Li Na is hopeful her run into the French Open final can inspire a new generation of tennis players back home in China. The 29-year-old from Wuhan is aware of all the media attention she is getting in China with the likes of the People’s Daily and Sina.com, one of China’s most popular Internet portals, singing her praises. And her impressive 7-5, 6-4 win over Maria Sharapova in Thursday’s semi-finals will only add to her growing celebrity. “I think I proved a little bit for China tennis, because I’m sure they showed the match at the same time (live) in China, so maybe many children saw the match, and think that maybe one day they can do the same or even better,” said Li. “So they have the goal. I don’t know how much I can prove, but I wish tennis in China to get bigger and bigger.” Li is no stranger to setting milestones for Chinese tennis since she started playing in the Grand Slams in 2005. She was the first to win a WTA singles title in Guangzhou in 2004, the first to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam event, at Wimbledon 2006, and the first to crack the singles top 20 in 2006 and top 10 last year. Li then became the first player from China to reach a Grand Slam singles final, losing to Kim Clijsters in Australia at the start of the year and now she is the first from her country to reach the final of the French Open. At 29, time may not be on her side, but she believes that she is playng some of the best tennis of her life. “Age doesn’t mean anything,” she said. “Age is just paper. It’s just plus one. “Maybe for the Asia players they are growing up a little bit later than European players, but I don’t think 29 is too late, too old. I’m still feel I am young.”
