For Olivia Weaver, the center of American squash is home sweet home

Sometimes, when Olivia Weaver is walking the streets of Philadelphia with her racket, people will stop her to ask if she’s going to play tennis or if she’s looking for a nearby tennis court.

She’s not. She’s playing squash. And Weaver isn’t just playing recreationally; she’s the top-ranked player in the nation and fourth-ranked woman worldwide in the Professional Squash Association rankings.

Weaver grew up in Chestnut Hill and now resides in Philly, which serves as the hub for squash nationally, especially after the opening of the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in 2021.

In October, Weaver became the first American to reach three U.S. Open semifinals since it’s been a platinum-level tournament. And she did so in front of a home crowd.

“It just really excites me,” Weaver said. “It’s like going into an exam, when you’ve done the work and you’re prepared. I feel like I work really hard and have put in a lot of time and have an amazing team around me, so when I go into events like that, it’s just about letting that work come out.”

The Specter Center is in the Pennsylvania State Armory Building on Drexel’s campus and is the national training center for US Squash. It’s also home to one of squash’s major tournaments, the U.S. Open.

“It’s pretty amazing to have one of those right on my doorstep and at my home facility where I spend so much time training. And not only to have it be at the National Training Center, but obviously in my home city where I was born and raised and have so many family and friends,” Weaver said. “There’s nothing like competing in front of a home crowd. So that tournament every year is an absolute, without a question, a highlight.”

» READ MORE: Philly poised to become capital of American squash with construction of center on Drexel campus | from 2018

But Weaver’s history with squash goes back a lot further. It goes back to even before she was born.

Her parents were members at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, and her father was a big advocate for building squash courts at the club. Weaver’s parents signed her up when she was 5 years old, and it was “love at first sight.”

“There had been several national champions that had come out of that club, so it was a very well-respected club on a national scale in terms of producing elite players,” Weaver said. “From there, I just fell in love with it and quickly became what we call a ‘court rat.’ My mom had to drag me off the court.”

Growing up alongside many other young squash players also made it fun to go to the courts every day. She started playing in tournaments when she was 8, which took her around the East Coast.

“I think I won my first junior national title when I was 12,” Weaver said. “So from that age, I was playing at a high level and was finding myself near the top of the national ranking. So down the road, that fortunately gave me the opportunity to be recruited to play at Princeton.”

» READ MORE: She’s one of the world’s best squash players, but this Philly resident has a bigger story to tell | from 2021

Weaver played for Gail Ramsay, who has been the head coach for three decades. Weaver returned for a stint as an assistant coach during the 2023-24 season.

During her collegiate career, Weaver struggled with chronic back pain. Weaver had to decide between pursuing a different career path or pro squash after graduation and went to physical therapy the summer before her senior year. The decision was simple from there.

“My senior year had some big wins that I think were important for reminding myself of the level that I was capable of playing at that I lost sight of throughout the two years of being injured,” Weaver said. “With that, I think I realized coming back from that injury how much I loved the game, how much I missed playing at the highest level, and I just knew that I had never really [gone] 110% into my into my training, and I wanted to see how good I could be when I did that.”

Injury-free for the first time in two years and surrounded by a strong support system, Weaver was reminded that when she was in her 30s and 40s, she didn’t want to look back with any regrets, so she decided to see it through.

She moved to New York to work with her coach following her graduation from Princeton until the COVID-19 pandemic. After that, she moved back to Philadelphia just in time for the opening of the national training center.

For Weaver, there is a lot to be said about being back in a place where she’s happy or where she knows she can catch an Eagles game on a Sunday.

“Those little things add up so much just in terms of being happy and being in your comfort zone,” Weaver said. “There are so many times in professional sport, you’re constantly pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and your training, and you’re constantly traveling, and so as often as you can, you’re kind of looking for those moments and opportunities to create little pieces of home and comfort wherever you are.”

It also doesn’t hurt that for Weaver, home is where the hub is. Squash historically has been accessible and affordable in Philadelphia, which Weaver said wasn’t the case everywhere when she was growing up. This history has helped build a tight-knit community in the squash world, another factor Weaver attributes to the growth of the sport in the city as people move back to Philly and raise their children to play squash as well.

And Weaver wants to put on a show for her home crowd, but especially the kids in the sport watching her.

“When I was growing up, there weren’t really any American women that were playing on the tour,” Weaver said. “The game has grown so much, and just to see so many young girls, I mean boys and girls, but especially young women, and to hopefully serve as an inspiration for them to believe that they can really play at the very highest level, that they’re capable of taking the game as far as they want, and that sky is the limit.”