WTA Finals tournament director Melissa Pine presents China's two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na (right) a baby shirt for her daughter following a tennis clinic in Singapore yesterday. (WTA)

Agencies/Singapore


Chinese icon Li Na yesterday said Flavia Pennetta had made a “great choice” by going out on top after she announced her retirement in the moments following her US Open victory.
Li quit last September when she was the reigning Australian Open champion, and she said she well understood the decision of her fellow 33-year-old to say goodbye to her career.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Li, who became a mother this year, spoke with Pennetta at the WTA Finals in Singapore and she said the Italian wasn’t wavering about retiring.
“I was just asking her, ‘(Did) you change your mind? She was like, ‘No. Never. Done.’ I was like, yeah, I understand, we are (the) same age. I know how tough (life is) on the tour, like over 10 years,” Li told reporters in Singapore.
“You know, tennis is a job. It’s part of life. You have to find the... real life or family.
“For this age, I think she will (be) doing (a) great choice,” she added.
Last month, Pennetta stunned the crowd in New York when she announced her retirement immediately after beating fellow Italian Roberta Vinci to win her first major title.
Pennetta’s retirement could still be interrupted by next year’s Olympics, when she has admitted she may be tempted to make a brief comeback.
Pennetta lost her WTA Finals opener 6-0, 6-3 to Simona Halep and Li said debutante Garbine Muguruza, who beat Lucie Safarova 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), was one player who had impressed her this year.
“I think because she plays more aggressive and is young and talented,” said Li of the imposing Spaniard.
Since her retirement, Asia’s most successful women’s tennis player has embraced her role as ambassador for the WTA Future Stars. However, she is the first to admit that it is far more difficult than being just being a player.
“When you’re playing, it’s much easier. You just make your schedule, follow the schedule. That’s it. As an ambassador, you have to see how the players are doing, how the team is run. Honestly, I would like to send a message to all the young players: Everyone has goals, and the way is tough... of course, it’s not easy. So, don’t give up and try your best. One day, it will come back.”
Li speaks from experience. She turned professional in 1999 at the age of 16, but retired the first time in 2002 over reported conflicts with China’s state-run sports system. She returned to competition two years later, and waited seven years before she made history by winning her maiden Grand Slam at the 2011 French Open. Li added the Australian Open trophy to her cabinet in 2014.
These are amid her numerous battles with injuries—a chronic left knee injury eventually led to her second retirement. She finished her career with two majors, nine titles from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and 19 on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) circuit.
Although there are 12 Chinese players in the WTA top 200, none are apparent successors to Li. At No. 52, Zarina Diyas from Kazakhstan is currently the highest-ranked women’s singles player from Asia. India’s Sania Mirza tops the doubles rankings.
“Of course I’m sad, because Asia is huge,”
Li admitted. “Right now, if they could have very good players, maybe the people would pay attention to tennis. We need to do even more than before.”