In a statement, the squash queen from Penang said she will officially retire at the end of the 2018/2019 Professional Squash Association (PSA) season in June.

David said she knew that this season would be her last.

“My mind and body have battled it out to stay at the very top of my game for such a long time that I feel that I only have this last big push left for the final season to give it all I have before I enter the next phase of my life.”

The 35-year-old is considered one of the most successful squash players of all time, winning eight world championships.

She also won five British Open titles and bagged gold medals in the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Games.

David, who turned professional in 2000, was voted as the greatest female squash player of all time in a Professional Squash Association poll last year.

She was also ranked first in the world for 109 consecutive months.

“This is a moment that every athlete must go through – to explore fully what more there is in store for them. I am now at this point in my life, ready to take on more beyond the pro tour,” she said.