By Sportswriter Qin Lang

NEW YORK, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Li Na, one of the most compelling personalities in sports, has made it to the pantheon of the greatest tennis players.

The two-time Grand Slam singles champion was enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday in Rhode Island of the United States as the first Asian-born player.

For the Class of 2019, a fan voting system was used for the first time.

The balloting attracted votes from more than 130 countries and regions, and resulted in Li receiving first place out of eight nominated candidates.

"This means, for me, everything. I started playing tennis when I was eight. I hated tennis because during school...I had no time to play with my friends," the 37-year-old said.

"When the time went by, I really enjoyed this amazing sport. Tennis has taken me around the world, exploring different countries (and regions) because of this great sport.

"In the future, I will do all I can to inspire, to help more young and upcoming players in the hope that they can enjoy this amazing sport."

Li Na often describes her relationship with tennis as "love/hate". When she was a girl, training was grueling, coaches were critical and glory seemed too far away. When she grew up, she wore earrings and tattoo, rare for a Chinese female athlete, and she was also involved in controversies for criticizing China's traditional training system for tennis players in which she grew up.

Li has swept nine WTA titles on grass, clay and hard courts, with her top ranking being world No. 2.

After claiming the 2011 French Open, Li Na triumphed in the Australia Open in 2014. If there were still doubts after her remarkable run at the French Open, winning the Australia Open was certainly a convincing validation for her as Asia's all-time best tennis player.

Li didn't take a conventional path to be what she is.

Born in a sporting family in Wuhan in Central China, Li Na started playing sports at a young age. She shared a very deep and caring relationship with her father and the original intention for her was to follow her father's footsteps and become a professional badminton player.

After two years' training, Li was told by her coach that she was more suitable to tennis. Seeing Li Na picking up the tennis racket, his father's eyes lit up. He instantly knew his daughter would go very far in this game.

Li didn't disappoint her father and made steady progress. When she was 14, however, the most tragic moment of her life came when a rare cardiovascular disease took her father away. Li Na realized then that tennis was, as she put it, her "only chance" to support her family. She practiced so hard to make her father's dream of winning the Chinese Nationals come true.

During the ninth National Games in 2001, Li Na won three gold medals and stepped on the podium where her father had never reached.

After winning the national titles, she soon walked away from the sport with health and personal reasons. With Jiang Shan, her mixed doubles partner who later became her husband, Li went to college, where life was calm and almost without tennis.

Li recalled the two years at university gave her new perspectives into life and tennis, as well as a passion to explore again. She decided to come back and has never looked back since.

In 2011, when she played in the French Open at Roland Garros, 116 million people in China watched the final on television. There's no question that Li Na has played a major role in making tennis a popular sport in China. Tennis in China has never been the same since she won the French Open.

Li is one of the most influential sports icons in China. Before Li's 2011 French Open victory, there were two WTA events in China. In 2019, there are 11. China now has 10 women in the top 200 in singles and 13 in the top 200 in doubles, with grass-roots participation also rising tremendously.

Li Na is known for both fiery temper and wicked humor. "I have a temper like a firecracker," Li said. "But when I got angry, I felt fired up."

No surprise to those who have watched her shout at her helpless husband during matches. The most famous lines of any post-match speeches came from Li Na as she addressed her husband after the 2011 Australian Open final: "I made a lot of jokes [about] him, but it doesn't matter if you are fat or skinny, handsome or ugly, I'll always follow you and always love you."

When she thanked her agent after the 2014 Australian Open final, Li said: "Max, agent, make me rich." Then she turned to her husband: "You're a nice guy. And, and, also you're so lucky, you find me."

Li Na announced her retirement in 2014. The induction into the Hall of Fame once again reminds us how she influenced the game, Chinese tennis players and Chinese athletes in other sports. Like U.S. tennis star Serena Williams once said, Li Na is "a star in the sky that always shines, and it's always going to be there." Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)