Nicol David is widely regarded as the best female squash player of all time. Between August 2006 and September 2015 she was the world number one, a staggering record of 105 consecutive months. She is the 8-time World Open Champion, and 5-Time British Open Champion. But how much is she worth?
Nicol David is worth around $88million. Some of this has come through her numerous tournament wins. The bulk of this fortune has been received through endorsements and sponsorships.
I will take a look at an overview of her predicted net worth, her tournament wins, her sponsorships, endorsements and any other sources of income, to examine how much this remarkable athlete has made out of the sport.
Nicol David’s Net Worth
Nicol David features prominently on lists of the richest athletes in Malaysia and more often than not she appears at the top of those lists.
The figure that often gets bandied about, and the one we believe to be reasonably accurate, is that of $88-million. If that is the case – and it quite possibly is – then a lot of that money is probably being made from the endorsement deals and commercial ventures that she has.
Beyond her sporting talents, Nicol David has often been lauded for her academic capabilities. She comes from a family with a strong academic background and that probably has a considerable amount to do with it.
Her father is an engineer and she considered a career in that field too – being a straight A student. There is very little doubt about her capacity to maximize the earning potential that an outstanding squash career has created for her.
According to a list published by Top Richest, Nicol David has a greater net worth than the most prominent football and badminton players in Malaysia – sporting codes that are far more celebrated in that country and in Asia generally.
In a biography posted on the Information Cradle, it was also reported that Nicol David has a net worth of $88-million. They also ranked her as the richest athlete in Malaysia. What is perhaps worth nothing about all of these reports is that almost nothing is said about Nicol David’s relationships.
We are going to operate on the wild assumption that she is not dating and that she has no plans to marry. If the net worth really is $88-million, then that money is probably safe – in the long term.
Celebstrendnow estimates that Nicol David’s tournament earnings have ranged between $100k-$1-million.
The eliteshared publication also reports that Nicol David’s net worth is in the region of $88-million. Another aspect which needs to be taken into consideration is that while reporting on her earnings varies, there is little to no clarity on how she spends her money and on what.
Idol Net Worth also reports that Nicol David is worth $88-million.
Tournament Wins
Throughout her glittering career, Nicol David won 80 professional titles, having competed in 100 tournament finals. She tops the list for both categories. Nicol David also tops the list for World Series titles and final appearances, by a country mile actually.
She has won 61 World Series events, having appeared in 71 World Series events. So, not only did Nicol David win a lot of tournaments but she also won most of the bigger tournaments. Bigger tournaments mean more money.
Nicol David won the World Squash Championships eight times during her glittering career. Five of those titles were consecutive – between 2008 and 2012. Along the way she claimed the scalps of Rachael Grinham, Natalie Grinham (twice), Vicky Botwright, Omneya Abdel Kawy, Jenny Duncalf, Laura Massaro and Raneem El Weleily.
Make no mistake, it has all been hard work for the Malaysian giant.
The total tournament purse in 2005 was $72,500. The total tournament purse in 2006 was $112,500.
The total tournament purse was $114,000 in 2008. The total tournament purse for the successful 2009 campaign was $118,000. The total tournament purse for the successful 2010 campaign was $147,000.
This is the year when we started seeing a genuine shift in the tournament earning potential for women competing on the PSA World Tour. For her efforts, Nicol David walked away with $22,440 that year.
Nicol David continued to make it rain in 2011, where the total tournament purse was $143,000. Nicol David walked away with $21,760 for her efforts. The total tournament purse in 2012 increased to $188,000. Nicol David walked away with $28,050 after that successful campaign.
The total tournament purse in 2014 was $165,000. Nicol David walked away with $22,950 for winning her campaign.
Nicol David competed in seven British Open finals during her career and won five of those. However, we were only able to obtain the financial details for three of those British Open outings.
The total tournament purse in 2014 was $100,000. That year was the last of Nicol David’s tournament victories – recorded against Laura Massaro. For her efforts, Nicol David walked away with $14,450.
The Malaysian lost to the same opponent the year before and only won $9,200. Nicol David won her fourth British Open trophy, beating Nour El Sherbini in the 2012 final. The total tournament purse that year was $95,000.
