Joel Makin
Welsh squash player (born 1994)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joel Makin (/ˈmeɪkɪn/, born 27 October 1994) is a Welsh professional squash player.[1] He reached a career high ranking of 4 in the world during June 2025.[2]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nickname | ‘The Golden Tiger’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 October 1994 Pembrokeshire, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | British (Welsh) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right Handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Independent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | Active | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Racquet used | Karakal Raw Pro 2.1 (Joel Makin Signature Racquet) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Men's singles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (June 2025) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | No. 6 (December 2025) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
Makin was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. He played squash at Aberdare Junior Squash Club under coaches Bob Gould, Clive Roberts and Dave Cope, and represented Wales at Under-13s level in 2007.[3] He left Aberdare at 18 and, forgoing university, trained at West Warwickshire Club under the guidance of Rob Owen until parting ways to become independent.[4]
He won the Kent Open in 2017, beating Joshua Masters in straight sets,[5] and the Tring Open in 2018.[6] He reached the semifinals of the men's singles squash competition at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, losing out to Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan in the bronze medal match.[7][8] Makin qualified for the 2018 British Open Squash Championships where he lost in the first round to Mohamed Abouelghar.[9] He beat the world number one, Mohamed El Shorbagy, to reach the quarterfinals of the Channel VAS Championships in October 2018.[10]
Makin won a bronze medal at the 2019 Men's World Team Squash Championships after reaching the semi-finals, where Wales lost to eventual champions Egypt.[11]
In February 2022, he was ranked number 8 in the World[12] and 1 in Wales.[13] At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Makin was selected to represent Wales, and won a silver medal in the Men's Singles.[14]
In 2024, Makin won his second British National Squash Championships, the first being achieved in 2021.[15] In October 2024, Makin won his 7th and 8th PSA titles after securing victory in the Silicon Valley Open and Pittsburgh Open during the 2024–25 PSA Squash Tour.[16]
In June 2025, he reached the semi final of the 2025 Men's British Open Squash Championship for the second consecutive year, losing to Mostafa Asal[17] but shortly afterwards won the PSA Squash Tour Finals in Toronto to record his greatest feat to date.[18]
Also in 2025, Makin won his third British National Squash Championships title, defeating Nick Wall in the final.[19] Makin won his 10th PSA title in November 2025.
PSA titles
Makin has won eight PSA titles:
- 1 – 2015 City of Greater Bendigo International (PSA5)[20]
- 2 – 2017 Kent Open (PSA10)[21]
- 3 – 2018 Tring Open (PSA15)[22]
- 4 – 2022 Manchester Open[23]
- 5 – Oxford Properties Canadian Open, Feb 2023
- 6 – 2024 Manchester Open, May 2024
- 7 – Silicon Valley Open PSA Gold, Oct 2024
- 8 - Pittsburgh Open, Feb 2025
- 9 - PSA Squash Tour Finals, June 2025
- 10 - HKFC Squash Open, Nov 2025
