What Happened to Chinese Tennis Player?

In 2017, Chinese tennis player Li Na retired from the sport at the age of 32. She was a trailblazer for the sport in China, and her retirement left many fans wondering what happened to her.

Li Na

On September 19, 2014, Li Na announced her retirement from professional tennis at the age of 32. In her announcement, she cited injuries as the primary reason for her retirement. Her career was plagued by injuries, especially in the past few years.

Early life and family

Li Na was born on February 26, 1982, in Wuhan, Hubei, China. Her parents are Li Yinqiao and Wang Tianming. Li started playing tennis at the age of six and was instantly hooked on the game. When she was nine years old, she was sent to train at the Wuhan Sports School. At age eleven, she entered the Chinese national training system.

Li’s first coach was Chen Fang and her first appearance in an international tournament was in 1996 at the Asian Pacific Tennis Classic in Guangzhou, where she won a bronze medal in singles. She turned professional in 1999 and made her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open in 2000.

Professional career

In September 1999, Li Na made her Grand Slam debut at the US Open where she lost in the first round to fellow countrywoman Zheng Jie. The following year, Li reached her first WTA Tour semifinal at Guangzhou.

A string of early exits followed her Guangzhou result until mid-2002 when she reached the quarterfinal of an ITF event in Joliet, Illinois. This result helped her qualify for her first WTA Tour main draw event in over a year at Beijing in October 2002, where she suffered another first-round defeat, this time to compatriot Zheng Jie.

After another early exit in 2003, Li reached the semifinals of a $50k ITF event in Suzhou in May 2004 and won her second WTA main draw event later that year at Guangzhou. The following January, she won a $75k ITF event in Perth and reached the quarterfinals of Hobart International.

Retirement

Chinese tennis player Li Na has announced her retirement from the game at the age of 32. Li Na, who won the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open, made the announcement at a press conference in Beijing.

Reasons for retirement

There are many reasons why professional athletes retire. In some cases, they may feel they have accomplished everything they wanted to in their sport and are ready to move on to something else. In other cases, they may be forced to retire due to injury or age.

Some athletes retire because they feel they have accomplished everything they wanted to in their sport. For example, tennis player Li Na won two Grand Slams and was the first Chinese player to be ranked No. 1 in the world before she retired in 2014.

Other athletes may be forced to retire due to injury or age. For example, American football player Peyton Manning retired in 2016 after he was diagnosed with a serious neck condition.

In some cases, athletes may retire because they simply no longer enjoy playing their sport. This was the case for Australian rugby player David Pocock, who retired in 2019 after he said he no longer had the “passion” for the game.

Reactions to retirement

Many are surprised by the news of her retirement, as she was only 26 years old. Some feel that she could have had a long and successful career if she had continued playing. Others feel that she made the right decision, as retirement will allow her to focus on other aspects of her life.

Where is she now?

Last seen at the 2017 French Open, Chinese tennis player has not been seen on the court since. Speculation about her retirement has been swirling, but no one knows for sure. Her fans are wondering where she is and what she is doing now.

Life after tennis

When Li Na announced her retirement from tennis in September 2014, she brought to an end a career that had seen her win two Grand Slam titles and become a national hero in her native China.

Since hanging up her racket, Li has kept herself busy with a number of different projects. She has released a best-selling autobiography, launched her own clothing line and been appointed as an ambassador for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

She has also become a regular fixture on Chinese television, appearing as a judge on reality shows such as ‘The Voice of China’ and ‘Singer’ (the Chinese version of ‘American Idol’).

In 2017, Li was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, becoming just the second Asian player (after Japan’s Jiro Satoh) to be given that honor.

Endorsements

Since her retirement from tennis, Li Na has picked up a number of high-profile endorsements, including a deal with Mercedes-Benz. She has also been working as a TV commentator for the US Open and Wimbledon.