PANAJI
Goa’s top squash player Yash Fadte recently won the Barcelona Global Squash Tour 1 title in Spain after defeating several higher-ranked international opponents. Fadte overcame Poland’s No. 1 Jakub Plytwani, Argentina’s No. 2 Miguel Pujol and Scotland’s No. 2 Rory Richmond on his way to the championship.
Delighted with the win, Fadte told The Goan, “The Barcelona tournament was very successful for me. I beat the top Polish player, the second-best Argentinian player, and the second-best Scottish player to claim the title. I was definitely not seeded or expected to win the tournament, so it was a really special week for me.”
The 24-year-old player further added, “I think the biggest lesson I learnt from the tournament is that the most unexpected things can happen when you least expect them. As long as you keep your head down, stay disciplined, and continue working hard every single day, good things will eventually happen.”
Yash had a successful four-year stint in the US where he graduated from the University of Rochester and also became one of the top college squash players in the country.
Some of his notable achievements in the US included winning Liberty League Rookie of the Year, becoming a two-time Liberty League Player of the Year, earning All-American honors, and eventually winning the 2025 Skillman Award, which is considered the most prestigious award in college squash.
In June 2025, Yash moved his base to Barcelona, Spain in order to pursue his Olympic dreams.
“My parents and I decided that it was the right time to train full-time professionally with the Olympics as the long-term goal. Barcelona had the right environment, facilities, coaching, and overall setup that I was looking for. I left my job in the US after college in wealth management to turn full-time professional despite tempting job offer,” Yash said.
“My daily routine in Barcelona usually consists of around three hours of squash or gym training in the morning and another three hours again in the evening. I train five to six times a week depending on the tournament schedule and recovery.”
Fadte further said, ”I’m currently supported by JSW Sports and I’m very grateful for their support. I’m also thankful to people like Shivanand Salgaocar from the Vimson Group for always supporting me. Most importantly, I’ve always had incredible support from my family throughout my journey.”
With squash making its debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Yash has set his sight on them.
He said, “The ultimate goal is definitely the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and hopefully winning a medal for India one day.”
Yash further added, “ Right now, I have a few more tournaments coming up in Spain before travelling to Chennai in the second week of June for the Asian Games trials and training camp. I’m one of the probables for the Indian team, so preparations are going well and the focus is completely on improving every day.”
However, Fadte rues the fact that there are very less facilities for squash in Goa.
“Unfortunately, there are very limited squash facilities and support available in Goa, and that has been one of the toughest parts of my journey. My father privately supported my career all these years — from traveling to Mumbai every weekend for training to sending me to England and different parts of India and the world because of the lack of facilities and support back home in Goa,” he said.
Yash’s dad Dilip Fadte said, “We have not received any sort of support from Goa government. Since day one, I have personally funded my son’s journey entirely from my own pocket. Yash has brought laurels to both Goa and India on numerous occasions. Despite his stupendous achievements, unfortunately the support we were promised never came despite several promises made including promising a scheme of Rs. 30 lakh to athletes which was eventually given to someone else.”
Dilip further added, ”What happened with Yash should not happen to other young athletes in Goa. My message to parents is simple — if you want your child to pursue sports seriously, be prepared to support them independently and not rely completely on government promises.”
