I got a message out of the blue this week from Patrick McEnroe – the former US Davis Cup captain turned ESPN commentator and, yes, brother of John – to go on his Holding Court podcast to talk about tennis and China, plus everything in between. It was a lot of fun – you can find that episode here (and see the video clip below). Just days earlier, I had the chance to talk to Chinese F1 driver Zhou Guanyu on my own China Sports Insider Podcast – and he had a lot to say (full show blurb below). We also talked on the show about China losing its hosting rights to the 2023 Asian Cup – and see some of my comments I made on the topic to Reuters here.
Tag Archives: John McEnroe
Li Na sick of questions with Chinese characteristics
There have been many column inches devoted to Li Na’s temper over the past few weeks, both in the Chinese and foreign press. Prize to the most bizarre line goes to this LA Times piece which contains this gem:
In sports where performance calls for swift reactions — like tennis and soccer — China’s teams have typically struggled.
Whaaaaaat? Er, table tennis anyone? Soccer occasionally calls for quick reactions (as does almost any sport), but to suggest that China is bad at soccer because their players cannot repeat and learn a move again and again is just, well, bizarre.
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