, Amelie says making the Australian team for the World Junior Championships wasn’t even on her radar until less than a year ago.

“Now I’m becoming more focused on PSA events, it’s an exciting time for me,” she says. “It has also been reinforced how important squash is to me after being sick for a couple of months recovering from COVID. It’s great to be back on track. I have a really great team and people around me now, including my coach Cassie Thomas, and the Victorian Institute of Sport. I feel very fortunate.

“[Cassie and I] have a great relationship, and she has helped me get to where I am at this point. We’re excited about the work we’ll be doing together over the next few months.”

Prior to linking with Thomas, Amelie spent almost a year without a coach. With a keen interest in sport psychology, she used it as an opportunity to improve her mental approach to the game.

Her mental resilience and physical has been tested recently. She had a prolonged recovery from COVID, which sidelined her for almost three months. It completely sapped her of energy, and in the very limited time she was able to spend on court, she struggled to focus on the simplest tasks like how to hold the racquet.

Amelie has now fully recovered and is focused on the future. She enjoys the physical test of squash, but the mental improvisation and creativity of the sport even more. She watches and copies the world’s best players, whether it’s the smooth movement of Peru’s Diego Elias or the style of Egypt’s Mohamed El Shorbagy.

“I like to watch the top pros and absorb specific things I want to incorporate into my game. I’ll go to the court the next day and quickly replicate what I have seen,” Amelie says.

“A passion for the sport drives me, I love getting on the court and playing. It’s different to other sports: the fitness, mental ability, and the creativity. It’s so fast, the reflexes and the coordination, the creativity from shot selection and invention.”

“I want to take it all the way and make it to the top-10 in the world.”

Amelie trains and plays at two clubs, RACV City Club and The Squash Melbourne Club. She is particularly looking forward to playing in front of family and friends at her home courts in Melbourne.

“Definitely it’s a home-town advantage, I know the courts, I know what to expect. I think also mentally being in a place that’s familiar makes it a lot more comfortable, less stress and pressure.”

She still attends courts with dad too, and they often play together.

“For a while it was close, we still play,” she says. “I have good hits with him.”

2023 WSF World Junior Championships
18-29 July | Melbourne Sports Centres VIC
Australian Squad
Men: Harvey Allan (VIC), Dylan Classen (WA), Oscar Curtis (WA), Connor Hayes (VIC), Ken Lamb (NSW), Thomas Scott (NSW)
Women: Erin Classen* (WA), Shona Coxedge (QLD), Amelie Guziak* (VIC), Madison Lyon* (QLD), Courtney Scholtz (VIC), Hannah Slyth* (WA)
* denotes competing in women’s team event
Coaches: Stewart Boswell, Jenny Duncalf, Cassie Thomas