Looking just as beautiful and charming as when she first decided to leave Guyana and campaign on the International Professional Circuit five years ago, Squash star Nicolette Fernandes returned home from England recently for a brief visit and to enjoy a short interval from her grinding schedule.
Kaieteur Sport caught up with the No.28 ranked player in the World at the Georgetown Club where she attended the opening of the Toucan Industries Mashramani Junior Open Tournament last Tuesday.
Fernandes told Kaieteur Sport that she is currently nursing a slight knee injury which she believes might have been sustained after playing back to back tournaments late last year on extremely hard surfaces. She added that the injury was not a major worry, but it just required a little rest and everything should be okay very soon. The local star, however, did not say how long she'll be here for, but was expected to return shortly to play in a tournament in Qatar.
Commenting on her achievement of winning the 2006 Sportswoman of the year award, Fernandes related that ever since she was a child, she always felt it would be nice to do so and even though she had won it before, the feeling is always special. “It is always a good feeling when you are recognised by your local people.”
Reflecting on the past year, Fernandes indicated that it was a mixed one which begun on a negative note, citing her injury at the Commonwealth Games that sidelined her for two months, but subsequently ended on a high after a string of consistent performances.
“After recovering from the injury, I went on to win gold at the Central American & Caribbean (CAC) Games and also registered victories over a few top-ranked players which included Englishwoman Jenny Duncalf, who was ranked No.8 in the World at the time and the 6th seed at the Women's World Open Championship,” Fernandes informed.
“Another major highlight was when I was voted the most improved player of the year by Women's International Squash Players Association (WISPA) after reaching a career high ranking of 28. I was the biggest mover in the World rankings among the top fifty (50) players for the month of November.”
Sounding like the ultimate professional, Fernandes pointed out that even though the year ended on a good note, she still had to forget about it and think about the new one.
She disclosed that so far this year, she has participated in two tournaments, losing in the qualifying round of one and the first round of the other, clearly not the kind of results anticipated.
The twenty-three year old Guyanese indicated that playing on the PRO Circuit is very demanding and being away from home for the past five years has been extremely tough, especially when you've spent all of your life with your family.
“It's a sacrifice and with their support I've managed to make the adjustment,” Fernandes said. “I don't get to spend longer than two weeks in England, you basically travel every fortnight and sometimes even getting to the tournaments can take a long time.”
She said because of the strenuous nature of the Circuit, one can easily experience a dip in motivation and that is when you just have to try and change up a few things to get back on track.
Responding to the question on how she trains, Fernandes proclaimed that it is a frequently asked one that she has no answers for. According to her it depends on the level of the tournament, but basically every day is different and you just have to adapt to that particular day. All in all, she revealed that playing on the Circuit has been enjoyable.
Kaieteur Sport would like to extend their best wishes to Nicolette for an even better year, one in which she eventually reaches to the very top echelons of the world rankings.