Winning five international tournaments and going unbeaten, Malaysia's Nicol David has coolly conquered all before her so far this year, but last week squash's world number one turned into a blubbering mess.
On a visit to her home town of Penang, David was reduced to tears of joy when the local squash centre where her talent was first spotted at the age of eight was re-named after her. Four hours away, in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, an advertising campaign for a sports energy drink sees her share huge billboards with soccer superstars Kaka and Frank Lampard.
David is already sporting royalty in Malaysia - carrying the revered title of 'datuk' - and admired in neighbouring Singapore and Brunei. And later this month, the four-time world champion returns to a place with special sentimental value for the Hong Kong Squash Open from August 23-29.
'Hong Kong is one of the highlights of the year for me because it's where I won my first world title [in 2005], so I'm really looking forward to it and excited to go back there again,' she said.
The visit launches a hectic phase of a year that will see David defend her world title in Egypt, try to win her first Commonwealth crown in New Delhi and represent Malaysia at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, all in the space of nine weeks.
But David, who will turn 27 on August 26, isn't concerned about her work load. She skipped this week's Australian Open in Canberra to stay fresh for the challenges ahead.
