Dubai: James Willstrop may have lost the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Series Finals to Mohammad Al Shorbagy at Dubai Opera on Saturday, but he was just thankful to have got that far after hip surgery almost ended his career in 2014.

The 33-year-old Englishman fought back from two points down midway through the first set to level it 10-10 before losing 12-10 to the 26-year-old Egyptian. He then surrendered a three-point lead in the second to pull it back to 9-9 before losing 11-9. In the third, Al Shorbagy raced five points clear but Willstrop got it back to just two before succumbing 11-8, in a never-say-die contest.

“I’ve got into finals before when I was world No. 1 but it hasn’t happened for the last three years, that’s because I’m getting older and have had hip surgery,” said Willstrop, who is now World No.6.

“One doctor told me I’d be struggling to play again but luckily I got a very good surgeon and I’ve got him to thank as well as my physio.

“The idea was just to play again but this [reaching the final] is just another world thinking back to that time, and now three years later I’m here.

“I’m just so grateful to be playing and able to get into finals, I couldn’t have imagined it when I had that surgery so this is probably as good as it gets.

“There’s a different context to it for me when you are older you don’t know if you can still do it, and you don’t know if you still have the psychological edge.

“I’ve played well enough this season to know I can beat people on my day and now I’ve shown it over a week. I’m 33 now and have had a couple of lighter years [due to recovery] so if I’m measured about the way I keep going who is to say I can’t push on a bit?

“I don’t know about reaching more finals, I don’t think like that. So long as my body allows me to train and play I just feel so lucky. I’m disappointed to lose and I tried to win but the main thing is just getting here in one piece and staying healthy.”

Willstrop qualified second from his group after bouncing back from losing 2-0 to Mohammad Al Shorbagy to beat Gregory Gaultier 2-0 and Ali Farag 2-1. He then beat Karim Abdel Gawad in the semi-final 2-0, before his 3-0 defeat to Al Shorbagy in the final.