Malaysia squash queen Nicol David feeling pressure of dominance
With the Asian Games fast approaching, Malaysia`s squash queen Nicol David is starting to feel the pressure after almost a decade at the top of her sport.
|Last Updated: Aug 25, 2014, 04:57 PM IST|Source: Reuters
Kuala Lumpur: With the Asian Games fast approaching, Malaysia`s squash queen Nicol David is starting to feel the pressure after almost a decade at the top of her sport.
The world number one for eight years, seven times World Open champion and winner of the last two Asian Games titles failed to deliver on home soil at the weekend as she stumbled to defeat against Egypt`s Raneem El Welily in the Malaysian Open.
David`s semi-final defeat was only her second of the year - the other also coming in Malaysia at the World Open in March - which can be labelled a crisis for the 31-year-old, who has long dominated the sport and won every singles event in 2010.
David, who celebrates her birthday on Tuesday, said the defeats had come from carefree opponents going for their shots and warned she must not drop her concentration with the Sept. 19-Oct. 4 Games coming up in Incheon, South Korea.
"This season is going to be a long one and this (Malaysian Open) is one tournament you want to do well," she was quoted as saying by Malaysian media on Monday.
"For me, every tournament I want to play well but there is no room for error or to let my guard down.
"I have to be at my peak always and that is tough. I love playing in Malaysia and I want to do well here and everyone else wants me to do well.
"But the other players have nothing to lose and can just go for it."
Nicol was able to recover from her March defeat in Malaysia by rebounding with victory at the next World Series event, the British Open in May, and followed that up with the retention of her Commonwealth Games title in Scotland.
She has less time to wait for her next tournament this time, with her bid for a ninth consecutive Hong Kong Open getting underway on Tuesday.
Any failure there, however, will give her rivals more hope of a once unthinkable upset in South Korea next month.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.