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Li Na: soft power weapon and a sponsor's dream

By Mark Dreyer: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, January 29, 2014

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Li Na takes part in a photoshoot with her trophy cup along the sea shores of Melnourne, Australia, after beating Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in the women's singles final at the 2014 Australian Open held in Melbourne on Jan. 25, 2014. [Photo/CFP]

If one major title gains you an entry pass into the elite Grand Slam-winning club, it is not until you win your second that you can really start to get comfortable in the chair. For example, 16 of all the major winners, since the start of the professional era in 1968, finished their careers with a sole major title, the so-called one-hit wonders of the tennis-playing world.

Li won't threaten those at the top of the list -- Steffi Graf has 22, while Serena Williams is one behind the 18 wins held by both Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert -- but only 24 women have won two or more titles in the same time frame, and on current form Li could yet climb further up the rankings.

Nevertheless, it remains a fact that Li appears to have conquered the West as well as China, making her perfect sponsorship material. No other athlete can come close to her in terms of popularity across China -- a country still regarded as the holy grail when it comes to global marketing -- so if she can also manage to hold her own in the West, she may even have a shot at overhauling Maria Sharapova's status as the world's highest paid female athlete.

For all the money players can earn on tour -- and Li pocketed some US$ 2.1 million for her troubles in Melbourne -- Roger Federer provides the prime example of how winnings can pale in comparison to endorsements. Despite slipping down the rankings as he enters the twilight of his career, Federer still earned more money off the court (US$ 71.5 million) than the next three players (Nadal, Djokovic and Murray) combined (US$ 68.2 million).

Li ticks all the marketing boxes: she can play well, she's charming and she looks good, too. It might be superficial to say so, but you're dreaming if you think looks don't enter the sponsorship equation. What's more, while her language skills might not be quite up to the trilingual standard that Federer has set, her English is more than good enough to cope outside China. On more than one occasion, she has successfully swatted away questions -- political or otherwise -- specifically designed to make her feel uncomfortable. The agent who has already made her rich will have a field day later this year when those initial 3-year contracts come up for renewal.

The irony in all of this is that Li is almost more loved outside China than back home. The fans may love her unequivocally, but several sections of the domestic media still find her unnecessarily prickly, while some authorities still resent her for leaving the state-run system behind. Yet with China still struggling to come up with a soft power weapon to match the panda, the country would do well to embrace its best ambassador of all.

Mark Dreyer has 15 years of experience working in sports journalism and worked for Sky Sports, Fox Sports and AP Sports. He has covered the last three Olympic Games and has been based in China since 2007. He can be contacted at dreyermark@gmail.com

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

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