Squash ace Joelle King is determined to end her playing career on her terms.
An ongoing back issue followed by a torn meniscus has kept her sidelined since October 2023, causing her PSA world ranking to drop from fourth to 16th during that time.
“It’s extremely frustrating -doing a back injury and rehabbing that and then when you think you’re on the home stretch, another thing pops up,” King told Newstalk ZB.
She’s overcome worse - a ruptured Achilles in 2014 saw her drop out of the top 50.
If there’s any consolation this time around, her return to New Zealand is King’s longest stint at home since she was 18, after years of travelling the globe solo on the world tour.
Spending time with loved ones and training at the High Performance Sport New Zealand base in Cambridge has breathed life into the 35-year-old as she enters the back end of her career.
Joelle King in action in 2022.
However, her latest setback with a knee injury has extended her stretch on the mend and with the squash season wrapping up in June, King is intent on getting some playing time under her belt.
King’s experience on the tour has allowed her to become wiser in making rational calls in her recovery.
“The last tournament of the season will be the British Open, so really hoping that I can be back on court before the season’s over just to see where we’re at, but it’s all going to be down to what’s going on with my body,” she added.
“I’m not 25, feeling like everything has to happen now, so I’m a lot more forgiving of my body - and when it tells me it’s in pain or we need to relax a little bit, I’m probably more open to listening to the body as opposed to that ‘go hard or go home’ mentality and pushing through it.”
But while she’s in no rush to get back on the court, the five-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist knows the hourglass for her career is close to running empty.
Just how many particles of sand remain is unknown.
“I don’t know if we can extend it any more,” King admits. “It’s been nearly 20 years playing pro and a big part of that at the top and I’ve been competing week in and week out.”
King concedes the thought of retirement crossed her mind while she was injured, but she’s driven to hang up her racquet herself instead of being forced into it.
“I think anyone at my age and having a career for this long, when something like this happens [retirement] comes into your mind and it has.
“It’s just motivated me to prove to myself that I can come back from this and that I can still find a purpose and a reason to try and come back.
“In 10 years, I can look back and be proud that that’s what I did and leave when I’m ready and not have my last season remembered as one where I was in pain.
“It’s to make myself proud for this last push in my career.”
A couple of “dangling carrots”, as King puts it, are keeping her motivated to prolong her time on the court.
The possibility of claiming an 11th New Zealand national title in July and separating herself from fellow 10-time winner Dame Susan Devoy has a part to play. But King is more concerned with the impact her return to the court will have on others.
Dame Susan Devoy and Joelle King.
“I don’t think people realise how special that is for me, coming back and being able to compete and be the best player in New Zealand, not just to beat Susan’s record,” she said.
“To be in the same calibre as someone like her who did what she did is cool, but it’s that inspiration of the next generation which is the most important part of coming back.”
Another incentive is representing New Zealand at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, with squash finally given the green light to join the Games.
“We joke about this - maybe this little break now has set me up to try and come back and play at the Olympics.
“To just go once in my lifetime would be an amazing thing at the end of my career, but we’ve got so many youngsters coming through too, who I’m sure are going to be trying to take that spot.
“It’s not a yes, it’s not a no, it’s a maybe and watch this space.”
Elijah Fa’afiu is a Multimedia Journalist for Newstalk ZB and the New Zealand Herald.
