Danielle Drady-Harte

Danielle Drady (born 13 October 1967, in Sydney, New South Wales) is a former professional squash player from Australia, who was ranked the World No. 2 woman player in march 1990.

Danielle Drady-Harte
Country Australia
ResidenceGold Coast
Born (1967-10-13) 13 October 1967
Sydney
Turned Pro1987
Highest ranking2 (March 1990)
Medal record
Women's squash
Representing  Australia
World Championships
1990 Sydney Singles
Last updated on: July 2017.

Biography

Danielle Drady is a Māori Australian from the Ngāti Maru iwi (tribe). Drady's mother Prue Drady migrated to Australia in 1961 from the Wātene family Mātai Whetu marae near Thames on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island.[1]

Drady became interested in the sport as a young child when she started tagging along with her mother to her twice-weekly social squash gatherings at a local club. She won the Queensland under-12 championship in 1978, and then went on to claim state and national championships and an under-19 world team crown in her junior years. In 1984, Drady joined the Australian Institute of Sport in Brisbane.[2]

Drady turned professional in 1987, and began to steadily climb the world rankings. Her relationship with one of the top men's players, Rodney Martin, also attracted attention in the late-1980s and early-1990s.

Having reached the World No. 2 ranking in 1991, the World No. 1 spot appeared to be within Drady's reach. However, her chances were dashed when she snapped her achilles tendon during a practice match. The injury required immediate surgery and kept her out of the game for some time.[2]

In a bid to attract attention and sponsorship for Drady's comeback from injury, and to promote the world's first outdoor squash tournament in 1994, Drady's manager Phil Harte (who she later married) wrapped her in glad wrap to play her matches outside Sydney's Martin Place shopping centre in 1994. Drady played and won the World Outdoor Pro-Am wrapped in plastic, and posed for photographs with a 'For Sale' sign strung around her neck. This created a great deal of media coverage and sparked debate about the lengths female athletes should and need to go to in order to attract funding and sponsors. The publicity soon led to Drady becoming the most sponsored player in squash for a period.[2]

Drady continued to play top-level squash into the late-1990s. She won the Australian Open in 1996 and the 1998 World Open Pro-AM Sydney.[1] However, her international career began to take a backseat following her marriage to her husband Phil Harte and the birth of her daughter Tayla.[2] Between 2010 and 2015, Drady established the first squash and fitness academy at the Emirates Golf and Country Club in Dubai.[3] As of 2018, Drady lives between Sydney and Dubai. She and her husband Harte run Harte International Events Manager. She also manages an international lifestyle and travel magazine called Classic Lifestyle.[1]

References
  1. Haami 2018, p. 206.
  2. "Danielle Harte (nee Drady)". Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  3. "Danielle Harte". Harte International. Retrieved 22 August 2018.

Further reading
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