Aiming to rule the world again
FIRED-UP: Nicol is pushing to reclaim her former position in the game
NICOL David will not be short of motivation when the 201617 squash season begins next month with regaining the World No 1 spot top of her list of priorities.
Eight-time world champion Nicol, who lost the top spot in September last year, is focused on regaining the consistency in performances which saw her spend 109 consecutive months at the top of the rankings.
Nicol, who is in Kuala Lumpur for the SRAM Women’s Invitational starting today, will make her season debut at the Hong Kong Open, which was the only title she won in the 2015-16 season.
“That is everybody’s aim. What are we training for? That is the whole point,” said Nicol yesterday when asked if she could become No 1 again.
“You become more determined than anything to try to get there.
“That is obviously the motivation, the drive to just be up there at the top is what everybody is going for.
“That is why I’m training like there is nothing else.”
Nicol, 32, will get a chance to gauge her preparedness for the new season when she plays England’s Jenny Duncalf today and India’s Joshna Chinappa tomorrow in the group stage of the six-woman invitational tournament at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil.
“I’m more focused on my training and building up the base to sustain my performance and maintain consistency,” said World No 4 Nicol.
“Last year I was not as consistent as I hoped to be and that is why offseason training is so important to step up and make sure I stay there and push it all the way.
“My goals are purely performance-based. Mostly it’s about keeping my performances consistent and try to raise my level each time.
“Everyone is really pushing the barriers and nothing comes easy. This is part of the preparation for the new season and we’ll see how things come together.”
Nicol spent four weeks training in Amsterdam with her coach Liz Irving before arriving in Kuala Lumpur and will then head to Brisbane and Melbourne for more training and playing exhibition matches during the Australian Open.
Aside from Nicol and World No 10 Joshna, the invitational — which was put together in less than three weeks — also features two other top-10 players in World No 8 Omneya Abdel Kawy of Eygpt and 10th-ranked Joelle King of New Zealand, who are drawn in the same group with national champion Delia Arnold.
After three days of group stage play, the semi-finals follow on Saturday with the final and placing matches on Sunday.