GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands: Nicol David, the most successful squash player of the professional era, plans to continue competing till the end of the decade irrespective of whether squash is accepted into the Olympics.

David’s carefully crafted 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 win over England’s Laura Massaro, which on Friday, extended her record of World Open titles to seven, revealed how she is evolving as a player with extremely long term ambitions.

The 29-year-old’s movement was as light and flexible as ever, and was allied to reassuring steadiness of temperament as Massaro threatened to get a grip of the second game.

Afterwards David was clear in her mind about the direction in which she is going.

“I have to keep my body in shape. I might go on another seven years anyway but the Olympics would add meaning to it,” she said.

“I am working to keep going another five to seven years anyway, but the Olympics would be great.”

If she succeeds, which looks quite possible, David would be almost 37 — close to the age at which Heather McKay, the legendary Australian, retired after winning the first two of the fledgling World Open championships in 1979.

David is acutely aware that the physiology and sports science of an ageing body requires specific knowledge and sensitive planning and she may talk about this to the record-breaking 16 times British Open champion.

“I spoke with Heather McKay twice, at the Australian Open, and I was humbled to meet her,” said David.

Though David has hinted at all this before, the firmness of her utterances now reflect how she is becoming her own person, clearer about the importance of squash to her long-term destiny.

This growing independence is also suggested by the fact that this will be the first Christmas spent at her adopted home in Amsterdam rather than at her origins at Penang, in Malaysia.

This change reflects other changes - in her self-image, self-knowledge, and capacity for stability under the constant pressure of expectations.

These have developed markedly in the last two or three years, something for which she gives much credit to Frank Cabooter, a sports psychologist at the University of Amsterdam.

This is reflected in her off-court promotional presentations, as well as training choices, and tactical decisions on court.