The 16-year-old was part of Team Botswana, which participated at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in the United Kingdom this year. Phatsima reached the women’s plate singles quarterfinals. She has been selected to be part of the national team that will play at the All-Africa Senior Championships to be held in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in November. Phatsima is one of the rising talented players trained by Koketso Ntshebe at Alpha Squash Academy in Phakalane.
Phatsima told Mmegi Sport that her classmates kept her interested in squash as she would spend time watching them and learning from their sessions. “I have never played any other sport besides squash. I started playing this sport when I was 10-years-old while in Standard 5. I have not achieved a lot at the moment. Representing Botswana at the Commonwealth Games at a young age was a big thing for me and I aim to continue working hard. I learnt a lot at the Commonwealth Games and I had an opportunity to see top players that I always see on television,” she said.
Phatsima said her parents, Molebatsi and Josephine, are not yet comfortable with her playing squash. She said maybe it is because squash is a new thing to them and that the sport is not popular. She said despite that, her parents support her with playing and training equipment. “My parents always encourage me to keep going even when it is hard. I am a Form 4 student at Gaborone Secondary School,” she said. Phatsima dreams of playing in the Professional Squash Association circuit and being in the top 10 in the world, playing against the best players. She said her role models are Egyptian players, Nour El Sherbini and Hania El Hammamy.
Phatsima said the two are great squash players. However, Phatsima is more inclined to El Sherbini because she likes the way she plays and her technique. El Sherbini is a professional squash player, a six-time world champion, and became the youngest woman to win the women's world championship in 2015. In 2016, El Sherbini retained her title and in 2019 won her third world championship equalling the feat of Michelle Martin and rising to equal fourth in the all-time list of world championships won.
She is the current world champion after winning the 2021–2022 edition of the tournament. “I wake up every day with the belief that one day I will be amongst the best. That keeps me focused because I know I will arrive where I want,” she said. Phatsima said her coach, Ntshebe always tells her to relax and avoid mistakes ahead of a major competition. She observed that squash remains unknown and it is always difficult for her to respond when people ask her which sport she plays. “Squash is not growing here when compared to other countries. Even if I tell someone that I play squash, they do not know what I am talking about. I go the extra mile to explain what squash is,” said the soft-spoken Phatsima. For his part, Ntshebe said squash is a technical sport and 'it chooses its own.' “By that I mean you really have to put a lot of time from the start to actually get a positive trajectory in your squash development moving in the right way. So for me, that is the first PH test for any athlete that comes through our doors. If you cannot stand the constant boredom of repetition then you will not be able to play squash,” he said.
Ntshebe said to get an athlete from beginner to advanced is basically a great achievement in itself because many are lost along the way. “Neo has improved over time, a bit slower than her other teammates and these things are generally determined by background. They really have a big part in how an athlete progresses because this harbours confidence and goals in life. So if you are just playing the game and the people at home do not even know what you are doing, it is a slow start periodically until you bring something home,” Ntshebe said. He said coaching her is in two parts; the person and the sport.
He said her game is coming up good; they just need more match time, which is the only problem. He said concerning the person is another thing but he is happy now because they have the services of sport psychologist, Dr Kagiso Tlhabano. “She has been a revelation and unlocked a whole new world to us so that is off my shoulders but yes, it is never enough or fulfilled because it is more like lifetime coaching for us,” Ntshebe said. He said that has changed their mindset and the players on how to do things. “At least we have defragmented a lot of information and now work on what each and every one of us specialises in,” he added.
FACT FILE
Full name: Naomi Neo Phatsima Place of birth: Ramotswa Date of birth: March 15, 2006 Sport: Squash Club: Alpha Squash Academy Hobbies: Singing and dancing Favourite meal: Macaroni cheese Role models: Nour El Sherbini and Hania El Hammamy
