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 Nicol
David, winner of the Dutch Open, has just reached world no.3, her highest
ever ranking and one the Malaysian Press tells us is the highest ever for a
Malaysian sportsperson, That will give you some idea of her standing in
Malaysia. She has always been a precocious squash talent.
In 2001 Ian McKenzie, The
Squash Player editor, stopped of in Penang, Malaysia to visit her and have a
little hit. In the following article reproduced from The Squash Player
magazine he tells of his experience.I'm not making excuses but first off I'd
like to say that I was in terrible shape. It had been summer in England and
I hadn't done anything for months. Penang was a stop-over on the long flight
back to England from New Zealand and I hadn't done too much there either.
I'm not a great player but not too bad and a game of squash with a
16-year-old girl - even if she was reputedly pretty good - would be a nice
bit of recreation.
My legs went
after two points. It was hot in Penang and humid - not that I'm making
excuses. My heart rate hit a worrying level and seemed to stick there. My
play was infuriatingly predictable this kid was like Jansher Khan around the
court. It was unfair; she probably only weighed a couple of stone, floated
around the court on air and lunged low to pick up my best short stuff with
relative ease. I wasn't ready for this. My lips started making goldfish
impressions as my lungs sucked in more air but my body was unable to extract
the oxygen and transport it to where it was most needed - my legs. Why
didn't she make a mistake?
I had to slow down, use my brain - a little
tactical sophistication should see this kid off. Coach Richard Glanfield
said they had been working on her weakness in the air. I threw up some lobs
as high as the 2,000 metre Penang Hill. Some weakness - 9-2 to Nicol David.
I took a walk around the car park between games as Nicol, nice girl that she
is, went to fetch me a glass of water before subjecting me to a drought in
the second, 9-0.
I needed points desperately. The
possibility of a stroke passed through my mind - the medical version. She
was hardly drawing breath and I'm sure she eased up in the third to allow me
a face-saving six points. Three games were enough. I wanted a re-match but
not that week.
This is not a young lady to underestimate.
She doesn't do everything that well - that's the frightening thing - there
is room for improvement. Nicol is an exceptional mover, she is fast but also
economical. Like all great players she reads the game easily and naturally,
which allows her to arrive early for her shots, depriving her opponents of
time. This gives her another attribute of great players - time on the ball.
She hits easily and naturally and it will get better. In charge of this
talent is a squash brain - unencumbered as yet with excess expectations.
She's competitive, gutsy and possesses a genuine enthusiasm for the sport.
Nicol can probably handle any full-time professional in squash outside the
top 20. Not bad for a schoolgirl.
 The second half of
2000 was a quiet time for her as she was studying for exams. In Malaysia
these are called the SPM (Srjil Penilaian Menengah), perhaps the equivalent
of O-levels in Britain. She studied six core subjects (English, Malay,
Maths, Science, History and Moral studies - which is compulsory and examines
moral values applied to practical situations; it must be memorised) and four
options (Additional Maths, Accounting, Economics and Art). She has no
favourite subjects but likes Art, which isn't in her sylubus; she takes it
as an extra subject and receives extra tuition in it.
Having just finished her fifth form exams
Nicol must now decide whether to stay at school for another two years, go to
sixth form college or take a year out.
I could try the circuit out and see where I
stand amongst the other players in WISPA and prepare for the world juniors
in Penang, says Nicol.
I need to build strength. While studying
for my exams I was busy and concentrated on working on my shots and building
fitness and strength. Strength is one of my weak points and I need to work
on sharpening up my shots. It is hard to find time to do everything. These
will come when I'm full time. When I'm stronger I'll be able to be more
aggressive and more attacking. I need to be able to put the ball away.
As well as working with coach Richard
Glanfield in Penang, Nicol is following a fitness programme with Jorge
Deichann, who works for the National Sports Council in Kuala Lumpur and who
assists the other elite athletes Kenneth Low, Yap Kock Four, Azlandar, and
Tricia Chua.
Nicol is a busy girl. While studying, she
managed one training session a day. School started at 7.30am and finished at
1pm. After lunch and a rest she played squash at 3 and from 5 to 7pm. She
had extra private tuiton in Maths, Malay and Accounts.
Everyone has extra tuiton, she says.
