Knee Injuries Force Li Na to Retire From Tennis

September 19, 2014 | By Brian Coleman
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In an open letter on social media yesterday, Li Na announced that she will be retiring from tennis due to lingering knee injuries. The 32-year old Australian Open champion hasn’t played in a match since losing in the third-round at this year’s Wimbledon, and retires on the heels of the new tournament in her hometown of Wuhan.

In the letter, Li Na says:

“Most people in the tennis world know that my career has been marked by my troubled right knee. The black brace I wear over it when I step on the court has become my tennis birth mark. And while the brace completes my tennis look, the knee problems have at times overtaken my life.

“After four knee surgeries and hundreds of shots injected into my knee weekly to alleviate swelling and pain, my body is begging me to stop the pounding. My previous three surgeries were on my right knee. My most recent knee surgery took place this July and was on my left knee. After a few weeks of post-surgery recovery, I tried to go through all of the necessary steps to get back on the court. While I’ve come back from surgery in the past, this time it felt different. One of my goals was to recover as fast as I could in order to be ready for the first WTA tournament in my hometown of Wuhan. As hard as I tried to get back to being 100 percent, my body kept telling me that, at 32, I will not be able to compete at the top level ever again.”

Li’s accomplishments in the tennis world go way beyond her time on the court. From China, Li was thrust into the Chinese national system very early on, and became a groundbreaking individual in Chinese tennis history.

She is the first Chinese woman to ever win a WTA title, first to play in and win a Grand Slam, and is the 14th highest earner in women’s tennis history. Her influence has sparked a bit of a tennis craze in her home country of China.

“I’ve seen change happening in front of my eyes, young girls picking up tennis racquets, setting goals, following their hearts and believing in themselves,” said Li in the letter. “I hope that I’ve had the opportunity to inspire young women all over China to believe in themselves, to set their goals high and pursue them with vengeance and self-belief.”

Since Li became the first person from China to win a WTA title in 2004, four other Chinese have captured titles on the tour. She won two Grand Slams in her career, this past year’s Australian Open and the 2011 French Open, and climbed to as high as number two in the world before the knee injuries finally took its toll.

“In addition to her amazing tennis abilities and her warm and humorous personality, she is a pioneer who opened doors to tennis for hundreds of millions of people throughout China and Asia,” said WTA chief executive Stacey Allaster. “Her legacy is immense and I have no doubt that her contributions to the WTA will be seen for decades to come. It’s hard to be a household name in a nation with 1.4 billion people, but that’s what Li Na is.”

While her playing days are over, Li plans on staying involved with the game, and will be establishing the Li Na Tennis Academy to provide scholarships for Chinese tennis players.

“My philanthropic work will expand in scope as I continue to dedicate myself to helping those in need,” said Li. “What was once just a dream in China, today is a reality.”

She retires with more than 500 match wins in her career, posting an overall record of 503-188. She won 92 matches in Grand Slam action, including two titles, and won nine WTA titles overall. 


Brian Coleman

 Brian Coleman is the Senior Editor for New York Tennis Magazine. He may be reached at brianc@usptennis.com

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