Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Player Profile – Li Na

- Advertisement -

Basic Information

Full Name: Li Na

Date of Birth: 26th February, 1982Player Profile – Li Na

Place of Birth: Wuhan, Hubei, China

Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.72 meters)

Playing Style: Right Handed

Turned Pro: 1999

Career Titles:

WTA 9, ITF 19

Highest WTA Ranking: 2 (First time on 17th February, 2014)

Li Na Retired on 18th Spetember 2014

Grand Slam Performances

Australian: Winner – 2014

French Open: Winner – 2011

Wimbledon: Quarter Final – 2006, 2010, 2013

US Open: Semi Final – 2013

Other Achievements

WTA Championships: Runners Up – 2013

Olympics: 4th – 2008

Doubles Record

Australian Open: 2R – 2006, 2007

French Open: 2R – 2006, 2007

Wimbledon: 2R – 2006

US Open: 3R – 2005

Olympics: 2R – 2012

Early Life:

Li Na was on the path of her father Li Shengpeng who was a professional badminton player. But he died when Li Na was just 14. When Li Na was 8 her coach Xia Xiyao convinced her parents to make a transition for her from Badminton to Tennis as that was the right time to do so. In 1997 Li Na joined that China’s National Tennis Team. She was then sent to John Nowcombe Academy in Texas to further study and training in Tennis. She turned professional at the age of 16 in the year 1999.

Professional Career

After turning Pro in 1999 Li Na entered the ITF Circuit and played in two singles tournament in Shenzen and at Westende, Belgium. She won all of her first 7 ITF doubles tournaments she participated. By 2002 Li Na had won 52 singles matches on the ITF circuit and won eight tournaments in the process with two of US $ 25000 and US $ 50000 levels respectively. She did not play any professional matches between the years 2002 and 2004 hence she saw the fall in her WTA rankings. In the same year Li Na reached the finals of the WTA tournament in Guangzhou where she beat Martina Sucha and became the first ever Chinese tennis player to win a WTA event.

Gradually Li Na started to improve upon her WTA Rankings and after winning the Qatar Total Open this year she was virtually became No. 2 in the WTA and by defeating Serena Williams in the finals of the Australian Open 2014 by 7-5, 6-1, Li Na became the official No. 2 Women’s Tennis Player of the world.

Endorsements

  • Nike
  • Mecedes-Benz
  • Taikang Life Insurance
  • Kunlun Mountains
  • Haagen Dazs
  • Rolex
  • Samsung
  • Spider Tech
  • Crown Limited
  • Babolat
  • Visa
  • Yili Group

The Li Na Quote 

I think because I was the first Chinese player to win a grand slam, people were thinking: ‘She is not like normal people’.

- Advertisement -
Check this out
- Advertisement -
Related
- Advertisement -