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Agence France-Presse

Li Na said she is sorry Chinese tennis has not moved on more since her retirement, as the country’s fruitless search for a new champion continues.
Li’s two grand slam titles set the bar extremely high for her fellow Chinese, who have laboured in vain to match her trailblazing achievements.
The contrast was laid bare at last week’s Wuhan Open, where Li received a rock-star welcome during a brief appearance, but none of the Chinese players went beyond the third round.
Following her rapturous reception in Wuhan, her home city, Li said she was disappointed that China hadn’t found a new star to love since she stepped off the tour in 2014.
“Actually, I didn’t like (that) people always remember me,” said Li, who won the French Open in 2011 and the Australian Open in 2014. “That means Chinese tennis didn’t grow up.”
“(When) I decided to retire, I was thinking next day (new Chinese winners) would come,” she said.
Hopes were high when Peng Shuai reached the 2014 US Open semi-finals, soon after Li’s retirement, and Zhang Shuai won her second Guangzhou Open title this year.
Wu Yibing also became China’s first boys’ grand slam singles champion at last month’s US Open. But nobody has consistently challenged at the highest levels.
In Wuhan, five Chinese women were in the main draw but Wang Qiang was the only one to reach the third round – the best performance by a home player in the tournament.
Starlet Wu Yibing ready to kick-start the march of the Chinese as Shanghai win earns him first ATP tilt
Peter McNamara, Wang’s Australian coach, said the high expectations created by Li’s career were a problem for Chinese players.
“I think it’s very intimidating having such a great player and champion who did raise the bar to a level that’s pretty hard to get to,” he said.
“I never bring it up, about trying to reach her heights.”
Li was always a special case for Chinese tennis, as she took the maverick step of breaking away from state control to forge her career on her own terms.
Why China tennis teen Wu Yibing has what it takes to make a Li Na-style impact
The 35-year-old said that modesty, a typical trait of Chinese culture, could be holding players back. Peng is the top ranked Chinese player at 24, with Zhang at 26.
“They always say ‘Oh, I’m not so good’, but for the sport you have to show all of the world (you are good),” Li said.
World number one Garbine Muguruza also said she found Chinese players “very respectful on the court ... very quiet”, in contrast to Li, who she described as having great “intensity”.
Fabrice Chouquet, Wuhan co-tournament director, said tennis in China was in the middle of a transition between two generations.
“We have a solid number one and two here,” he said, referring to Peng and Zhang. “And behind them a younger generation of players that is really going to come up.”
Wang Qiang was part of that new crop, said McNamara, and had yet to reach her full potential.
“My girl is a baby. She’s 25 but she’s 20 as a tennis player,” he said. “This is the thing about Chinese players, they mature late.”
Chinese tennis success has mainly come from women, with Wu’s victory in New York an anomaly. While there are five Chinese women in the top 100 and 11 in the top 200, the top Chinese man is 220-ranked Wu Di.
McNamara said the divide could also be explained by culture in the country of the one-child policy, where sons are highly prised.
“Boys get it fairly easy. Girls don’t,” he said, adding: “They fight very hard, the girls.
“You can see their mentality on the court. They will go to untold lengths to improve.”


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Li Na

Chinese tennis needs to grow up, says Li Na, as search for new champion goes on ... and on

China’s two-time grand slam champion, Li Na, takes selfies with young tennis players during the 2017 WTA Wuhan Open. Photo: Xinhua

(FILES) This file photo taken on January 25, 2014 shows Li Na of China posing with the trophy following her victory over Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia in the women's singles final on day 13 of the 2014 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. Li Na said October 1, 2017 she's sorry Chinese tennis hasn't moved on more since her retirement as the country's fruitless search for a new champion continues. / AFP PHOTO / William WEST / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE -- TO GO WITH AFP STORY TENNIS-WTA-CHN-LI,FOCUS BY ALICE PHILIPSON

(170928) -- WUHAN,  Sept. 28,  2017(Xinhua) -- Chinese two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na shows tennis skills to young players during the 2017 WTA Wuhan Open Project event in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, on Sept. 28, 2017. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

(170928) -- WUHAN,  Sept. 28,  2017(Xinhua) -- Chinese two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na gestures with young tennis players during the 2017 WTA Wuhan Open Project event in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, on Sept. 28, 2017. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

(170928) -- WUHAN,  Sept. 28,  2017(Xinhua) -- Chinese two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na (L) signs autographs for young tennis players during the 2017 WTA Wuhan Open Project event in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, on Sept. 28, 2017. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

Sport

China

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Trailblazing two-time grand slam winner is disappointed China hasn’t found a new star to love since she stepped off the tour in 2014
