Li Na
Updated: Wikipedia source
Li Na (born 26 February 1982) is a Chinese former professional tennis player. She was ranked world No. 2 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association. Li won nine WTA Tour-level singles titles, including two majors at the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open. Those victories made her the first major singles champion from Asia, male or female. She was also the runner-up at the 2011 Australian Open, 2013 Australian Open, and the 2013 WTA Tour Championships. A trailblazer for tennis in China, Li was the first Chinese player to win a WTA Tour title at the Guangzhou International Women's Open in 2004, the first to reach a major singles quarterfinal at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, the first to reach a major singles final, and the first to break into the world's top ten. By 2013, her accomplishments had made her the most successful Asian tennis player of her time, landing her on Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People in the World. Former world No. 1 Chris Evert wrote there: "Tennis has exploded in China. The country now has some 15 million tennis players; 116 million watched Li win the French Open. That kind of exposure is crucial to our sport, and it never would have happened without Li." Li retired from tennis in September 2014, at age 32. In 2019, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, becoming the first Asian player to receive this honor.