KUALA LUMPUR: National squash men’s No. 1 player, Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan has set himself two targets this year – to do the best he can at the Asian Individual Championships and finish in the top 20 of the world rankings.
The 32-year-old, who emerged champion the last time Malaysia hosted the Asian meet in 2011 in Penang, did not rule out the possibility of repeating that feat when the tournament is held at the National Squash Centre here from May 1-5.
“I began preparing for the meet since last year because it is one of my main targets for this year. I haven’t thought about winning it, but I will do my best.
“In terms of ranking, it is getting harder but I want to at least be in the top 20 by the end of the year,” said the world No.36 after being declared the 2018 Best Male Player at the Squash Racquet Association of Malaysia (SRAM) awards night on Friday.
Last year proved to be the best in his career when he bagged a historic bronze for Malaysia in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in men’s singles before collecting the men’s team gold and men’s singles bronze at the Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang.
Apart from that, the Kuala Terengganu-born player also won the Manitoba Open and was runner-up at the Montreal Open in Canada.
“Last year’s success has not given me an extra edge for this year…I still have to work hard to raise my performance level as I want to be a good role model for the younger players.
“I still have the energy to keep improving, but sometimes you need to have luck on your side at the right time and place to win tournaments,” said Mohd Nafiizwan, who will begin his 2019 campaign at the Pittsburgh Open in the United States from Feb 6-10.
This will be followed by the World Championships in Chicago, also in the United States, from Feb 23-March 2 and the Canada Cup in Toronto from March 3-7.
Mohd Nafiizwan, however, admitted that he would miss the presence of former head coach Peter Genever, who is set to leave the national set-up on Feb 28 after serving for seven years.
However, the 32-year-old reiterated that he was mature enough to face the challenges on his own and that he could still contact Genever if needed. – Bernama
