LI Na recalls Wimbledon debut in 1998, knowing nothing about grass tennis
A former world no. 2 and the two-time Grand Slam champion Na Li had been the first big tennis name from China, starting her journey in what was barely a known sport in her country and leaving the Chinese tennis in the best possible hands when she retired in 2014. Before turning pro in 1999, Li Na spent two years on the ITF junior circuit and got the opportunity to make Wimbledon debut in 1998 at the age of 16. Unprepared for the most significant tournament in the world, Na admitted she had no clue how to play on grass and that she had to wear all-white or special sneakers.
Interestingly, Na made the professional main draw debut at Wimbledon only in 2006 when she reached the quarter-final, repeating that result in 2010 and 2013, ending her career at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in 2014 after dealing with a knee injury. On Tuesday, Li Na had the opportunity to hit with the promising juniors at Beijing's 1123 Junior Tennis Academy, recalling the time when tennis wasn't the mainstream sport in China and sharing advice on how to create more great champions like she was. Ambassador of the Wuhan Open, Na highlighted the fact that the Chinese players don't have to play abroad after the US Open, with so many events at home that have been added to the calendar in the last ten years or so, but they still have to push hard and earn their place in the rankings.
At the moment, China has four girls in the top-50 and Na feels that's not enough for a full charge, having to use their opportunities better and achieve better results just like Qiang Wang did in Miami where she reached the quarter-final, wasting a great chance to force a deciding set against Simona Halep.
"I had no clue at all on how to play on grass," Li said. "I didn't even know I had to wear all white, nor did I prepare a different pair of shoes for the surface. I was overwhelmed, in an embarrassing way. After the US Open (in August), players don't need to travel overseas with tournaments held at home one after another. However, for the younger players nowadays they are likely to squander the opportunities that we had to fight hard to earn because everything comes easier and more frequently. They have to focus on the game itself rather than the exposure or expectations off the court to improve one event at a time and benefit from the momentum. It's good to have a group of girls in the top-50, but the resources they enjoy today make me believe they could do better."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2U28ziG
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