For winning, Nicol David walked away with $13,600. Between 2011 and 2015, Nicol David won five consecutive Hong Kong Opens. Well, actually she won ten consecutive Hong Konh Opens in total but we only have the financial detail for the last five victories.
The first of those final five victories was recorded against Raneem El Weleily. For that, she walked away with $10,880.
Nicol David won her seventh Hong Kong Open, when she beat Camille Serme in the 2012 final. For that she collected $10,200 – a noteworthy step backwards really.
Nicol David won her eighth Hong Kong Open, when she beat Raneem El Weleily in the 2013 final. For that, she only collected $10,200.
Nicol David won her ninth Hong Kong Open, when she beat Nour El Tayeb in the 2014 final. For that she collected $11,390, which was a massive step forward.
Nicol David won her tenth Hong Kong Open, when she beat Laura Massaro in the 2015 final. For that, she collected $13,600. This was a significant win for Nicol David, who entered that tournament as the third seed – the first of several signs that her reign in women’s squash was nearing its end.
Malaysia’s Duracell Bunny was at the peak of her powers between 2006 and 2011, where she totally dominated the Qatar Open. She beat Natalie Grinham twice during that five-year winning streak. She beat sister Rachael Grinham once and also took out Natalie Grainger once in the desert.
Her most lucrative Qatar Open victory came in 2011 though, when she beat Madeline Perry in the final. For that, she got to walk away with $10,880.
Nicol David also enjoyed massive success at her home Malaysian Open, when she won eight titles.
Nicol David won her seventh Malaysian Open title in 2011, when she beat Jenny Duncalf in the final. She won $11,115 for that effort.
She won on her eighth Malaysian Open championship, when she beat Raneem El Weleily in the 2013 final. The winnings that year were $10,200. Not particularly mind-blowing stuff really.
When she lost to El Weleily in 2012, she only walked away with $6,900. Nicole David honestly won too many tournaments to mention but the money she won at the higher profile events that we have mentioned above, gives a clear indication how far ahead of her time David probably was. The kind of money being made now simply dwarfs what David’s generation made and that is somewhat of a tragedy really.
Racket Sponsor
Nicol David is among the most decorated civilians in the world, not just a decorated athlete. Her importance to the people of Malaysia cannot be understated. She is a source of tremendous pride and her government is well aware of it.
She has been bestowed with the Order of Merit of Malaysia, Commander of the Order of Meritorious Service, Officer of the Order of the Defender of the Realm, Member of the Order of the Defender of the Realm and Penang’s Order of the Defender of State.
She has never had to look for sponsors. Sponsors have always looked for her and they tend to find her too.
In 2001, Nicol David signed a two-year deal to play with Head rackets. That deal was facilitated by Mulpha Sports. However, in the main her career association has been with racket manufacturer WILSON.
I estimate her total racket sponsorships over the years to be somewhere around $10million.
Endorsements
The Duracell Bunny had her movement around the squash court taken care of by shoe sponsor ASICS. Nicol David’s string sponsor is LUXILON. We estimate the combination of shoe and string sponsors to be somewhere around the region of $5million.
Nicol David also has corporate associations with MERCEDES-BENZ MALAYSIA, HOTEL EQUATORIAL, EXPEDE. We estimate the these endorsements to equate to at least $20million.
Nicol David is a Laureus Ambassador, working for the Sport for Good Foundation. As part of her role, Nicol David has committed herself to promoting a healthy lifestyle through squash and also promoting the sport itself.
At the heart of the campaign, though, is the desire to change the lives of the poorest and the disadvantaged among us. We have mentioned this before and believe that it cannot be overstated.
Nicol David is probably the most important female athlete in the world right now, purely because of the strides she has made. The mantra at the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is that sport can change the world – a line borrowed from former South African President Nelson Mandela.
The foundation raises funds for and supports in the region of 150 projects around the world. Nicol David’s role is not a small one and there may well be a financial implication to that.
Nicol David is also a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador. Her influence extends well beyond the squash court. That was demonstrated when she was requested to carry the Olympic torch for Malaysia, despite squash not even being an Olympic sport.