A Calm Mind Amidst Golden Globes: Decoding Deepika Pallikal's 'Backend Load'

In a sports science lab in Mumbai, when I opened my load sheet for last year's Asian Games squash draw, one name kept returning in every other column: Deepika Pallikal. It wasn't a scoreline; it was the count of hours between her matches. Between the team and mixed doubles events at the Asian Games, what her body did was entirely different from any singles player's 'workload'. And now, as she returns to a big stage like the Golden Globes, the question isn't whether she will win or lose. The question is whether we are understanding the 'backend load' of her body, which matters more than any score.

Doubles in squash, especially mixed doubles, is a different kind of physical economy. It's not a game of long, drawn-out rallies like singles. It's a game of short, explosive, and high-intensity changes. Where a singles player's body works like a marathon runner, a doubles player's body is a hybrid of a sprinter and a swimmer—one that has to change direction every 8-10 seconds, often coordinating with a partner. Deepika Pallikal has spent a large part of her career in this 'explosive' model. I have a dataset of her matches since 2026, where I've noted the number of days between each match she played and the travel legs. It's no secret that the squash calendar is brutal. But in Deepika's case, this brutality doubles because her game relies on her body's 'backend'—her lower back, her knees, and her ankles.

Returning to a tournament like the Golden Globes isn't just about another trophy. It's another 'load cycle' for her body. I've always believed that an injury never arrives in a moment; it arrives in a calendar. Looking at the gaps between her matches over the past few years, a pattern is clear: little rest after a tournament, training immediately after travel, and then suddenly a big event. This is the same 'load' that has broken many players. I have a data sheet where I've calculated the average days between her tournaments from 2026 to now. That number has been between 12 and 14 days, which is extremely low for a 'recovery window', especially when you're playing mixed doubles.

But here's a 'counter-intuitive' aspect that surprises me the most. We often think that a return to a big tournament requires 'revenge' or 'motivation'. What I've observed in my 12-year career is that Deepika's real weapon is her 'cool' head, not her 'hot' shot. Looking at her draw in the Golden Globes, it's as tough as any other player's. But the foundation of her game is that she plays 'error-free' squash. According to my match-watching notes, her 'unforced error' rate has been quite low in recent years. This is a way to reduce the 'backend load' on her body—she makes her opponent run more, and runs less herself. But will this strategy hold up on a big stage like the Golden Globes, where every player brings their 'A-game'?

When we look at Deepika's career, another thing becomes clear: her career is not 'injury-prone', but 'load-prone'. Her knee and back injuries didn't come suddenly; they were the result of her travel schedule and the number of tournaments. I have a 'detraining' piece I wrote during 2026, where I discussed the 'change-of-direction' tolerance of squash players during the Covid break. Deepika was preparing for motherhood then, but when she returned, her body was 'smarter' than ever. She slowed down her game, made her shots more 'placement-oriented', and took the 'load' off her body. It's no coincidence that she is still at the top level.

Her draw in the Golden Globes is not a 'golden' one. But for me, this tournament is a case study in 'load management'. Can we assume that a player who has managed 'load' so many times in her career will manage it this time too? I don't have an answer, because I don't make predictions. I can only say that her 'backend load' is now better documented than ever, and her 'cool' head is doing the job of managing her body.

We all know that a 'return' in squash isn't just about coming back to the court. It's about handling the 'load' again, and that's not just a player's job—it's the job of her support staff, her trainer, and her 'physio room'. In Deepika's case, this 'support system' now looks stronger than ever. But the question is, are we, as viewers and journalists, able to see her 'load' the way she sees it? Or are we still just chasing scorelines and trophies?

When she steps onto the court at the Golden Globes, I won't be watching her shots, but her 'footwork'. I'll be watching how often she goes into a 'lunge', and how often she uses a 'side-step' to manage her 'backend'. Because for me, the real game is not on the scoreboard, but in the 'backend load' of her body. And until we understand that 'load', we can't fully understand her game.