NATIONAL squash legend Nicol Ann David is of the view that the national squash players need more exposure through participation in international tournaments to reach the level she did in her heyday.

Nicol, who held the world number one female squash player spot for a record 112 months, said it will help them gain experience in battling other top players, helping them improve their current performance.

“Overall, their level is quite good, but there is still a lot of room for improvement, including by giving them exposure to compete with the best players in the world before they can achieve the success I have achieved before,” she told Bernama recently.

The eight-time world champion said the most important thing is the cooperation of all parties, including the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia and the National Sports Council, in ensuring national players can perform at their best level.

Based on the world ranking of the Professional Squash Association, the country’s best player at the moment, S. Sivasangari, is ranked 18th with 3,050 points.

Nicol is optimistic that Sivasangari, who was involved in a road accident in June last year, will be able to get back to her usual performance soon.

“After meeting her recently, I see she is still eager to train hard. It is hoped that she will not rush (in the training sessions) and follows the instructions given as best as possible because I am sure she can rise (again),” she said.

Nicol said she is busy managing and training 60 children from low- and medium-income families in her foundation – the Nicol David Organisation.

She expects to receive 60 more schoolchildren to participate in programmes by her foundation, which also offers English language tutorials run by the United States embassy in Kuala Lumpur, next month.

Nicol hung up her racquet in June 2019. – Bernama, February 4, 2023.