She won two Grand Slams, reached the top 3, and faced family pressure: ‘I hated tennis so much’

Today, Asian women’s tennis is well represented by Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion who recently returned to the Top 20. But before Osaka, there was Li Na, the trailblazing Chinese star who won two majors — Roland Garros in 2011 and the Australian Open in 2014 — and rose as high as No. 2 in the world rankings.

Born February 26, 1982, in Wuhan, Li initially trained in badminton before transitioning to tennis at her mother’s urging. The decision came with heavy pressure from her family — something she admitted years later left her conflicted.

“My name is Li Na, from China, where that name is extremely common. The truth is, I didn’t choose this,” she once recalled. “I started playing tennis when I was eight years old because my mother decided it for me. During that time, I hated