flyinghippos101
Legend
Tell me again why it would be bad for a country to suddenly be a dominant force on the tour? Are you worried about some sort of tennis red scare or something?
OTMPut
Hall of Fame
Sometimes i feel Japanese are pretty distinct.
Does not do justice to classify them as Asian.
OTMPut
Hall of Fame
i thought Li started doing well after she got out of the "system".
there are surely going to be more chinese players on the tour and that is good for the sport.
that said, tennis remains a relatively expensive sport to get started. it is not easy for many middle class / lower middle class chinese to pursue a professional career. given the culture and that most have just one child, the emphasis would still be on scholastic achievement.
robin7
Hall of Fame
PCXL-Fan
Hall of Fame
God I love your posts Fedace.
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HurricaneDominic
Guest
Their tennis system didn't and in a way still doesn't work.
Li, Zheng, Peng, Yan and maybe a few more players left the system a few years back.
I don't think they will become a super power, but I expect at least 10 players in the Top 100 in the next few years, and possibly 3 or 4 in the top 20.
Their juniors look very good. Another thing is, they also are pushed hard in doubles, so they will have versatile games with volleying abilities..
Li Ching Yuen
Legend
The latest ratings show that over 150 million people in China watched the final on 4 different channels.
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HurricaneDominic
Guest
Li Ching Yuen
Legend
Also this final had the best tv ratings in France since 2005 when Mary Pierce was in it.
sonyhenryfed
Rookie
Congratulation!
Li Na!
You are best.
Li Na!
You are best.
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1970CRBase
Guest
Btw, it was somebody yelling "jiayou!" in Chinese (a Chinese fan?) at the end when Li was up 6 matchpoints and serving to cause her to have to catch her toss. wtf, whoever it was, what an idiot.
Li Ching Yuen
Legend
There will always be idiots, no matter the crowd or place.
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HurricaneDominic
Guest
Sounded like a womans voice. Wrong time to shout out . .
rickwestland
New User
Li reached her two only slam finals in a year when Williams sisters were largely absent from both tournaments due to injuries. I don't think that's merely a coincident.
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HurricaneDominic
Guest
Venus played the AO but got injured, showing that she is not physically as strong as she once was. She also has not won a Grand Slam since '08, so the likelihood she would is small.
Serena has been off for a while but she hasn't been in the Final of Roland Garros since '03, so again, she may not have had much of an impact.
Li Na deserves the title. She beat Kvitova, then Azarenka, then Sharapova and then Schiavone. 4 of the top players right now, so that's not much of a coincidence either.
Venus is past it. Serena is past it on Clay. I'd even call her '03 win a little 'lucky'.
And anyway, Li Na has beaten Serena Williams and Venus Williams before, so who says she wouldn't have this time?
We'll wait for Wimbledon, hopefully the Williams' are back to pick off the likes of Wozniacki and Azarenka and leave the 1/2's to the big guns and hopefully then Li Na can make a statement.
WinNCash
Rookie
In fact Venus has never beaten Li Na.
THUNDERVOLLEY
G.O.A.T.
Takeovers do not occur in such a sweeping fashion, no matter the money spent, or training involved. We need look no further than the so-called "Russian revolution," which was largely a bust after a flood of unwarranted hype, money and training (including American interests). The same can apply to China.
Moreover, we must also remember that not all of any "revolution" will have the talent to even be a factor at the majors. many may pepper the rankings, but there's no guarantee of success.
In 2015 you'll still be explaining that women are only in GS finals due the absence of the Williams sisters.
She is my favor player. she has a bigger heart than Li Na. If she is as tall as Li Na, she should be top 10 few years earlier.
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1970CRBase
Guest
After Schiavone came back in the second and was leading 6-5, the set was hers basically. By that point, Li had expended a lot of energy and her errors were mounting steeply whereas Schiavone had all the momentum and fire. The third set would have been a 6-2 for Schiavone. It was a very, very close shave.
