NATALIE GRAINGER has never discovered a focus and level of commitment which has allowed her to scale the heights that her undeniable talent richly deserves, but if there is to be a surprise challenge it could come from the personable Manchester born former South African who recently celebrated a climb to No.2 in the World Rankings following a welcome return to form which included a surprise win over Nicol David in the CIMB KL Open in Malaysia in March.
Despite her label as a perennial underachiever, the 32-year-old has won twenty-three World Tour titles, from forty-four finals, and topped the world rankings for one month in June 2003.
At the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Grainger won bronze for South Africa in both the Women’s and Mixed Doubles, partnered by Claire Nitch and Rodney Durbach respectively, and after a brief flirtation with English citizenship, she transferred her allegiance to the US for whom she secured an individual crown at the Pan American Games in July 2007.
Time may now be short for Grainger, but that should focus her mind and make her short game even more of an area to beware