Li Na says that she remembers the first-ever match of tennis on TV and was drawn in by one of the player’s style.
This tennis inspiration was Andre Agassi who with his long hairs, an earring and denim shorts made a fan all the way back in China.
Li Na said, “Agassi is my idol in tennis.”
As for LI, she also went on to become a tennis idol too.
Li is the first player from Asia to have won the Grand Slam singles title and now she will be inducted this week into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She is being celebrated for not only her on-court contributions but her contribution towards making this sport popular in her country as well.
The director of sport for New York’s City Parks Foundation, Mike Silverman said, “She is like an icon in China. There, she is like a superstar.”
Li Na was in a meet up with the children on Thursday from the organization and that showed as to how high of an influence she was in this sport. Majority of young players in this clinic were players from Asia including one of the players to be a boy from China whoa according to Silverman was good enough to get a scholarship from a college. These players must have been too young to even remember Li Na’s career as she retired back in 2014 due to her knee problems.
Silverman said, “There is no question about Li Na that she when she was playing and even now, tennis in China has been changed forever since after she won the French Open. It changed the sport for good in China.”
She won the French Open back in 2011 and it was in 2014 when nearly 1216 million people in China were glued to their screens to see the final of Australian Open which Li Na won as he 2nd Grand Slam title. After this, she rose to WTA rank of number 2 in a career with more than 500 single’s matches win.
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