Tag Archives: Li Na

运动员获奖后首先该感谢谁?

在4年前的温哥华冬奥会上,18岁的中国短道速滑运动员周洋打破1500米奥运会纪录,为中国代表队夺得了温哥华奥运会第三块金牌。随后,周洋又帮助中国队以打破世界纪录的成绩夺得3000米接力桂冠。她还进入到短道速滑1000米决赛,并且在半决赛上创下新的世界纪录。 Continue reading 运动员获奖后首先该感谢谁?

Li Na provides perfect retort to former boss

A simplistic view often peddled in the western press is that the rebellious Li Na, tattoo and all, broke free of the state-run system when she and three others decided to “fly solo” in 2008. Under the new arrangement, the players could choose their own support team, arrange their own schedule and – crucially – keep the vast majority of their prize money instead of forking it over to the Chinese Tennis Association.

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Li Na wins 2011 French Open Photo credit: Reuters

Continue reading Li Na provides perfect retort to former boss

Awesome childhood photos of Li Na

A new post on what Li Na’s Australian Open win could mean for her career both on and off the court will be up tomorrow, but in the meantime, here are some pictures doing the rounds on the Chinese internet of the country’s biggest sports star in her (very) formative years…

Li Na at 100 days (a big celebration in China)
Li Na at 100 days (a big celebration in China)

Continue reading Awesome childhood photos of Li Na

Li Na & sponsors hoping for Australian Open history

Will it be third time lucky for Li Na at the Australian Open? A dominant semifinal performance saw Li put Canada’s rising star Genie Bouchard firmly in her place, racing to a 5-0 first set lead in just 14 minutes, before cruising to a 6-2, 6-4 win.

Li Na reaches Australian Open finalLi will play Dominika Cibulkova – Slovakia’s first Grand Slam finalist – on Saturday evening in Melbourne and will start as the heavy favorite  in her third Australian Open final in four years, against an opponent she’s never lost to in four matches. But in a tournament full of upsets, who’s to say there won’t be one more? Continue reading Li Na & sponsors hoping for Australian Open history

Li, Zheng progress, Peng Shuai ignored [UPDATED]

Li Na cruised through to the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday with a 6-0, 7-6 win over Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic, while Zheng Jie had a tougher battle, eventually downing American Madison Keys 7-6,1-6, 7-5. But for all the talk about China’s new generation of tennis players (here and elsewhere), Li and Zheng were the only two to make it out of the first round – from the eight who made the main draw.

Li Na reaches Australian Open third round Continue reading Li, Zheng progress, Peng Shuai ignored [UPDATED]

Mixed fortunes for China at Australian Open

China had a record eight players in the singles draw for the Australian Open. Of the five who played on Day 1, there were wins for Li Na (vs 16-year-old Croatian Ana Konjuh) and Zheng Jie (vs 12th seed Roberta Vinci), while wildcard playoff winners Wu Di and Tang Haochen both lost, as did Zhang Shuai, who had ended 2013 so well.

Half of China's contingent at the Australian Open

Continue reading Mixed fortunes for China at Australian Open

Chinese officials: Sun Yang’s return imminent

Sun Yang is undoubtedly one of China’s top sports stars, in a bracket with tennis pioneer Li Na and perhaps badminton king Lin Dan as well. His commercial potential is huge, but he is his own worst enemy right now. Whereas Li’s image as a rebel, breaking free from the shackles of the state system, is not quite as the western media would have you believe, her conflicts with authority have in many ways added to her popularity – at least with the Chinese public, if not the domestic media.

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Where’s the love? Sun Yang is not getting much right now…

Continue reading Chinese officials: Sun Yang’s return imminent

China’s tennis growth is impressive – but stats are still wrong

The growth in women’s tennis has been one of the great China stories – in sport or elsewhere – in recent years. Li Na was the obvious catalyst, and in particular her 2011 French Open win, but much of the credit has to go to the WTA’s CEO, Stacey Allaster. This excellent profile by a former colleague of mine tells you everything you need to know about Allaster, who got the top job in women’s tennis in 2009. 0127811074418700

Continue reading China’s tennis growth is impressive – but stats are still wrong