China's two-time Grand Slam winner Li Na, who took tennis in Asia to a new level, is retiring. The Chinese super sports star made the announcement on her Weibo account, citing a recurring knee problem.
Speculation has been rife since the 32-year-old pulled out of the US Open and other hard-court tournaments because of knee injuries. Li became an icon for Chinese sports with her victory at the 2011 French Open. It made her the first Asian national to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Li Na reached a career-high second in the world rankings after January’s Grand Slam win in Australia. But after that, she entered only seven tournaments, and has not played since a third-round defeat at Wimbledon.