Rodney Martin
Encyclopedia
Rodney Martin is a former professional squash
player from Australia
. He is best known for winning the World Open in 1991, beating the legendary Pakistan
i player Jahangir Khan
in the final 14-17, 15-9, 15-4, 15-13 (he had previously beaten another Pakistani legend, Jansher Khan
, in the quarter-finals, and his Australian compatriot Chris Dittmar
in the semi-finals). Martin was also part of the Australian teams which won the World Team Squash Championships
in 1989 and 1991. Martin was runner-up at the British Open
three times in 1988-1990 (losing to Jahangir Khan in the final on all three occasions).
Martin was forced to retire from the international tour in December 1994 due to a hip injury. Since retiring as a player, he has worked as a squash coach at the Australian Institute of Sport
. (He was formerly a scholarship holder at the Australian Institute of Sport squash unit from 1985 to 1989.)
Martin was inducted into the Squash Australia Hall of Fame in 2007.
Martin comes from one of squash's most successful families. His older brother Brett Martin
and younger sister Michelle Martin
were also top professional players.
Martin went to school at Everton Park State High School
in Brisbane, Australia.
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
player from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He is best known for winning the World Open in 1991, beating the legendary Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i player Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan, HI, is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game. During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times...
in the final 14-17, 15-9, 15-4, 15-13 (he had previously beaten another Pakistani legend, Jansher Khan
Jansher Khan
Jansher Khan is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest squash players of all time. During his career he won the World Open a record eight times, and the British Open six times.Jansher is of Peshwari ethnicity. He came from...
, in the quarter-finals, and his Australian compatriot Chris Dittmar
Chris Dittmar
Chris Dittmar is an Australian sports commentator who was formerly the World No. 1-ranked men's squash player....
in the semi-finals). Martin was also part of the Australian teams which won the World Team Squash Championships
World Team Squash Championships
The World Team Squash Championships are an international squash competition played between teams representing different nations. Countries enter teams of three or four players to represent them in the championships. In each round of the competition, teams face each other in a best-of-three singles...
in 1989 and 1991. Martin was runner-up at the British Open
British Open Squash Championships
The British Open Squash Championships is the oldest and most established tournament in the game of squash. It is widely considered to be one of the two most prestigious tournaments in the game, alongside the World Open The British...
three times in 1988-1990 (losing to Jahangir Khan in the final on all three occasions).
Martin was forced to retire from the international tour in December 1994 due to a hip injury. Since retiring as a player, he has worked as a squash coach at the Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
. (He was formerly a scholarship holder at the Australian Institute of Sport squash unit from 1985 to 1989.)
Martin was inducted into the Squash Australia Hall of Fame in 2007.
Martin comes from one of squash's most successful families. His older brother Brett Martin
Brett Martin
Brett Martin is a former professional squash player who was among the game's leading players in the late-1980s and early-1990s. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 2 in 1994....
and younger sister Michelle Martin
Michelle Martin
Michelle Martin is a former professional squash player from Australia who was one of the game's leading players in the 1990s. During her career, she won three World Open titles and six British Open titles...
were also top professional players.
Martin went to school at Everton Park State High School
Everton Park State High School
Everton Park State High School is a small school consisting of approximately 300 students located in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. The Queensland Government gazettal proclamation of 22 September 1960 announced the opening of a Stafford State High School for the beginning of 1961...
in Brisbane, Australia.