Li Na honoured by Chinese tennis chief as Grand Slam ‘pioneer’
28 year old Chinese tennis player Li Na made history on Thursday, defeating World Number 1 Caroline Wozniacki in three sets to secure a place for herself in the Australian Open title match. This is the first time that any Asian woman has made it to the finals
of a Grand Slam tournament, and the player’s entire nation has rallied to give her the respect she deserves.
The China Daily announced her success with a picture of the player immediately after her victory, along with a headline which blared “Li’s Grand Chance”. Meanwhile, Titan sports newspaper also commemorated her success with the declaration “Li Makes History”.
The Global Times dedicated half of its front page to a photo of Na, along with the proclamation, “Epic Win”.
However, the greatest honour accorded to Li Na was the proclamation of Sun Jinfang, head of the Chinese Tennis Association, in the China Daily. Sun compared her to other leading Chinese sports players, saying, “there is always a pioneer pushing things forward
in his or her time and Li is a sporting pioneer of her time. I think she has an international standing similar to Yao Ming or Liu Xiang. She has been undervalued a little bit due to the relatively low profile of tennis in China.”
Li Na is currently World Number 11, a comparatively lower ranking spot for a Grand Slam finalist; however, she will be promoted to World Number 7 when the new Women’s Tennis Association rankings are announced next week. This is an all-time career best for
the player. If she defeats World Number 2 Kim Clijsters in the title match, Na will move up to World Number 5 (another best for an Asian female tennis player).
Na is no stranger to setting records. She became the first Chinese woman to take away a WTA title in 2004, after her success at Guangzhou; she was also the first to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal (at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships), and she is the first
Chinese player, male or female, to break into the Top Ten.
Sun Jinfang also added that the success achieved by Li Na would hopefully be a motivating force for other tennis players in China, and that an influx of young talent would be discovered as a reaction. According to studies, only twelve million people out
of 1.3 billion in China play tennis regularly – a figure which can just as easily be discounted.
Jinfang’s hopes were echoed by Stacey Allaster, chief of the WTA. In her opinion, Li’s success would have the effect of boosting the sport’s popularity “exponentially”. She said, according to the China Daily, “women’s tennis is already one of the fastest
growing sports in China thanks to the celebrity status and success of Li Na and her compatriots. For a number of years now the WTA has been making a significant investment in China to capitalise on this interest at both the professional and grassroots level.”
Li Na is predicted to have a good shot at defeating Kim Clijsters, especially in light of her recent win over the Belgian player at the Medibank International. Sun certainly seems hopeful, saying, “I think she is capable of another miracle if she continues
to challenge herself.”
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