CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Wednesday, August 14, 2019 | 21 SPORTS
TENNIS A LEGEND SPEAKS Li Na talks about the highs and lows of a superstar’s life in a revealing documentary produced by Tencent
Li Na and her husband, Jiang Shan, share a light moment with fans at Monday’s Beijing premiere of her new documentary That’s Me, produced by Tencent Sports. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
By SUN XIAOCHEN worked so hard or been so desperate to excel in this sport,” [email protected] says an emotional Li who, inspired by her father, picked up badminton as her first sport at age 6. Five years into her retirement, Chinese tennis legend Li “Plagued by such misfortune, I came to realize that only Na shares untold stories about her late father, life strug by playing well and winning matches could I support my gles and romance with husband Jiang Shan in a retro family. That fire is still burning inside me.” spective documentary that debuted on Monday in In January it drove her to become the first and only Beijing. Asian player inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Considered one of the funniest players to watch on and Fame — an honor she feels flattered to receive. off the court during her playing days, Li’s frequent jokes “I am no hero or role model, just a Chinese tennis player, about life with Jiang served as a hilarious counterpoint to ordinary and diligent,” Li says in the documentary. “I’ve her fiery competitiveness. But the true story of her hus come a long way to become my ideal self and to live a life band’s marriage proposal is revealed for the first time in that I’ve dreamed of.” the twoepisode, 58minute film, which is airing on pro Li’s transition from oncourt dynamo to a patient moth ducer Tencent Sport’s digital platforms. er and an aspiring entrepreneur has been no less hectic Preparing to pop the question, Jiang bought a bunch of than her playing career. She’s currently working on estab flowers to surprise Li on the eve of Lunar New Year in lishing a tennis academy while overseeing the education of 2006. daughter Alisa and son Sapajou, born in 2015 and 2016 “I remember when he gave me the flowers I said, ‘What respectively. a fool! Why not give me the money instead? I am allergic “Perfect — only I couldn’t understand a single word,” Li to pollen!’ And the next day I had a rash,” Li told a rapt says in the film after taking a class at the Cheung Kong audience at the film’s launch ceremony. Graduate School of Business to study investment options Online viewership of the documentary, produced by for her academy. Tencent Sports over the past year, topped 15 million by Another scene takes viewers inside a tense meeting Tuesday. between Li, Jiang and their International Management The first Asian player, man or woman, to win a Grand Group partners over site selection for the academy, which Slam singles championship at the 2011 French Open, Li is still a work in progress. was forced to retire due to a knee injury, eight months aft Li insists she will never compromise on the project’s er winning her second major in January 2014 at the Aus mission to combine education and tennis training to the tralian Open. highest standards, adding: “If I have to betray my princi She left the court with nine WTA singles titles and an ples to run this academy, I’d rather not do it.” immeasurable impact on popularizing the sport in At 37, Li remains as stubborn as she’s always been on China. issues she believes worthy of persistence, says her last After joking that lucrative prize money was her main coach, Carlos Rodriguez. motivation for playing so fiercely, Li says in the documen “She lives, breathes and acts like a champion in every tary that the loss of her father, who died of a rare heart thing she does in normal life, living up to the standards of a condition when she was 14, drove her to be the best she champion,” adds the Argentine, who guided Li to her high could be. est ranking of world No 2 in early 2014. To make sure Li concentrated on her training, her moth Max Eisenbud, Li’s longtime agent with IMG, says the er shielded her from the seriousness of her father’s illness. academy will be the focus of Li’s postathletic career, A fleeting glance at the Wuhan train station when she was despite the current setbacks. en route from Beijing to Guangzhou in 1996 was the last “The academy is definitely a major priority for us and it’s time Li saw him. something I really want to make happen for her because “If he was still alive then, probably I would not have she deserves to be perfect,” says Eisenbud.
Not one to mince her words ...
I was probably a bit carried away I can’t say 100 percent, We want to open this Playing tennis is by the success. Maybe for the first but he is something of a academy not to produce one of a thousand time in my career I stood on the good husband. Not champions but to train the jobs, leaving the court not wanting to win but to get it perfect, though ... 99 percent of children who court means a over with as soon as possible. It’s because the perfect won’t become pros, and to change of job, not the worst thing for a player.” husband is always your help them find their places full retirement.” On her decline in form following her breakthrough neighbor’s!” in life.” On life after her playing French Open victory days ended On being married to Jiang Shan On coaching kids Murray philosophical after defeat, rules out US Open
CINCINNATI — Threetime times I didn’t even run to the ball, in January, ended a fivematch skid “I’m not going to play the US Grand Slam champion Andy Mur didn’t react to it,” he said. against Murray, who is now ranked Open singles,” he confirmed. ray said he “did OK” in his first sin “That’s nothing to do with my hip, 324th. “I felt like I wanted to maybe try to gles match in seven months — a 64, that’s just me not running for a ball.” Murray opened the game with a get a couple of matches in before 64 loss to Richard Gasquet at the Murray hadn’t played a singles double fault, and his forehand into making a decision like that.” Cincinnati Masters on Monday. match since a fiveset firstround the net gave Gasquet a match point Murray confirmed over the week “I don’t really know what I was exit at the Australian Open, where that the 56thranked Frenchman end, however, that he intends to expecting, to be honest,” said Murray, he tearfully acknowledged he feared converted when Murray sent a ser play two tournaments in China this sidelined since January by a career his career was over. vice return wide to end the match fall — the inaugural Zhuhai Cham threatening hip injury. Since undergoing surgery to after 96 minutes. pionships (Sept 2329) in Guang “I did OK. There were a lot of resurface his right hip on Jan 28 he Tentative at times, Murray fin dong province and the China Open things I would like to have done bet has slowly fashioned a return. ished with a respectable 20 winners in Beijing (Sept 28Oct 6). ter in the match, but you also have to Murray has been playing doubles but struck 28 unforced errors. “I’ve got some great memories be somewhat realistic in terms of for the past two months, winning at He was optimistic he can improve from playing the China Open in Bei what you can expect, in terms of how Queen’s Club in London with Feli further. jing,” Murray, who won the tourna you actually play and hit the ball.” ciano Lopez. “I think with a few more weeks of ment in 2016, said on his Weibo Murray said he “felt fine physical Gasquet, however, was too strong practice and hopefully some more account. ly” during the match. for the 32yearold Scot, who won matches, I can do better,” said Mur “It’s a really interesting city and Andy Murray hits a forehand against Richard Gasquet during his “My legs were a little bit heavy at the title in the US Open warmup in ray, who nevertheless said he did I’m looking forward to going back.” firstround loss at the Cincinnati Masters on Monday in Mason, the end of the match. When Richard Cincinnati in 2008 and 2011. not intend to play singles at the US Ohio. AP dropshotted me, there were a few Gasquet, who had groin surgery Open. AGENCE FRANCEPRESSE