Â鶹APP

Li Na by the_vhale from

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Li Na

Li Na, a former tennis pro from China, announced her retirement in September 2014. She has helped make tennis a well-liked sport in China and has won two Grand Slam singles titles.  If not for her numerous injuries, which caused her to retire early, she could have accomplished much more in her career. She has a contagious upbeat attitude, and her amicable on-court demeanour and her hilarious, rib-tickling post-match interviews have earned her a global celebrity. She began playing tennis at an early age, and her quick serves and powerful backhands helped her break into the professional ranks.

Here are 10 remarkable facts that are worth knowing about Li Na.

1. Her father was a professional Badminton player

On February 26, 1982, Li Na was born in Wuhan, Hubei. Her mother is Li Yanping, and her father, Li Shengpeng, was a professional badminton player before going on to work as a sales representative for a Wuhan-based business. He passed away when Li was fourteen due to a rare cardiovascular condition. For a few days, her coach kept a secret from her—he feared it would impair her performance—that her father had passed away.

2. Li started out with Badminton like her father

At age six, Li started playing badminton like her father, which improved her reflexes. Li was convinced to convert to tennis by coach Xia Xiyao of the Wuhan child tennis club just before she turned eight. Li’s later confidence suffered as a result of how her tennis tutors taught the game.

Li began playing tennis for China’s national team in 1997. Li attended John Newcombe Academy in Texas the next year under the sponsorship of Nike to learn tennis. After spending ten months there studying, she went back to China. Her favorite tennis player when she was younger was Andre Agassi. At the age of sixteen, she began her professional career in 1999.

3. She had a degree in Journalism

Li left the national tennis team at the end of 2002 to pursue a part-time education at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), where she earned a journalism bachelor’s degree in 2009.

This was explained in numerous ways by the Chinese media. Some stated that the management of the national team opposed her relationship with Jiang Shan, her teammate and future husband; others claimed that her coach, Yu Liqiao, was too rigorous and demanding; still, others claimed that her request for a personal coach was denied. Some people, however, believed that retirement was just the result of a health issue.

4. Li married Jiang Shan who became her personal coach

Li rejoined the national team in 2004 as an act of “paying it forward” for their assistance during her earlier career. Jiang Shan, who later became Li’s personal coach, and Li were married on January 27, 2006. Li left the national team.

As well as the government-run sports system in 2008, tennis players were the focus of an experimental reform program. Chinese media referred to this modification as “Fly Solo.”

As a result, Li had the discretion to select her own coaching team and would bear full financial responsibility for all costs associated with training, coaching, and tours. Compared to the previous 65 percent, only 12 percent of her winnings were donated to the Chinese Tennis Association development fund, allowing her to keep more of her income. The obligation for a donation to the Chinese Tennis Development Fund was removed in the summer of 2012, and Li was allowed to keep all of her winnings.

 5. She appeared on the annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World

Li Na by Christopher Johnson from

Li is now one of the most well-known and marketable athletes in the world after being the most successful East Asian and Asian tennis player ever. Li was one of only four athletes to make the list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2013, and she was featured on the cover of Time magazine.

6. Li had a strong baseline game

Li was a competitive baseline player whose quick reflexes, athleticism, and strong groundstrokes that attained precision, placement, and depth were the foundation of her game.

Although her backhand was thought to be the more reliable and steady groundstroke, Li was known to unleash both unpredictably to all areas of the court to control play. Her crosscourt forehand tended to be her preferred shot, played with remarkable accuracy and pace. Her backhand down the line was remarkable, and it was particularly successful at winning points or provoking a feeble response from the opponent. Many tennis experts regarded Li as one of the sharpest and most powerful hitters on the tour, with the ability to overwhelm and outgun opponents from the baseline.

7. Li’s inconsistency was cited as her main weakness throughout her career

Li Na by Charlie Cowins from

She was an accomplished doubles player and felt at ease playing at the net, frequently advancing to capitalize on a short ball or terminate a lengthy rally.

As a result of her propensity for streaky, uneven play coupled with a high rate of unforced errors, Li’s inconsistency was regarded as her primary problem throughout her career. Her game lacked diversity because her shots were frequently firm and flat with little topspin or slice. When playing under pressure, her on-court emotions have hurt her.

8. She won the French Open with an incredible performance

Li Na, therefore, made history and saw a rise in her popularity across China. She established tennis history by becoming the first person of Chinese descent, male or female, to ever win a singles Grand Slam title.

With a second Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open in January 2014, Li Na once more confounded expectations. She is the fourth woman to win the Australian Open title after trailing by a match point. She is the first Asian to accomplish so. 2014 saw her retirement.

9. Li successfully qualified for the 2013 WTA Tour Championships

Li Na by Charlie Cowins from

As the fifth qualifier, Li was able to earn a spot in the 2013 WTA Tour Championships on September 27. She defeated Sara Errani, Jelena Jankovi, and Victoria Azarenka in all three of her round-robin matches, advancing to the semifinals for the first time.

After defeating Petra Kvitová, her rating reached a new career high of No. 3, the highest position ever achieved by a female tennis player from an East Asian or Asian nation, surpassing Agnieszka Radwanska and Maria Sharapova. She started out strong in the final, pounding 10 wins on her way to defeating Serena Williams in the first set, but she ran out of steam at three all in the second set, dropping nine games in a row to drop the match.

10. Although she was unranked, she won 26 successive matches

Li made a comeback to competition in May 2004 following a two-year absence. Although unranked, she won 26 straight games to amass three more $25k tournament victories, and another $50k championship and brought her total of career singles titles to 18.

Her achievements have led to a significant increase in the number of tennis players in Asia, giving her the title of the continent’s tennis pioneer and trailblazer. Li has been featured on the covers of numerous international newspapers as the most accomplished Asian tennis player of all time.