Unlike somebody in the mens side, Li wanted to choke, but, FORCED herself NOT to. She literally FORCED herself to hang tough out there, even as the under-dog, even as the worse player on the surface, and even though she is not known for mental toughness and with the pressure of a billion people watching and expecting.
Schiavone will never beat Li on grass, in fact will probably lose in the first round of Wim as usual, and is far less likely to beat Li on hard than for her to beat Li on clay.
This is Li's year from this point onwards to take. Only has to manage herself effectively, rest and peak at the right moments.
Unlike somebody in the mens side, Li wanted to choke, but, FORCED herself NOT to. She literally FORCED herself to hang tough out there, even as the under-dog, even as the worse player on the surface, and even though she is not known for mental toughness and with the pressure of a billion people watching and expecting.
Schiavone will never beat Li on grass, in fact will probably lose in the first round of Wim as usual, and is far less likely to beat Li on hard than for her to beat Li on clay.
This is Li's year from this point onwards to take. Only has to manage herself effectively, rest and peak at the right moments.
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HurricaneDominic
Guest
We can't say what would happen in the 3rd set.
Schiavone lost 9 points in a row at the end, and Li Na is well known for leaving her form till last minute i.e. against Kvitova winning the last 6 games.
I agree on the fact this is Li Na's year. She's currently fit where as her main threats, Clijsters, Serena, Venus have been ill/injured and not prepared in the way she is.
Also being a Grand Slam Champion, but still not a favourite for Wimbledon will help a lot. I think bookies will pick Sharapova etc.
This could really help Li Na and I hope she reaches the 1/2 Finals at least at Wimbledon.
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HurricaneDominic
Guest
Li Na's Rankings:
Singles: #4
Race to WTA Championships (Singles): #2
Prize Money 2011: #1
Singles: #4
Race to WTA Championships (Singles): #2
Prize Money 2011: #1
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eliza
Guest
You got it right. If Schiavone had been awarded that ball (ans we agree about the judge bad decision) she would have won the set, and most probably the match. Li has flatter strokes, sure nice penetration, but not much else( in spite of her being a "double"player she sucked at the net). Schiavone is so superior in all aspects.
But tennis is mental, and while Li (who was at least as scared as Fran) kept cool, after that d.... call she froze in time.
This is why I would not put any bet for Wimbledon......
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eliza
Guest
Dear Americans, you'd better start thinking about somebody else besides the Williams.......Tennis is not just whaling the ball.................
1
1970CRBase
Guest
^Li isn't the doubles player. Yan is. Also Zheng.
It was a nice match, no doubt. Good matchup between two styles and personalities. Like I said before the match, neither was an easy opponent for the other.
It was a nice match, no doubt. Good matchup between two styles and personalities. Like I said before the match, neither was an easy opponent for the other.
WinNCash
Rookie
Whatever. Francesca still had the opportunity to win in the Tie Break and couldn't manage a point. She got hit off the court most of the match.
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srinrajesh
Guest
Its a start of asian wave. This should certainly inspire a number of chinese youngsters and also asians as a whole. Its been a mystery why they havent been able to achieve something like this earlier..
Also does anyone know if any player from African continent have won so far?
Also does anyone know if any player from African continent have won so far?
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HurricaneDominic
Guest
You talk some serious BS.
You can't say Schiavone would have won the set, nor can you say she would have won the match. You never know. Should have, Could have, Would have.
Li isn't a doubles player, shows how much you know about the game.
I wouldn't put a bet on ANY player for Wimbledon in the women's draw as it's so unpredictable. But Li Na is looking very good. We will see.
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HurricaneDominic
Guest
According to Google search:
South Africa:
- Johan Kriek (1981 Australian Open)
- Johan Kriek (1982 Australian Open)
Subventricular Zone
Rookie
Congratulations, Li Na!
Played beautifully and held her nerves well (except for that blip in the 2nd). All in all, though, great effort and well done!
Played beautifully and held her nerves well (except for that blip in the 2nd). All in all, though, great effort and well done!
