Delia Arnold, who just turned 30 last month, never imagined to be in the position she is in today. The Professional Squash Association (PSA) world No. 15 said that playing professional squash for a living has not been her number one ambition ever since she was a child.
She said she began fooling around with a squash racket with her brother Timothy Arnold, who is a former professional squash player as well. She started at the age of 10, and twenty years later, she is regarded as one of the best squash players of Malaysian history.
“I never pictured myself as a professional squash player, let alone playing squash but every single time I joined a competition, my PSA ranking improved, so I decided to carry on.
“I do not know when I will stop playing, but as long as I physically can, I will try to make a name for Malaysia on an international level,” the national No. 2 told Sinar Harian.
Delia Arnold also revealed that World No. 2 Nicol David is the main reason she would be willing to work hard and strive to be the best squash player in the world one day.
She said that Nicol became her idol a long time ago after witnessing what she is capable of doing and achieved throughout her squash career. That made her even more enthusiastic in following the footsteps of the Pulau Pinan-born star.
“Nicol and I always meet in domestic and international competitions, which made us very close. I have a good relationship with her.
“Unfortunately, she is too good and I will never have a chance to beat her,” she said jokingly.
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