The Big Three is a new documentary that follows ‘The Big Three’: Nour Al-Sherbini, Nouran Gohar, and Hania Al-Hammami. The three are all Egyptian women who have dominated the top three spots in squash in recent years.
Yet, their success has not come without the trials and tribulations of life on tour, injury, and the pressure to be the best in the world.
Al-Sherbini is the youngest and first ever Egyptian woman to win the World Championships. She has gone on to win seven World Championships, with the goal of breaking Nicol David’s eight World Championship titles.
Gohar, current world No 1, has swept up her own fair share of Platinum titles. This includes the US Open which Gohar reveals in the documentary is a tournament that has a special place in her heart. She was also on the panel that pitched to the International Olympic Committee why squash should be included in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Al-Hammami is the youngest of ‘The Big Three’. She became a top seed in women’s junior squash rankings at the age of 16 and continued her success to become world No 3. After an unexpected shock exit in Round 3 after losing out to the non-seeded Sabrina Sobhi at the US Open, Al-Hammami recruits former world No 1 Laura Massaro onto her coaching team to help her challenge her Egyptian rivals.
The Big Three follows the three players during the 2023/24 season both on and off the court. From visiting Al-Sherbini (and her parrot) in Egypt, to Gohar’s barista skills in her home in Cincinnati, to Al-Hammami’s relationship with Massaro, the documentary explores what it takes for the players to stay on top of the world rankings.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 27 March, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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