Belgian Nele Gilis is usually composed on the court, but the world No. 7 becomes a bundle of nerves whenever she watches her fiance and fellow squash professional Paul Coll's matches.
"For my own matches, I'm pretty relaxed most of the time. But, when Paul plays, you want to see him happy, so you want him to win, so it makes me more nervous," said the 27-year-old, who is in town for the US$225,000 (S$306,000) Singapore Squash Open at the OCBC Arena.
"There are all these advantages to having your partner (in the same sport). On the flip side, you have two people you're focusing on... which can also be mentally draining at times, especially if they're close matches."
The same can be said for world No. 5 Coll, who tries to conceal the jitters he gets when he is supporting Gilis.
The 31-year-old New Zealander said: "I get pretty nervous when Nele is playing but I try not to show it because she's looking at the back and I want to be calm so she's not getting too nervous.
"But it's great to watch her play she's improving and learning and it's really nice to be there experiencing that journey with her."
Esta historia es de la edición November 17, 2023 de The Straits Times.
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Esta historia es de la edición November 17, 2023 de The Straits Times.
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