China’s outspoken Li Na yesterday said even a Grand Slam win wouldn’t make tennis popular in her home country, as the public would forget all about it in just one month.
Li was speaking after beating Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-1 to reach the fourth round, reviving memories of last year’s bravura run to the semi-finals.
Both Li and countrywoman Zheng Jie made the last four last year, the first time any Chinese player had done so at a Grand Slam.
Zheng is missing this year due to injury, but Li and Peng Shuai, who is through to the third round, are flying the flag for China.
However, Li is not sure even her maiden Grand Slam title would make a lasting impression in China.
“Maybe for one month,” she said when asked if the game would become bigger in China. “After one month, everyone forgets.”
Promoting tennis in emerging superpower China has been a priority among the sport’s chiefs, with top-level tournaments held in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Acknowledging the trend, the Australian Open bills itself as the “Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific.”
Li, who caused a stir when she insisted on being coached by her husband Shan Jiang, rather than trainers provided by China’s state machine, also frankly admitted the two often clashed over tennis.
“It’s interesting because you always fight,” she said. “I mean, on the court, I always have to listen to what he says.”
“But we always find it a bonus that we like our job and our life. I think until now we are going well,” Li added.
The 28-year-old also urged China’s men to have greater self-belief if they are to follow the country’s women onto the big stage.
“Maybe the men don’t trust themselves a lot. They don’t have high goals,” she said. “They don’t know what they can do. They always play the Challenger [lower-tier tour].”
The ninth seed made history last year when she reached the semi-finals of the tournament, a result that made her the first Chinese player ever to reach the world top 10.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB