Champions of 2011: Li Na
– French Open Women’s Singles
Li Na was born in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province in central China to Sheng-Peng and Yan-Ping on the 26th of February in 1982. She was an only child, who took pleasure in playing badminton but her coach observed
that when Li played badminton, it seemed as if she was playing tennis. He was convinced that she was born to play tennis and he swayed Li’s parents after a little persuasion, to let her switch to tennis.
As a teenager Li embarked on the journey to becoming a professional tennis player and came into the lime light in 2004 when she won her first WTA title at the Guangzhou Open, becoming the first Chinese to ever bag a title.
In 2006, Li became the primary Chinese player to be ranked among the top 30 players in the world, and later that year rose to the top 20. Although, her debut at the French Open saw an early round exit, she became the first Chinese
to enter the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in the same year.
The world became aware of Li during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, when she defeated American Venus Williams in the singles quarterfinals in straight sets, 7-5, 7-5. However, she lost the semi-final match to Russian Dinara
Safina. She again saw defeat at the hands of fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva during the bronze medal match at the Olympics.
Moreover, 2010 saw Li beat Williams in the Australian Open quarterfinal but lost the semifinal match to Williams’ younger sister, Serena. Li’s match against Serena Williams was yet another first for a Chinese player. It marked
the first milestone for a Chinese player to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
Although, her runs to the title match of the French Open have been fairly inconsistent, in 2011 she was an unstoppable force on route to the final. She showed the door to Petra Kvitova and landed herself into the quarterfinal where
she got rid of the then world number 4, Victoria Azarenka. In the semi-finals she flabbergasted the Russian superstar, Maria Sharapova to an en-route victory after defeating Francesca Schiavone.
Like many other past and present professional tennis players, Li was no exception to injuries and even though, her career has been snowed under with absences, including an ankle injury in 2005 and a rib injury in 2008, Li has managed
to become a household name in China. In addition, she has displayed a wondrous performance that has raised the profile of Chinese tennis players in recent years.
Albeit a representative of the hopes and dreams of a billion Chinese people, Li has failed to make any major impact since her Grand Slam win. The Chinese superstar even failed to make it past the first round at her home-event,
the 2011 China Open in Beijing in October. Seeded fourth at the event, Li was a favourite to win the title and backed by the local crowd, the title win would have been a comparatively easier addition to her collection. However, humiliated by Romaine Monica
Niculescu, Li came crashing out of the event in straight sets.
Called a one-hit wonder since the Roland Garros, Li seems to be on a downward spiral. However, what seems to put a stop to all the critics is the fact that despite being almost thirty, Li proved that she has still got what it needs
to make it big in the women’s tennis.
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