Li Na announces retirement

Beijing, China (SportsNetwork.com) – Two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na announced her retirement from tennis through an open letter on Friday.

Li has retired due to lingering knee injuries, which forced her to withdraw from the recently concluded U.S. Open.

An intricate tape job on her right knee has been a staple of her on-court gear for years. Li’s already had several surgeries on the knee and in her autobiography she detailed the painful procedures she has had to undergo just to stay on court.

The world No. 6 and one-time world No. 2 star has not played since losing in the third round at Wimbledon in June.

“Most people in the tennis world know that my career has been marked by my troubled right knee,” Li said in the open letter she posted online. “The black brace I wear over it when I step on the court has become my tennis birth mark. And while the brace completes my tennis look, the knee problems have at times overtaken my life.

“After four knee surgeries and hundreds of shots injected into my knee weekly to alleviate swelling and pain, my body is begging me to stop the pounding.”

Li became the first Asian-born player to capture a Grand Slam event, doing so at the French Open in 2011, and won her second major title earlier this year at the Australian Open. But following a first-round loss at this year’s French Open and a third-round setback at Wimbledon, Li split with her coach, Carlos Rodriguez, and has not played since.

“Winning a Grand Slam title this year and achieving a ranking of World No. 2 is the way I would like to leave competitive tennis,” said the 32-year-old Li. “As hard as it’s been to come to this decision, I am at peace with it. I have no regrets.”

Li’s breakthrough opened up the Chinese market to the sport and she quickly became the face of Asian tennis. In 2011, there were just two WTA events in China, but that number has grown to five, not including a new tournament in Hong Kong and the WTA Finals set to be staged in Singapore in October.

“Representing China on the tennis court was an extraordinary privilege and a true honor,” said Li. “Having the unique opportunity to effectively bring more attention to the sport of tennis in China and all over Asia is something I will cherish forever. But in sport, just like in life, all great things must come to an end.”

Forbes listed Li at No. 2, behind only Maria Sharapova, on the list of highest-paid female athletes in the world, earning $23.6 million last year.

Li owns nine WTA titles and has been a runner-up on 12 occasions.

Categorized in: Tennis