From zero to hero: Squash player makes waves
From cleaner to top contender, Emmanuel Mvalo is a rising star at Western Rackets Squash Centre.
Emmanuel Mvalo started his career as a general worker at Western Rackets Squash Centre in Discovery in February 2015, a position he still proudly holds today.
“I used to watch people run themselves ragged on the squash court, but for the life of me, I could not understand why they would want to do that to themselves,” he laughs.
“My previous boss kept pestering me to start playing, but it took a few years before I decided to give it a try.”
Emmanuel eventually gave in and in 2020, taking part in a few social games and to his surprise, he started to enjoy the game.
By 2022, he had decided to start taking the game more seriously and pushed to secure a spot in one of the leagues in 2023.
“I started playing in the Business League in 2023 at number 5 [beginner level].”
He attended a few lessons with the coach, now club owner, Devon Hendrikse, a top-five South African player, and by the next year, he had made a miraculous jump from a number five player to a number three.
“This is unheard of,” says Hendrikse. “The progress he made was remarkable. So much so that in 2025, he skipped yet another level, and is now playing at, and dominating in, the number one level in the business league.”
Emmanuel did so well that in 2024 he played in the reserve league of the Johannesburg League, where he won two out of his five games.
“This is an unbelievable achievement for someone who has only two years’ experience in competitive squash,” Devon adds.
Emmanuel, now 33, is confident that a bright future awaits him as a squash player.
“I feel I can still improve a lot,” he says. “My next goal is to move up from the reserve league. Once I’ve achieved that, I can start aiming even higher.”
