Serena Williams v Li Na? A tale of two mothers as one focuses on winning Wimbledon and the other on family
China’s 36-year-old pioneer is back at Wimbledon, happy in her life raising a family – and cooking but not cleaning
While Serena Williams was playing for a spot in the semi-finals at Wimbledon, another 36-year-old mother, Li Na, was content to relive old times a few courts away with other legends.
The most successful Asian ever was playing a friendly match on court 2 in a legends event with other retirees such as Ai Sugiyama and Tracy Austin.
Li said she did not regret her decision to retire in 2014, months after winning the Australian Open. While Williams has continued to dominate the tour, Li has focused on family in Beijing, where she is raising a three-year old girl, Alisa, and a one-year-old boy, Sapajou.
On Wimbledon grass for the first time in four years, her smile and “Joker Li” humour are the same. Li hit a whistling forehand passing shot and kicked up chalk dust with a few serves, but there were no signs she can repeat Williams’ feat of returning to pro tennis after childbirth.
“I miss the fighting competition. In normal life we don’t have that,” Li told the South China Morning Post.
