Li Na Retirement Ceremony At 2014 China Open (Beijing)

With many of her WTA competitors around her, Li Na was bid a fond farewell at the 2014 China Open in Beijing. The Asian tennis pioneer and 2-time Major winner announced her retirement prior to the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open held in her hometown of Wuhan, China. She received a ceremony there, but this one … Continue reading →

WTA Wrap-Up 9.21.2014: Li Na Says Goodbye; Ana Ivanovic, Karolina Pliskova and Monica Niculescu Win Titles

After releasing an official statement a few days ago, Li Na wanted her retirement press conference to be a lighthearted, jovial affair. But after devoting so much of her life to tennis, growing from a girl with an after school hobby to a woman who reached the heights of her sport, it was impossible to … Continue reading →

2-Time Major Winner Li Na Retires From Professional Tennis

I am going to miss Li Na. She was my current favorite player. But her body, particularly her right knee, just couldn’t take the pounding, the surgeries, the injections…anymore. Li Na was the first to do many things on tour. She is the only player from Asia, male or female, to win a Major singles … Continue reading →

Maria Sharapova Tops Forbes Highest Paid Female Athletes For 10th Straight Year

When the Forbes list of top 100 paid athletes came out a month or so ago, it was obvious Maria Sharapova, Li Na and Serena Williams would be 1, 2 and 3 when the top 10 female athlete list was published. Now it has been, and so officially we can say Masha has topped the … Continue reading →

WTA Wrap Up 8.3.2014: Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova Win Titles; Li Na Withdraws From Summer Hard Court Events, Simona Halep To Rise To #2 Ranking

It wasn’t always a smooth ride, but in the end Serena Williams was able to outclass the opposition to win her third Bank of the West title in four years (she didn’t play last year). She was challenged in the first set in each of her matches against Karolina Pliskova, Ana Ivanovic, Andrea Petkovic and … Continue reading →

Nike Names Building At Greater China Nike HQ In Shanghai After Tennis Star Li Na

2-time Major winner Li Na joined the ranks of athletes such as Michael Jordan, John McEnroe, Pete Sampas and Mia Hamm by having a building at a Nike headquarters named after her. The #2 ranked tennis player is the first player representing an Asian country (in this case China, of course) to win a Major … Continue reading →

Wimbledon 2014 Day 5 Women’s Wrap Up: Petra Kvitova Defeats Venus Williams In Thrilling Match; Li Na Upset

Very often the best quality match in a tennis tournament is not a final. The final might be more dramatic because of what’s at stake, but in terms of actual level of play the highest grade can come at any point in the event. So it was on day 5 of Wimbledon 2014 that two … Continue reading →

Wimbledon 2014 Day 3 Wrap Up: Petra Kvitova, Agnieszka Radwanska Advance; Victoria Azarenka Ousted

When Petra Kvitova won Wimbledon 2011 many, including me, thought that was the beginning of a run to the #1 ranking for the enormously talented young Czech player. Certainly, she’s turned out to be one of the greatest players on tour, winning multiple titles each of the past three years (2011-2013). However, she hasn’t made … Continue reading →

Wimbledon 2014 Day 1 Women’s Wrap Up: Samantha Stosur, Sloane Stephens and Garbine Muguruza Upset Early; Li Na, Victoria Azarenka Advance

And that’s why I’m not a prognosticator. I usually don’t do predictive previews. For Wimbledon 2014 I did. I named 27th seed Garbine Muguruza a dark horse contender at the All England Tennis Club. Ah, the kiss of death. Garbine is gone after day 1 of the fortnight. Granted, it took 13 match points before … Continue reading →

Wimbledon 2014 Preview: Favorites, Contenders and Darkhorses

It’s that time of the tennis year again. Wimbledon. This is maybe one of the hardest years to predict, in terms of singles winners. Normally, Serena Williams would be the overwhelming favorite on the women’s side. She’s still the favorite, but there are questions. On the men’s side, Andy Murray is the defending champion, but … Continue reading →