Li Na

Li Na
李娜
Country (sports) China
ResidenceWuhan, Hubei
Born (1982-02-26) 26 February 1982 (age 42)
Wuhan, Hubei
Height1.72 m (5 ft 7+12 in)
Turned pro1999
RetiredApril 2002–May 2004;
19 September 2014
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
CollegeHuazhong University of Science and Technology (B.A.)
CoachJiang Shan (2006–2012)
Thomas Högstedt (2009–2010)
Michael Mortensen (2011)
Carlos Rodríguez (2012–2014)
Prize money$16,709,074[1]
Int. Tennis HoF2019 (member page)
Singles
Career record503–188
Career titles9
Highest rankingNo. 2 (17 February 2014)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (2014)
French OpenW (2011)
WimbledonQF (2006, 2010, 2013)
US OpenSF (2013)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsF (2013)
Olympic GamesSF – 4th (2008)
Doubles
Career record121–50
Career titles2
Highest rankingNo. 54 (28 August 2006)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open2R (2006, 2007)
French Open2R (2006, 2007)
Wimbledon2R (2006)
US Open3R (2005)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games2R (2012)
Medal record
Representing  China
Women's tennis
Universiade
Gold medal – first place 2001 Beijing Singles
Gold medal – first place 2001 Beijing Doubles
Gold medal – first place 2001 Beijing Mixed doubles
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2010 Guangzhou Team
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Doha Singles
Li Na
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLǐ Nà
Wade–Gilesli3 na4
IPA[lì nâ]

Li Na (born 26 February 1982) is a Chinese former professional tennis player. She achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 2. In her career, Li won nine singles titles, including two major titles at the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open. Those victories made her the first Grand Slam singles champion from Asia, male or female. She was also the first player representing an Asian country to appear in a major singles final, finishing as the runner-up at the 2011 Australian Open. Li was the runner-up at the 2013 Australian Open and 2013 WTA Tour Championships, a three-time quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and a semifinalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics[2] and 2013 US Open. Among her other most notable achievements, she was the first Chinese player to win a WTA Tour title at the Guangzhou International Women's Open in 2004, the first to reach a major singles quarterfinal at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, and the first to break into the world's top ten.

By 2013, Li's accomplishments had made her the most successful Asian tennis player in history, landing her on Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People in the World. She is credited with growing tennis in China, with former world No. 1 Chris Evert writing: "Tennis has exploded in China. The country now has some 15 million tennis players; 116 million watched Li win the French Open. That kind of exposure is crucial to our sport, and it never would have happened without Li."

Li retired from tennis in September 2014, at age 32. In 2019, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

  1. ^ "Career Prize Money Leaders" (PDF). WTA Tour. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Li Na". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2016-12-04.