World No 1 Gaultier set to boost Masters event in Mumbai

With 16 Professional Squash Association (PSA) titles and 36 final appearances this far, France's World No 1 Gregory Gaultier is a clear favourite going into the Punj Lloyd-PSA Masters to be played at the Bombay Gymkhana from December 5-10.

The No 1 tag comes with its pressures, but the 26-year-old is not bothered about that yet given he only got the top billing earlier this month and is still to get over it. "I have been aiming at this for the last two, three years. It's a relief that I've finally achieved it. I can now just enjoy my squash," said Gaultier, who in a sensational 12 months competed in 11 PSA World Tour events and reached eight finals.

Gaultier attributed his success to the French Squash Federation. "The federation is not really rich but they have supported me since I was a kid. I was in a sports institute since the age of 13. I had a permanent coach and most of my training partners were older than me and played in the national team," said Gaultier, who won two European titles, a British Junior Open crown and a berth in the world individual final during his junior career.

France's second World No 1 after Thierry Lincou, Gaultier is a huge football fan like most Europeans. And the recent Thierry Henry hand ball incident, where the French striker handled the ball to help teammate William Gallas score and dump Ireland out of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, has not gone down too well with him. "It's not the best way to win. It's a shame that the referees didn't see it, they need to get the video assistance to referee better," said Gaultier, who also confessed his ignorance about India's favourite sport cricket. "I watched a bit on TV but never really understood how it works or the scoring either," he said.

The world's top 32 players qualify for the year-ending PSA Masters based on their ranking points.