from England Squash and Racketball
World champion Laura Massaro is aiming to use the experience she gained from her Commonwealth Games debut four years ago to push for gold on two fronts in Glasgow later this month.
The 30-year-old Lancastrian lost to eventual champion Nicol David in the quarter-finals of the singles as fifth seed in Delhi and partnered Jenny Duncalf to the silver medal in the doubles, where they were beaten by New Zealanders Jaclyn Hawkes and Joelle King in the final.
However, Massaro is seeded second in Glasgow behind the world no.1 from Malaysia, while she and Duncalf are favourites for the doubles title following the retirement of Hawkes.
“Delhi was my first Commonwealth Games, so I was expecting a lot from the experience, because everyone had said how amazing the Games are – and it was incredible,” she said.
“The amount of pressure on me I didn’t really realise until I got there and it’s something I’m trying to take into Glasgow.
“But what I’m really excited about this time is the crowds and the amount of people who will be watching, as it is as close to a home Games as I’m going to get. Hopefully the English crowds will get behind us.”
With no tournament since the Allam British Open in May, the world no.2 cannot wait for the squash action to start in Glasgow on July 24.
“My preparations are going really well for both the singles and doubles,” she said. “The doubles with Jenny is improving week on week and we’re getting a lot more confident.
“The last few weeks of training have been really hard work and tiring, but hopefully we’ll start taking down the recovery in the next couple of weeks.
“The build-up to the Games is really starting to hit us now and it’s something I’m looking forward to.”
