Women In History Wednesday Profile: Li Na
Li Na was born on February 26, 1982 in Wuhan, China. Just before she turned eight years old, Na was persuaded to play tennis by coach Xia Xiyao of the Wuhan youth tennis club. Named of the most influential women in sports, according to Time magazine in 2013, she’s also one of the 100 most influential people in the entire world.
Li joined China's National Tennis Team in 1997 and after two years, she turned professional in 1999 at the age of sixteen. Growing up, her favorite tennis player was Andre Agassi. In her first three years on the International Tennis Circuit (ITC), Na won 14 singles titles and 15 doubles tournaments before taking a 25 month break from the game.
Na left the national tennis team and stopped competing in events to pursue her studies at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in 2002, where she completed her bachelor's degree in journalism in 2009.
Li returned to the game in 2004 and quickly picked up right where she left off on the ITC circuit. After a full season back and working her way into the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Top 100. In 2005 Na left ITC tournament play to focus strictly on the WTA.
Li Na at the 2005 Australian Open
In her first appearance, the 2005 Australian Open, Na advanced to the third round before she fell to Maria Sharapova. This would be the first match in a rivalry that developed between the two tennis stars. Sharapova defeated Na five straight times before Li would win her first in 2009.
After a successful 2005 campaign, Na continued to work hard and make history throughout her time in the WTA. In 2006, seeded 27th, Na became the first Chinese woman ever to be seeded for entry into a Grand Slam Tournament. She reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and rose to a career high No. 20 on the WTA Top 100. Later that year Na would reach the fourth round of the U.S Open but would fall to eventual champion, and rival Sharapova.
Na finally reached her peak in the late 2000’s with incredible victories in major Grand Slams. In the 2010 Australian Open Na made it to her third career Grand Slam quarterfinals and in an epic comeback took down Venus Williams after trailing 3-5 in the third set. Serena Williams would avenge the loss for her sister but this was the start of Na’s rise to prominence in the WTA. Li was ranked inside of the WTA top 10 after her performance at the Aussie Open.
Li Na and Kim Clijsters meet at center court in 2011
In 2011 Na had her major breakthrough in the sport and won her first Grand Slam title of her career. In the Australian Open, Li reached the finals becoming the first tennis player representing an Asian country to achieve the feat. Na faced Kim Clijsters in the finals and although she loss, because of her accomplishments Li rose to No. 7 in the world in the rankings.
After continued success throughout the year, the French Open is where Na became an international sensation. As the sixth seed in the tournament, Na took down rival Sharapova in the semifinals to earn a spot in her second Grand Slam Final. She would defeat defending champion, Francesca Schiavone to win her first ever Grand Slam title. The final was watched by 330 million viewers worldwide and boosted Na’s popularity in the months to come.
Na wins first major Grand Slam at 2011 French Open
The victory for Na was the first by a Chinese national, male or female, to win a tennis Grand slam title in singles. In 2014, Li enjoyed another Grand Slam victory with an incredible performance in the Australian Open. After losing in the finals the year before, Na avenged the loss and defeated Dominika Cibulkova to earn her second ever Grand Slam title.
After starting the year 21-3 on the WTA Tour, Na withdrew from the 2014 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix due to a left knee injury. After struggling to return to full form, in September of 2014 Na retired from the game of tennis.
Li Na post a letter to her fans
The Chinese superstar finished her Grand Slam career with a 90-31 record and two Grand Slam titles under her belt. She ended her career ranked No. 6 in the world by the WTA with over 500 victories and having earned over 16 million dollars in prize money.
Na has and continues to be an advocate for the growth of tennis in East Asia and Asian countries. She recently launched a signature line with sponsor Nike that will mark the first time the company will release an exclusive line for Chinese woman.
