Chinese female tennis star Li Na graces the cover of the latest TIME magazine issue. The world number five was named as one of the top 100 most influential people in the world. Li joins fellow athletes LeBron James, Mario Ballotelli and Lindsey Vonn in this prestigious list. Tennis stars have been part of the list in the past including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Novak Djokovic and others.
“It’s a great honor for me to be in the position of being able to help grow, promote and further build the sport of women’s tennis around the world, especially in my native China,” Li said. “I couldn’t be more honored to be on the list that includes some of the most talented people in the world, and to make an impact on women and women athletes.
“I am grateful to TIME for giving women’s tennis the recognition it deserves.”
