• French Open

I'm glad I didn't quit tennis - Li

ESPN staff
June 5, 2011
Li Na won her maiden grand slam title in Paris © PA Photos
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French Open champion Li Na has revealed she nearly turned her back on the sport completely.

Li beat defending champion Francesca Schiavone in straight sets to become Asia's first singles grand slam champion at Roland Garros.

But the 29-year-old admitted she grew tired of tennis after being pushed into the sport by her parents.

She took two years out from tennis to pursue a career in journalism, and when she returned unranked in 2004, she was hampered by injuries and spent a lot of time competing on the ITF circuit.

"My parents pushed me for two years, I was tired, I didn't like it," Li admitted. "But I love the tennis life, that's why I came back. If I didn't play tennis, I would have lost everything."

Li's victory is expected to prompt a huge surge in interest in tennis in China. An estimated 65 million viewers watched her semi-final victory over Maria Sharapova.

"When I was young tennis in China was not so popular," Li said. "We couldn't see it on TV.

"I knew my matches got live broadcasted in China. I just hope my performance could encourage those kids who watched my games to believe that maybe they could play as well as I do or even better.

"I think tennis isn't valued enough in China. Tennis is quite an international sport. I really hope that it could be popular in China. I would like to see more and more Chinese people be passionate about tennis."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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