NICOL DAVID is the most successful Malaysian female squash player of all time and despite relinquishing both her British Open and World Open crowns in 2007 reclaimed both titles in emphatic style last year and has held onto her World No.1 ranking for thirty-seven successive months.
In a glittering junior career, Nicol won the Women’s World Junior title in June 1999 and then became the first player to retain the title with victory in her home town of Penang two years later.
Instrumental in her development from an athletic retriever into a rounded tactician was a move to Amsterdam in 2003 to be based with Australian Liz Irving. Her relocation accelerated her breakthrough into the top flight and in the closing months of 2005 she claimed her maiden British Open and World Open titles to ensure her position as No.1 in the first World Rankings published in 2006.
Despite the weight of awards and expectations, Nicol’s impressive form in winning her second World Games title indicates that she may destined for a prolonged period as the world’s dominant player.