In 1999 Y2K was an imminent threat. Australia held the Rugby World Cup. Divas Britney Spears and Cher ruled the pop charts. And Li Na turned professional.
Fifteen years ago tennis in China had little following and no tradition of success. Today there are three Chinese women ranked inside the world’s top 50, China has 30,000 tennis courts and an estimated 14 million people are playing the sport.
Many of these achievements are a direct result of Li Na’s contribution to tennis.
Unfortunately the charismatic Li was forced to retire last week because of reoccurring knee injury. In January the 32-year-old won the Australian Open, ranked number two in the world – the highest ranking an Asian player has ever achieved.
Li is a pioneer, a cheerful aberration whose importance goes well beyond statistics. Everything about Li was delightfully unusual.
Li was hand-picked to train in China’s Soviet-style sports system aged nine. Originally badminton was the sport she was expected to purse, however she turned to professional tennis aged 17.
For three years Li battled away on the ITF tour before taking a break to study journalism at university. In 2004 Li returned to tennis and compiled a 51-4 record for the year. She won her maiden WTA tour title in Guangzhou and ended her association with the IFT tour with 19 singles and 17 doubles titles.
In 2006 Li became the first Chinese woman to make the quarter finals at Wimbledon.
After the Beijing Olympic Games, Li made a life-changing decision; she left the national team with three teammates in 2009 and embarked on a solo route to success.
It meant she was free to hire her own coaches, make her own arrangements for training and competitions, and look after her own finances, keeping more prize money for herself. Li only kept 35 per cent of her winnings before 2008 – 65 per cent went to the Chinese Tennis Association. After 2009, Li gave 8 per cent of her earning to the Chinese Tennis Association.
Li’s decision to go solo was a risky move in authoritarian China, however the decision paid off.
In 2010, Li reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, and also clinched a spot in the top 10 in the rankings.
Li became a much tougher player and in 2011 she became the first person from China to win a Grand Slam Singles title when she defeated Francesca Schiavone in the French Open final. Aged 29, Li became the oldest first-time women’s Grand Slam winner since professionals began competing in 1968.
Li has a rose tattoo on her chest, but kept it hidden for many years since tattoos are widely unaccepted in China, especially on women. While her achievement won her plaudits in China and around the globe, her straight-talking got her into trouble with the Chinese sporting establishment and sections of the media.
At the press conference after her Paris triumph, she thanked her team, her sponsors and organisers, but didn’t thank or mention the motherland, which is unusual for a Chinese sporting star.
Li won nine WTA titles and over $16 million in prize money. She played a counter-attacking style of tennis based on superior power and consistency from the baseline. She was humorous, gracious and dignified after matches.
Li bucked the trend of younger players dominating the sport. Li got better as she got older. Li also bucked the trend of subservient youngsters from China not reaching their potential because of an autocratic system.
Li inspired many Asians to take up the sport. The Asian presence in tennis is greater than it’s even been and will only continue to grow.
World number one Serena Williams paid her own tribute. “Your retirement is a sad day for tennis but I’m sure your future will be bright. The star you left on our sport will never dim. Thank you for always making everyone smile.”
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