KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia's world No.1 Nicol David warned competition was now tougher than ever as she sets out to defend her title at the world women's championships on her home island of Penang.
The peerless David, who has won a record seven world titles and has held the top ranking since 2006, is the hot favourite to lift the trophy for the eighth time.
The 30-year-old can help boost Malaysian spirits after the disappearance of flight Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 with 239 passengers on board nine days ago caused widespread shock.
David has made a turbo-charged start to the year, winning back-to-back titles at the Tournament of Champions and Cleveland Classic in January and February.
But despite being the overwhelming favourite in Penang, she said it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her challengers at bay.
"There is not much separating the top 10 players and the gap is certainly getting closer," David said.
"Anyone in the top 10 is capable of ousting each other, so I have to be on top of my game as everyone will be out to get me."
The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the Asian Games in South Korea and the world team championships are also on David's 2014 schedule in what is shaping up as a busy year.
"I am 30 now and the sport is very demanding," she said. "I have to pay extra attention to my preparation and recovery for each match and I can't push my body too much compared to when I was younger.
"Having said that, I still aim to compete at the highest level for at the least the next five years."
The top seed and defending champion will open her account against England's Emma Beddoes in a draw which appears to have given her a favourable route to the final.
Should she make the title match on Saturday, her biggest rival Laura Massaro of England, the second seed, will hope to lie in wait.
Massaro's main obstacle in the bottom half of the draw looks to be third seed Raneem El Weleily of Egypt. David's last world title win came at the expense of Massaro back in 2012.
The pocket-sized champion will be joined by compatriots Low Wee Wern and wildcard entry Vanessa Raj in the main draw.
