| sakura698 |
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7/12/2019 06:20 | Sujet du message:
BEIJING, China - Li Na, a two-time Grand | |
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BEIJING, China - Li Na, a two-time Grand Slam champion from China who took tennis in Asia to a new level, has retired due to recurring knee injuries. Saucony False . The 32-year-old Li posted a statement on social media sites Friday, ending a week of intensifying speculation that she would announce her retirement ahead of the new WTA tournament at Wuhan, her home town. The WTA, which runs womens tennis, has described Li as a trailblazer and credits her with being the first player from Asia to win a major title — she won the 2011 French Open, beating four Top 10 players in succession to wrap up the title — a few months after becoming the first from the region to reach a Grand Slam final, which she did at the 2011 Australian Open. She clinched the Australian Open title in January, in her third trip to the final at Melbourne Park, to reach a career-high No. 2 ranking, another continental milestone. Li hasnt played since a third-round defeat at Wimbledon, withdrawing from the U.S. Open citing a knee injury. "Most people in the tennis world know that my career has been marked by my troubled right knee," Li said in the open letter she posted online. "After four knee surgeries and hundreds of shots injected into my knee weekly to alleviate swelling and pain, my body is begging me to stop the pounding." After three operations on her right knee, dating back to March 2008, Li said her most recent surgery in July was on her left knee. "After a few weeks of post-surgery recovery, I tried to go through all the necessary steps to get back on the court," she said. "While Ive come back from surgery in the past, this time it felt different. "One of my goals was to recover as fast as I could in order to be ready for the first WTA tournament in my hometown. As hard as I tried to get back to being 100 per cent, my body kept telling me that, at 32, I will not be able to compete at the top level ever again. The sport is just too competitive, too good, to not be 100 per cent." Li started her career in the national system system, but had a keen sense of individuality. She bucked the system at times during her career — giving up tennis for two years to do media studies at a university earlier in her career — and later insisting on selecting her own coach. She also has won support from the public for her courage to defy Chinas rigid state-run sports system aimed at training world-class athletes. The announcement that she had parted ways with coach Carlos Rodriguez, ending an almost two-year working relationship with the former long-time mentor for Justin Henin, followed her Wimbledon defeat in July. Li won millions of admirers with her tough-as-nails approach on court, and her warmth and charm outside the arena. Her frequent jokes about life with Jiang Shan, her former coach and husband since 2006, in courtside interviews helped Li become an instant hit at the Australian Open. Among her other milestones, Li was the first Chinese player to win a WTA tour title (Guangzhou in 2004), the first to reach a Grand Slam singles quarterfinal (Wimbledon in 2006), first to break into the Top 20. "Ive succeeded on the global stage in a sport that a few years ago was in its infancy in China," Li said. "What Ive accomplished for myself is beyond my wildest dreams. What I accomplished for my country is one of my most proud achievements." Li rose to No. 2 in the rankings after her win in Australia in January, but dropped to No. 6 this month due to her injury-enforced inactivity. In the immediate future is the establishment of a Li Na Tennis Academy, providing scholarships for future Chinese players. In the not-too-distant future, shes hoping to start a family. "My philanthropic work will expand in scope as I continue to dedicate myself to helping those in need. What was once just a dream in China today is a reality," she said. "On a personal side, I look forward to starting a new chapter of my life, hopefully having a family and reconnecting with those I did not have the luxury of spending a lot of time with while playing." In a statement celebrating her 15-year professional career, WTA chief executive Stacey Allaster said Li "has been a fun, powerful, and wonderful player on the WTA tour and, along with her fans, I am sad to hear that she has retired." "In addition to her amazing tennis abilities and her warm and humorous personality, she is a pioneer who opened doors to tennis for hundreds of millions of people throughout China and Asia. Her legacy is immense and I have no doubt that her contributions to the WTA will be seen for decades to come," Allaster said. "Its hard to be a household name in a nation with 1.4 billion people, but thats what Li Na is." ___ AP Sports Writer John Pye in Brisbane, Australia contributed to this report. Yeezy Outlet . Austin Watson, Scott Ford, Filip Forsberg and Mark Van Guilder had the other goals for the Admirals (30-21-12). Scott Darling made 30 saves for his 10th win of the season. Yeezy 350 Outlet Italia . I wondered how NHL coaches would feel about a playoff schedule that allowed them to open a best-of-seven series on the road, which many claim to favour, yet still gave them the precious home-ice edge for a seventh game. http://www.yeezyscarpeitaliaoutlet.it/scontate-ultra-boost-online.html . Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone dismissed Tuesdays massive anti-government protest in Manama as "a lot of kids having a go at the police." "I dont think its anything serious at all," Ecclestone was quoted as saying in The Guardian newspaper on Wednesday.BROSSARD, Que. -- Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price said Saturday the "lower body" injury he suffered in the NHL Eastern Conference final wont need surgery. Prices playoffs ended in the second period of the series opener after New York Rangers forward Chris Krieder crashed into him while on a breakaway. He would only call it a lower body injury, although he was wearing a brace on his right knee in the days after the incident. "Over time its going to get back to normal," he said. "I actually got really lucky, it could have been a lot worse than it was." Price lay on the ice for a moment after the collision early in the second period of New Yorks 7-2 victory, but finished the period. He was substituted by back-up Peter Budaj for the third. No penalty was called on the play, although teammate Brandon Prust said Kreiders crash was "accidental on purpose." "I dont think he did it intentionally and I dont think he tried to miss me either," said Price. "He was coming in with a lot of speed and he lost his footing. "Theres not much really to be said. Im not going to go seeking revenge or anything like that. Hockey is a game of chance and unfortunately, I was unlucky in that situation." Budaj was beaten for three goals in his one period of action and coach Michel Therrien made the surprise decision to start third-stringer Dustin Tokarski for the rest of the series. Tokarski, who had only played 10 NHL regular season games in his career and had no playoff experience, was solid in goal, going 2-3-1 with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. Price had been 8-4-1 with a 2.35 average and a .919 save percentage. "That was probably one of the hardest situations you could ever throw a guy into and he really excelled," Price said of Tokarski, a former rival in the junior Western Hockey League. Yeezy 700 Outlet Italia. "He showed why hes won at different levels. "Hes an awesome guy and Ive got to tip my hat to him. He did an awesome job." It left Budaj out to dry. The Slovak has a year remaining on his contract but looks to have been bumped to third-string status. Price feels for him. "Its definitely a tough spot," he said. "Peters one of the genuinely nicest human beings Ive ever met. "Hes an unbelievable backup. Hes one of the best friends I have on this team and he showed a lot of character. He never hung his head, never pouted and he showed the utmost support for everybody, including Dustin. It takes a special person to do that." Price was on an accelerated rehab program after the injury. Going from a five-minute skate to a half hour in pads and then practising with his teammates. He said he should have been able to play if the team reached the Stanley Cup final. "I would have been pushing my luck to come back real quick, but obviously the time of year I would be trying to come back real soon," he said. "Obviously, in the playoffs you play through things, and thats what I wanted to do. But theres also the reality that no matter how bad you want to play and how bad you want to get in there, theres also a question of how effective you are going to be. That was a decision that we had to make." He said the injury was not related to the one he suffered while backstopping Canada to gold at the Sochi Olympics in February. The 26-year-old plans to continue rehab in Montreal for a short spell and return home to British Columbia to heal and get ready for next season. ' ' '  |
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