Squash great Shabana admits he nearly quit Egyptian squash great Amr Shabana continued his brilliant start to the year before admitting that last month he almost quit the sport. The 32-year-old four times former world champion said he suffered a career crisis while withdrawing from the PSA Punj Lloyd PSA Masters in Delhi five weeks ago -- although there was no sign of it in the first round of the Tournament of Champions World Series event at Grand Central Station. Shabana on Saturday was near his brilliant best in an 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 triumph over his room-mate Ali Anwar Reda, which he concluded with a trick shot shimmy and a winning drop shot with his second swing. It was a crowd-pleasing way to start the 2012 PSA Tour and confirmed the spectacular revival he made with his capture of the 2011 World Series title in London a fortnight ago. However, Shabana said he seriously considered retiring after 2011. "I reached a point when I didn't want to play at the end of last year," he said. I said to myself I am either going to have to find a reason to go on playing or retire. I have found it, but it is a process. I have to find a reason every day to play. I asked myself am I going to travel, and jump on planes and not really want to do it? I thought I will give it one more shot -- if I find I do still want to play the game. I'm still doing that. I still have to find reasons to play. Among them is enjoyment -- something he clearly had Saturday -- the needs of a family which shares his life between Cairo and New York, and improvements he has seen in his increasingly injured body. Earlier Nick Matthew, the reigning world champion from England, started with an 11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7 over Wael El Hindi, the New York-based former top ten Egyptian. Another leading contender, Greg Gaultier, the former world number one from France, survived a warning from the referee to stop arguing and two collisions with Borja Golan, the former top ten Spaniard, to win 11-4, 11-9, 11-9.