Former national tennis player Kuldip Singh Durbara remembers the late Moses Tay as an exceptional player who had placed an emphasis on education.
Moses, an 11-time Perak Open champion, was a staple of the national team during the 1950s and 60s. He represented Malaysia for 15 years and was the nation's Davis Cup captain from 1969 to 1971.
Moses died in Setiawan, Lumut on Tuesday. He was 92.
"When he was a national (senior) player, I was with the junior team, and he would always motivate us," said Kuldip.
"He once shared a piece of advice his boss, who as far as I remember was a Westerner, had given him.
"His boss told him — 'I know everything is going fine now that you are playing tennis for Malaysia but what will you do if you cannot play tennis anymore?'
"He then stopped playing tennis to focus on his studies. He took an external degree from the University of London.
"He did not play tennis for four years.
"After finishing his studies, he came back and continued playing competitive tennis until he was 40.
"He was a scholar and also an excellent tennis player. He became a teacher and later the headmaster at his school."
Moses served as the headmaster of the Anglo Chinese School in Sitiawan from 1972 to 1979.
Among the highlights of his tennis career include winning the Inter-Port Competition in 1957, which had featured Malaya, Ceylon, Vietnam and Hong Kong.