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Youngster Nickhileswar's flair lights up the fans despite exit in Penang
Entertainer: M. Nickhileswar (right) on court with Tay Jun Qian (left) during the National Championships in Penang. Credit - SRAM
PETALING JAYA: Young squash player M. Nickhileswar has a flair for showmanship and he is not afraid to let it shine on court.
The 17-year-old admitted that he enjoyed entertaining the crowd, and that side of him was on full display at the National Championships in Penang last week.
Although Nickhileswar bowed out in the quarter-finals after a spirited 8-11, 7-11, 8-11 defeat to Sanjay Jeeva, the youngster still managed to rally the spectators with his lively on-court presence, which is a stark contrast to his laid-back personality off court.
"Off-court, I'm very chill, I like to joke around. But on the court, I'm serious, I want to win," said Nickhileswar. "Obviously I don't want to cross the line, but there's the entertainer side of me where I like to get the crowd going and have some fun with my squash." In his first appearance at the national level, the youngster relished the experience, soaking in the atmosphere and testing himself against the country's best. "I think it was a good experience for me to play in Penang, as it gave me the opportunity to play against some of the top players in the country," he said. "It was a tough loss, but I think I played some of my best squash, and it gave me the confidence that I can keep up with the senior players. "I don't think I can beat them yet, but I'm still a junior, and I'm young with a lot of time." Having completed his International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) in June, Nickhileswar said he would spent the rest of the year polishing his skills in the sport before starting his foundation programme at Sunway University next year. "I'll be squeezing in as much training as I can, and at the same time play as many tournaments as I can to get my ranking up," said Nickhileswar. "I hope to get into the top 200 by the end of the year. Most importantly, I want to be in the best possible condition to train and play well." Nickhileswar will be competing in the Tuanku Muhriz Trophy in Seremban from Aug 27-31 next, before heading to Greece and Italy for several PSA Challenger events.
