Li Na said that despite being sad for having made her decision to retire from professional tennis, she said that she has no regrets from doing so. This after she expounded on her decision via a packed news conference last Sunday at the National Tennis Center in Beijing ahead of the China Open.
“I feel this is the best time for me to retire. I don’t feel sorry or have any regrets about retiring,” she said. “When I was making this decision I asked myself, ‘If I retire, will I regret it?’ My heart told me I wouldn’t, because I’ve done my best.”
“I’m very satisfied with my tennis career,” the two-time Grand Slam champion said.
Li Na won her first major at the French Open in 2011 and her second at the Australian Open in Melbourne earlier this year which propelled her ranking to a career-high number two.
“After the surgery in July, I tried very hard to recover, hoping I can make it to participate in tennis matches in China especially the Wuhan Tennis Open which is the first ever big tennis match in my hometown,” Li said. “However, this is my fourth big surgery, and with my age and physical state, it is hard for me.
“This is a tough decision to make for me, even harder than playing the Grand Slam matches. But I think this is about the right time to say goodbye to everyone, because my body doesn’t allow me to participate in any high-level tennis matches.”
The Chinese tennis superstar will still be involved in the sport in other ways. She was named the Ambassador of the WTA Finals Singapore.
“What I really want to do now is try to set up a tennis school of my own and do basic things to help build up the base for Chinese tennis,” Li said. “Like a pyramid, I believe only with a solid base, Chinese tennis can have a better future.”
