Li was featured on the cover of Time as one of the most influential people in the world last year, and only Maria Sharapova of Russia earned more as a female athlete. oi4HjdWoHS- History of Tennis September 19, 2014 We will miss you, Li Na! See you in the Hall of Fame, you legend you :-). Li’s career took off after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when Chinese players were allowed to pick their own coaches, set their own schedules and hand over a much smaller cut of their earnings. That year, she became the first Chinese player to win an event on the WTA women’s tour with the title in Guangzhou. Persuaded by the new head of the state tennis program, Sun Jinfang, Li came back in 2004. By 2003, Li had had enough and quit to study journalism. From there, she trained in the state-run sports system, which took 65 percent of players’ earnings and ran their training, coaching and tournament schedules. Li was introduced to tennis by her parents at age nine in her hometown Wuhan in central China, after playing badminton for two years.
Her comment referred to the Chinese proverb “The bird that sticks out always gets shot,” a reminder to keep in line and follow the rules.įor the past 15 years, Li did the exact opposite.
“Be the bird that sticks out,” 2011 French Open and reigning Australian Open champion Li told her fans in a long farewell letter posted on her Facebook page. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Manage Print Subscription / Tax Receipt.
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