TEMPO.CO, Beijing – Chinese tenniswoman Li Na has announced her retirement due to knee injury. Li, 32, is the first Asian tenniswoman to win the Grand Slam, with the first one being in the French Open and the second in the 2014 Australia Open.
Li’s success in the Australia Open earlier this year has put her at second in the world's ranking, tailing Serena Williams. However, Li Na stopped playing since her lost in Wimbledon due to the same injury.
Li said that she had just undergone a surgery in her left knee. Prior to that, she had had three surgeries in her right knee in 2008.
In her farewell speech, Li said she could not be 100 percent fit for future tournaments. She added, however, that she was glad that she had achieved a remarkable collection as an Asian tenniswoman. In her retirement days, Li Na is set to form her own tennis academy to facilitate fellow Asian tennis players to strive globally.
RINA WIDIASTUTI | ESPN
