Li's legacy will be felt both on and off the court
- By Mark Dreyer
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 23, 2014
When Yao Ming's ageing body forced his retirement from professional basketball in 2011, he left a 7'6" (2.29m) hole - one that has yet to be filled. Li Na's 5'7" (1.72m) frame won't be leaving quite such a physical void, but her absence will be felt just as much. The main difference, though, is that while China has not yet found another basketball player who can play consistently - let alone dominate - in the NBA, Li Na has been at the forefront of a tennis movement, and there are many players waiting in the wings to take her place.
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China's first and only Grand Slam winner Li Na formally announced her retirement on Friday, leaving the Chinese tennis yearning for the next superstar. [Photo/Sohu] |
It is impossible to predict which player will emerge from the crowd, but there are several contenders: Peng Shuai, like Li Na before her, is playing some of her best tennis late in her career; Zhang Shuai is hovering around the world's Top 30; 16-year-old Xu Shilin just won gold at the Nanjing Youth Olympics; and there are others. When you consider that China has as many tennis players in the world's top 200 as Italy - which was victorious in four of the last eight Fed Cups - it's clear that there is both strength and depth in Chinese tennis.
It's one thing to break into the world's top 10, while it's quite another to stay there consistently. But Li's success has given tomorrow's generation of Chinese tennis starlets the belief that they can do it, too. As Li wrote in her farewell note, "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."
Someone is sure to emerge from the pack over the next few years, but dealing with the pressure and burden of the fame that comes with winning can be a shock to the system, as Li knows well. After winning the 2011 French Open, Li went into a funk that lasted for the better part of a year. Whoever is next to carry the torch for Chinese tennis will inevitably be badgered by comparisons to Li.
While Li Na made history on the court, her contributions off the court were arguably just as large. When she, and others, broke free from the shackles of the state-run system, it had an enormous impact on all sports in China, not just the tennis community. It meant she was able to pick her own coaches, choose her own schedule, and keep her own prize money. But while Li should get credit for driving this change, the risks taken by the Chinese Tennis Association and its head, Madame Sun, in allowing her to leave should also be remembered, and Li Na notably made a point of mentioning Sun's trailblazing efforts in her retirement letter.
The support of the CTA remains crucial for young players today, but the flexibility now allowed means that decisions can be made for the benefit of the individual, rather than for the benefit of the country. In the past, that would have been unthinkable in China, but as Li Na has shown, more autonomy can translate into more success - and all of China has basked in her reflected glory.
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