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Li Na hailed as China' s new idol
Source: Xinhua |
June 5, 2011, Sunday
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Online Edition
Online Edition
CHINA' s Li Na is hailed nationwide as an idol on a par with NBA superstar Yao Ming, following her historic victory in Paris that made her the first Asian tennis player to lift a grand slam singles title.
People in her home country compare her with China' s three best known international sportsmen, saying that the nation has Li' s strength, along with Houston Rockets center Yao Ming' s height, Olympic hurdle champion Liu Xiang' s speed and snooker star Ding Junhui' s accuracy.
Despite her loss to Kim Clijsters at the Australian Open final in January, Li's popularity as the flag-bearer of Chinese tennis has soared and reached new peaks at the French Open.
Last week, the nation's sporting pages were dominated by praise for the 29-year-old when she won the semifinal match against Maria Sharapova. The final against defending champion Francesca Schiavone, broadcast live on China's state television, attracted a record of 95 million viewers.
On the Chinese Internet, home to more than 470 million users, followers of Li's microblog rose roughly 200,000 overnight to 2.07 million. Major portals were flooded with messages of congratulations, with someone writing that "The victory belongs to Li Na as well as to the country" and a few saying that "I was excited and burst into tears."
Li, from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, is widely considered an inspiration to the younger generation and a symbol of modern female independence. She is also acclaimed by some as part of China's soft power overseas.
Li's popularity will soon exceed that of Yao Ming and Liu Xiang at home and abroad, said former national rowing champion Zhang Xiang, who is also from Wuhan. "I think tennis has a longer history and is more influential internationally than basketball and hurdle race.
Zhang's colleague, who asked to remain anonymous, added that "After quitting the state-run sports system in 2008, Li started her own team, chose her own coach and is responsible to her own financial security. Despite help from her husband, all this is not easy for a woman, whose sports career blossomed at 29."
Wang Yifei, a player in the provincial team in which Li was a member in the 1990s, said that "Big Sister Na" - Li Na's nickname - set an example for us because she is "strong, unbending and unyielding" in pursuit of her career.
To become a perfect idol, all she needs to do is control her bad temper." The 17-year-old said.
Wang's teammate Zou Tianren, 18, said that "Li Na has set the pace and led the way and that more and more young people will follow her and keep up in the race."
Tennis is considered an elite sport in China. Only until recent years has the number of players grown fast, but the popularity still runs far behind basketball, football and table tennis.
Li's win is seen as a huge boost to change the situation in a sport that has long been dominated by players from Europe, Australia and Americas. "It is a massive source of pride for all the Asians and it can serve as a great milestone for the development of Chinese tennis," said Chinese tennis chief Sun Jinfang.
Li also said previously that "Tennis is an international sport. I really hope that it could be popular in China. I would like to see more and more Chinese people become passionate about tennis."
People in her home country compare her with China' s three best known international sportsmen, saying that the nation has Li' s strength, along with Houston Rockets center Yao Ming' s height, Olympic hurdle champion Liu Xiang' s speed and snooker star Ding Junhui' s accuracy.
Despite her loss to Kim Clijsters at the Australian Open final in January, Li's popularity as the flag-bearer of Chinese tennis has soared and reached new peaks at the French Open.
Last week, the nation's sporting pages were dominated by praise for the 29-year-old when she won the semifinal match against Maria Sharapova. The final against defending champion Francesca Schiavone, broadcast live on China's state television, attracted a record of 95 million viewers.
On the Chinese Internet, home to more than 470 million users, followers of Li's microblog rose roughly 200,000 overnight to 2.07 million. Major portals were flooded with messages of congratulations, with someone writing that "The victory belongs to Li Na as well as to the country" and a few saying that "I was excited and burst into tears."
Li, from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, is widely considered an inspiration to the younger generation and a symbol of modern female independence. She is also acclaimed by some as part of China's soft power overseas.
Li's popularity will soon exceed that of Yao Ming and Liu Xiang at home and abroad, said former national rowing champion Zhang Xiang, who is also from Wuhan. "I think tennis has a longer history and is more influential internationally than basketball and hurdle race.
Zhang's colleague, who asked to remain anonymous, added that "After quitting the state-run sports system in 2008, Li started her own team, chose her own coach and is responsible to her own financial security. Despite help from her husband, all this is not easy for a woman, whose sports career blossomed at 29."
Wang Yifei, a player in the provincial team in which Li was a member in the 1990s, said that "Big Sister Na" - Li Na's nickname - set an example for us because she is "strong, unbending and unyielding" in pursuit of her career.
To become a perfect idol, all she needs to do is control her bad temper." The 17-year-old said.
Wang's teammate Zou Tianren, 18, said that "Li Na has set the pace and led the way and that more and more young people will follow her and keep up in the race."
Tennis is considered an elite sport in China. Only until recent years has the number of players grown fast, but the popularity still runs far behind basketball, football and table tennis.
Li's win is seen as a huge boost to change the situation in a sport that has long been dominated by players from Europe, Australia and Americas. "It is a massive source of pride for all the Asians and it can serve as a great milestone for the development of Chinese tennis," said Chinese tennis chief Sun Jinfang.
Li also said previously that "Tennis is an international sport. I really hope that it could be popular in China. I would like to see more and more Chinese people become passionate about tennis."
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