Agencies
BEIJING, SEPTEMBER 19
CHINA’S two-time Grand Slam winner Li Na has announced her retirement after failing to overcome “chronic” injuries.
The 32-year-old world number six won the Australian Open in January to add to her 2011 French Open title.
However, she had not played since losing in the third round at Wimbledon in June and underwent knee surgery in July.
“Walking away from the sport, effective immediately, is the right decision for me and my family,” she said.
“It took me several agonizing months to finally come to the decision that my chronic injuries will never again let me be the tennis player that I can be.” Li rose to a national sporting hero in China after becoming Asia’s first Grand Slam singles champion and only America-based Russian Maria Sharapova has higher off-court earnings, according to the Forbes list of highest paid female athletes.
Announcing her decision in an open letter to fans, she added: “After four knee surgeries and hundreds of shots injected into my knee weekly to alleviate swelling and pain, my body is begging me to stop the pounding.
“While I’ve come back from surgery in the past, this time it felt different. As hard as I tried to get back to being 100%, my body kept telling me that, at 32, I will not be able to compete at the top level ever again.”
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Li has been instrumental in the growth of tennis in China and said she would always be proud of her achievements, adding she would now focus on plans to continue to grow the sport in her home country, including the creation of her own tennis academy.
Paying tribute to Li’s achievements, Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) chief executive Stacey Allaster said: “I am sad to hear that she has retired. “In addition to her amazing tennis abilities and her warm and humorous personality, she is a pioneer who opened doors to tennis for hundreds of millions of people throughout China and Asia. Her legacy is immense and I have no doubt that her contributions to the WTA will be seen for decades to come.
“It’s hard to be a household name in a nation with 1.4 billion people, but that’s what Li Na is.”
A Chinese trailblazer
l Li was hand-picked to train in China’s Soviet-style sports system aged nine.
l She was initially identified as a badminton player before being moved into tennis.
l After giving up the game to study at university, she returned to the tour in 2004 and won her first WTA title in Guangzhou.
l Li became the first Chinese to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final, at Wimbledon in 2006.
l She entered the world’s top 10 in 2010 after reaching the 2009 US Open quarter-final and 2010 Australian Open semi-final.
l Reached her first Grand Slam singles final at the 2011 Australian Open, losing to Kim Clijsters.
l Beat Francesca Schiavone to win the 2011 French Open at the age of 29.
l Won her second Grand Slam title by beating Dominika Cibulkova at the 2014 Australian Open.
Five memorable quotes by Li Na
China’s two-time tennis Grand Slam winner Li Na, who announced her retirement on Friday, was known for her wisecracks after matches that endeared her to fans and journalists. Here are five of her best comments:
l Talking about her husband and former coach Jiang Shan - “I didn’t have a good night last night. My husband was snoring. I woke up every hour.”
l “If he says, ‘Enough’ (jokes), I think we will divorce.”
l After reaching the 2013 Australian Open final, Li was asked what inspires her - “Prize money.”
l Asked about her agent, Max Eisenbud, she said: - “Max my agent, you made me very rich. Thanks a lot.”
l Asked about her love of New York City at the US Open - “People in China say: ‘If you love your children, send them to New York. If you hate your children, also send them to New York.”
l Talking about the tattoo of a red rose on her chest which she hid for many years, as few women in China have tattoos - “The first time I showed the tattoo it was big news in the newspaper. ‘She has a tattoo with a snake.’ It’s not a snake!”
SWISS tennis legend Martina Hingis said on Friday Li Na’s retirement was a loss to world tennis, crediting the Chinese star with raising the game’s profile in her home country.
“It’s a sad day for Chinese tennis and for the global sport in general,” Hingis, who won the five singles and nine doubles Grand Slam titles, said in Tokyo after hearing about Li’s decision during the WTA Pan Pacific Open.
“I have good memories playing her,” said the 33-year-old. Hingis said it was “sad” because the next WTA tournament was to be played in Li’s hometown of Wuhan next week, immediately followed by the big-money China Open in Beijing.
“There is so much more tennis which has moved tournaments to China, (there has been) development on the women’s side of the tour to have the tournaments there,” she added.
China now hosts six women’s tour events. The Women’s Tennis Association upgraded the China Open in Beijing last year to become Asia’s only event combined with a men’s tour. The event is also one of the WTA’s top four tournaments.
