AFP, Wuhan :
Tennis trailblazer Li Na said China’s up-and-coming players needed to be allowed to have fun and express themselves, warning it will take time before the country has another major winner.
Li, speaking to AFP in her home city of Wuhan, said it was her “dream” to help develop the next generation, which is already blossoming with 12 Chinese players in the top 200.
But she remains rueful about her struggles with China’s state sports system and a sceptical media, and said it was still too early for the new players to reach the top of the sport.
“You need to give time for them to see the tour,” Li said in an interview during the ongoing Wuhan Open, a tournament which was established on the back of her success.
“Because right now there are so many young players they are just coming out, so they need the experience to do it.”
As testament to Li’s career, the second Wuhan Open boasts a new 15,000-seat stadium — similar in capacity to Wimbledon’s Centre Court and the Australian Open’s Rod Laver Arena.
