CLOCK IS TICKING
Q
One of the legends of squash Nicol David retired from the sport this year. Can you tell me about the impact she had on you?
A
She was No.1 in the world for nine years straight, which in any sport is almost unheard of. She was so dominant and for most of my years, she’s been the world No.1 except the past few years. I’ve played her so many times and been really close to beating her but never actually did. To look at someone like her, she was an example of what everyone else wanted to be. She would go through a tournament without dropping a game. Most of us were hoping we didn’t have to play her in our part of the draw. I have so much respect for her. It’s an honour to be able to say I played against her.
Q
It’s probably not something you like to think about but when will you know your time’s up?
A
You know that you can’t play forever. If I could I would. Especially as a female athlete, if you do want to have kids one day, you have to decide whether to do that and come back to the sport but that’s really tough. You know that your body clock is ticking. For me, I would love to play another Commonwealth Games so it’s another few years away at least. I’m just focusing on getting back from my knee injury and trying to play professionally for a few more years. If
I get to the point where I feel like I’m not improving anymore, maybe then I won’t want to do it. I still feel like I have a lot to give and I haven’t reached my potential yet.