At 7pm she has dinner, maybe relaxes with a
little TV and does her homework. Most days she is on-line e-mailing her
friends and checking the squashplayer site. E-mails go mainly to squash and
school friends and to her friend Tricia.
Saturdings are free; sometimes she goes out
with her sisters and has the afternoon off until she goes to the courts at
4. Sunday is for rest and church. She goes to the Roman Catholic church of
the 'Holy Spirit' and also to the 'Immaculate Conception' with her family
and from 2 til 4 takes her extra art class.
From December with exams behind her Nicol
has been able to train twice a day - something she has never been able to do
before.
Would playing squash full time be boring?
she was asked.
I'll find other things to do. I will be
freer to spend time with friends and family. And shopping.
Coach Glanfield is clear about the things
Nicol needs to improve on but cautious about pushing her too far at an early
age. He sees her being most successful in the happy and supportive
environment she has in Penang, perhaps with more regular trips for
competition and training to Kuala Lumpur. Nicol's main weakness is in the
air, he says, and the girls have learnt to exploit it.
His view is that she is world top 20
standard tactically, technically and psychologically but that she is not yet
strong enough to handle the bigger girls and the pressure they apply.
She can compete but she breaks down
physically, he says.
Last year in senior events Nicol came
runner-up in the Danish Open and won the Finnish. In the Swiss after 16
matches in 17 days she was 'spent' and lost to Angus Muller in the
semi-finals.
She is too good for her age but not ready
to become a full time professional, he says. The physical development is not
there for her level of play. It has created problems. She will lean towards
studying and combining that with squash.
 So
as not to overtrain a growing body, some of Nicol's aerobic and anaerobic
work has been transferred to Penang's outdoor swimming pool, a luxury her
European rivals don't have. Glanfield explains that treading water for 75
seconds is equivalent to doing 400 metre sprints.
You are running in water without touching
the bottom but because of the movement of arms and legs you stay up,
explains Glanfield.
There are benefits because you have
resistance both up and down whereas in running you just push up. It is
impossible to get injured, you can work harder and the rest period to remove
the lactic acid can be spent in the pool.
Aerobic sessions in the pool last 20 to 30
minutes; anaerobic sessions consist of 10 sets of 75 seconds and five sets
of repetition sprints which last 10-15 seconds.
Nicol chooses the type of training she does
- whether it is in the pool, on the track, on a bike or on court - and the
exercises as well.
It is good all round conditioning and it
keeps her motivated, says Glanfield.
On court they work out with basic routines
and after each tournament pick out things from tournaments to work on.
Filling holes that have been spotted, says
Glanfield.
Nicol is a quick learner but there is no
rush. We are taking a gradual approach to her development. A lot of people
are in a hurry for her to make it to the top. But it is important that she
doesn't compromise her personal life, her development as an adult and her
enjoyment of squash.
I first coached her at 11 and I said at the
time, if you could keep her smiling she can be world champion. We want to
keep all aspects of her life in harmony. Too many coaches neglect important
aspects of the player's life while focusing on immediate goals.
When we go away to tournaments, we always
go sightseeing. We want to keep things in perspective and enjoy it.
At 12 she used to bounce down the steps to
the club with her squash shorts under her school dress, really keen to get
on court. I want to maintain that enthusiasm.
Nicol has now finished her exams, in which
she managed seven grade As. In 2001/02 she will take a year out and next
year start her A-levels mixed with selected tournaments. Since then she has
been catching up on events, playing in the Kuala Lumpur, Munich, Toronto,
Milo and Las Vegas Opens.
 In June she will
compete in the British Open and in July there is another important event in
her home town - the World Junior Championships.
Last year she did not play the British or
World Opens nor defend her title at the British Open Junior Championship as
exams took precedence. In her absence another outstanding junior Omneya
Abdel Kawy took the title. The Egyptian girl is different from Nicol, more
attacking and deceptive whereas Nicol is the sublime mover of the junior
women's game.
Nicol now has a rival and it will be a
fascinating battle for ascendency as the two prepare for the World Junior
Championships.
But Nicol and her coach will be looking
beyond that. Here is a player of outstanding promise. Let's hope she can
keep enjoying it - we'll be able to monitor that by her smile.
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