Malaysia's Nicol David won her eighth world title last year in Egypt. - SquashSite
PETALING JAYA: Nicol David has battled and overcome many tough opponents throughout her illustrious career.
In the past, it was the likes of Vanessa Atkinson and the Grinham sisters of Rachael and Natalie.
In recent times, it has been the likes of Egypt’s Raneem El Welily and England’s Laura Massaro.
But with age catching up and the game ever-evolving, the biggest adversary Nicol has to overcome is ... herself.
Despite winning an eighth world title last year, this has been a disappointing year for the Penangite, who lost in several major tournaments.
The introduction of the lowered 17-inch tin, from 19 inches, in September has also clearly thrown Nicol’s game off.
With her opponents, especially the gifted and attack-minded Egyptians now hitting more winners than errors, Nicol has struggled at times to adapt to the pace of the game.
Even her coach Liz Irving admitted in an interview with BBC last month that the 32-year-old Nicol has lost some of her self-belief as she dropped to No. 3 in the world.
But then again no one wins eight world titles and reigns as the No. 1 player in the world for nine consecutive years by being negative.
And that’s what sets Nicol apart from her rivals.
On Sunday, Nicol showed that neither her rivals nor her age is going to stop her for now as she captured the Hong Kong Open title with a 15-13, 11-5, 11-3 win over world No. 2 Massaro in the final.
It was her 11th straight title in Hong Kong and her 80th career title in her 100th Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour final!
More importantly, Nicol also demonstrated her attacking game – something not often seen – by hitting 30 winners in the final compared to just eight from Massaro.
“This tournament is one of the best that I’ve ever played in ... and from now on it’s all upwards,” said Nicol.
“If I can keep playing the way I’m playing and performing well like this, then I know the titles will start to come again.
“But for now I want to celebrate with my family and friends back in Penang. I’ve been training hard in Amsterdam, so this win is an early Christmas gift,” added Nicol, whose next tournament is the Tournament of Champions in New York from Jan 7-14.
