Michelle Martin

Early life Martin was born on 29 April 1967 in Sydney, as the fourth of six children. Her older brothers Brett and Rodney also went on to be top professional players. Her parents, who had built the Engadine Squash Centre below their family home, introduced her to the game when she was three years old. She would often play squash with her family after school, and at the age of eight, she came second in the state under-13s championship.

Career She joined the Australian Institute of Sport's squash unit shortly after its establishment in 1985, and was part of the program for the rest of the 1980s; her coaches there included squash champions Geoff Hunt and Heather McKay.

In early 1990, Martin was considering giving up the sport due to lack of progress (her world ranking had been steady at No. 6 for some years), until her uncle Lionel Robberds began coaching her, providing her with a rigorous training program of running, gym work and physical drills. Her confidence in her game and world ranking began to increase. In late 1990, she met Phil Harte, who was to be her manager from then until 1992. Harte suggested that, rather than wearing the traditional shirt and skirt during squash games, she should wear a two-piece lycra suit because it was "something sexy" that would "shake up the squash world" and gain publicity for her in the process. She agreed to do so, which caused much controversy. Rodney became Martin's coach in 1998.

She spent 44 months as the best women's squash player in the world from March 1993 to October 1996 before Cassie Jackman of England broke her dominance; she was also ranked number one in the world in 1998 and 1999. She won three consecutive World Open championships from 1993 to 1995, and was a finalist in all the World Opens from 1992 to 1999 except 1996; she also won six consecutive British Opens from 1993 to 1998. She represented her country at the 1996 and 1999 Squash World Cups, and won gold medals in the sport at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in the women's singles and mixed doubles. She also won the Australian Open in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, and 1999. At the end of 1999 she announced her retirement, saying she had achieved all her goals in the sport.

World Open

Finals: 7 (3 titles, 4 runners-up)

Outcome Year Location Opponent in the final Score in the final Runner-up 1992 Women's World Open Squash Championship Vancouver, Canada Susan Devoy 9–4, 9–6, 9–4 Winner 1993 Women's World Open Squash Championship Johannesburg, South Africa Liz Irving 9–2, 9–2, 9–1 Winner 1994 Women's World Open Squash Championship Saint Peter Port, Guernsey Cassie Jackman 9–1, 9–0, 9–6 Winner 1995 Women's World Open Squash Championship Hong Kong Sarah Fitz-Gerald 8–10, 9–2, 9–6, 9–3 Runner-up 1997 Women's World Open Squash Championship Sydney, Australia Sarah Fitz-Gerald 9–5, 5–9, 6–9, 9–2, 9–3 Runner-up 1998 Women's World Open Squash Championship Stuttgart, Germany Sarah Fitz-Gerald 10–8, 9–7, 2–9, 3–9, 10–9 Runner-up 1999 Women's World Open Squash Championship Seattle, United States Cassie Campion 9–6, 9–7, 9–7

World Team Championships

Finals: 6 (4 title, 2 runner-up)

Outcome Year Location Opponent in the final Score in the final Runner-up 1987 Women's World Team Squash Championships Auckland, New Zealand England 2–1 Runner-up 1990 Women's World Team Squash Championships Sydney, Australia England 2–1 Winner 1992 Women's World Team Squash Championships Vancouver, Canada New Zealand 2–1 Winner 1994 Women's World Team Squash Championships Saint Peter Port, Guernsey England 3–0 Winner 1996 Women's World Team Squash Championships Petaling Jaya, Malaysia England 2–1 Winner 1998 Women's World Team Squash Championships Stuttgart, Germany England 3–0

Personal life Martin was married to Stephen Lacy, who was also her manager when she played professional squash, and the couple has two sons.

Recognition In 1994, Martin was named New South Wales Sportswoman of the Year. She received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000 and a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2013. She was inducted into the World Squash Hall of Fame, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, and the Australian Institute of Sport "Best of the Best" in 2001.