Friday 19 September 2014 15:03, UK
Two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na has confirmed her retirement from tennis.
The 32-year-old from China, and reigning Australian Open champion, admitted that on-going knee problems had forced her to end her professional career.
Na, who became the first Asian player (male or female) to win a singles Slam with victory at the 2011 French Open, has not competed since Wimbledon due to injury.
She said in a statement: “Most people in the tennis world know that my career has been marked by my troubled right knee.
“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.
“My previous three surgeries were on my right knee. My most recent knee surgery took place this July and was on my 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.
“While I've 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 of Wuhan.
“As hard as I tried to get back to being 100%, 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%.
“It took me several agonising months to finally come to the decision that my chronic injuries will never again let me be the tennis player that I can be.
“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 addition, to her Grand Slam success, Na compiled over $16m in prize money and won nine WTA Tour titles.
