French Open champion Li Na insists she can cope with the extra pressure of being Asia’s first Grand Slam singles winner as the Chinese star aims to continue her year to remember at Wimbledon. Li made history when she ended the long wait for an Asian champion in one of the four majors by defeating Italy’s Francesca Schiavone in the French Open final earlier this month. The 29-year-old’s success is predicted to spark an explosion of interest in tennis in Asia after an estimated 116 million people in China tuned in to watch her beat Schiavone. Li, who faces Russia’s Alla Kudryavtseva in the Wimbledon first round, also reached the Australian Open final in January before losing to Kim Clijsters.
