www.sarahfitz-gerald.com SARAH FITZ-GERALD REVEALS NEW CAREER PLANS Australia's record five-times World Squash Champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald, regarded by many as the finest woman player of all-time, has revealed on her official website www.SarahFitz-Gerald.com that she has decided to withdraw from the Women's International Squash Players' Association (WISPA) World Tour to move into a new phase of her playing career. In a record breaking 2002, the 34-year-old World No1 from Melbourne won the Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games in England; extended her WISPA World Tour haul to 61 titles; helped Australia to reclaim the Women's World Team Championships in Denmark; and then went on to successfully defend the World Championship title which she has now won a record five times. Off-court, Sarah stunned the sports world by scoring a remarkable double at the Australian Sports Awards - winning both the 'Female Athlete of the Year' and the prestigious 'Dawn Fraser Award' for the overall sports personality of the year, ahead of candidates such as tennis player Lleyton Hewitt and swimmer Ian Thorpe! "I have had a wonderful time playing on the World Tour since winning the World Junior title in 1987," said Fitz-Gerald. "I was fortunate to come back from surgery on my left knee in 1999 stronger than ever, and I have now achieved all the targets I set myself - including reclaiming my World title in my home town Melbourne, winning the Commonwealth Games gold medal for Australia in Manchester and winning over sixty professional titles including successive British Opens. "I am very proud that the standards I have set myself have enabled me to remain unbeaten for over a year and a half - and winning a record fifth World title in Qatar in November was very satisfying," added Fitz-Gerald. "Despite what people have been assuming since I won the World Championship in Qatar, I am determined that this should not be thought of as 'retirement'. Having now achieved my goals on the World Tour, I believe that the way forward, to improve as a player and hopefully raise the bar further for the promotion of women's squash, is to concentrate on other competitive activities outside of the Tour, which I plan to announce in the near future. "I have returned to Europe to fulfil several exciting playing commitments and to work with my coach Mike Johnson, along with Jonah Barrington and Malcolm Willstrop who will continue to help and advise me," explained Fitz-Gerald. "The past four years have been a very successful but hectic time, and the disciplines required to compete consistently on the World Tour have resulted in me having to decline many invitations in other areas of competition. Whilst still at my peak as a player, I believe that the time is now right to reassess my goals and pursue these other interests and challenges. "League competition will continue to feature prominently in my schedule and I am looking forward to making history by representing Devon & Exeter in the 2003 British Super League - and so being the first woman to play in the UK's premier club competition," explained Fitz-Gerald. "I have been very fortunate to receive invaluable help and support from my coach Mike Johnson, Physio Geoff Mackay, Sports Psychologist Ken Way, along with Jonah Barrington and Malcolm Willstrop. As well as paying tribute to them for helping me achieve so much on the World Tour, I look forward to continuing to work with all of them during the next exciting phase of my playing career. "I have discussed my plans with Squash Australia and hope to continue to represent my country at future national team championships. Having also outlined my plans with my principal sponsors Dunlop, e-squash, Hi-Tec and SquashDiscount.com, I am thrilled to have recently signed new agreements with each company - which will see me continue to use what I consider to be the best squash equipment available, products which have played an integral part in my success to date," Fitz-Gerald concluded.