ABSTRACT
The future of women’s tennis might hinge on retired Chinese tennis player Li Na, winner of the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open, according to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). WTA chief executive Stacey Allaster said, ‘I believe that Li Na is the player of this decade who will have the most impact on the growth of women’s tennis. … We will see the fruit of her contributions. We’re experiencing them now… and I believe for decades to come’ (Rothenberg 2014, p.D6). Li moved into international prominence by becoming the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam singles final in the 2011 Australian Open. Reaching a major final was a great feat in itself considering that tennis was not played in China until the late 1800s, when missionaries introduced it (China Daily 2011c), and the Chinese state system did not pay attention to tennis until 1988, leaving its players at a disadvantage compared to competitors from abroad (Newman 2013). Though Li lost, her success in major tournaments extended to the French Open, five months later. There, she won, to become the first Asian-born player to achieve a major tournament victory. Interestingly The New York Times used ‘Breakthrough for China in French Final’ as its headline for Li’s victory against Italy’s Francesca Schiavone in the final (Clarey 2011b, p.S1). The same article quoted Allaster as saying, ‘She was already a national hero; she’s just going to go to rock-star status. Look at Yao Ming. She’s going to be there’.
