What's Next? WTA No. 7, Li Na

Our What's Next? series looks at every player who finished in the ATP or WTA Top 10 this season, and considers their future in three different ways.

At the Grand Slams, Li took a step back in 2012; she didn’t win one, as she had the previous season. On the other hand, it appeared, by the end of the year, that she had taken two smaller steps forward: She had improved on her awful second half of 2011 by winning the title in Cincinnati; and in a related development, she had hired a new coach, Carlos Rodriguez, who had guided Justine Henin throughout her Hall of Fame career. Li has always had firepower and athleticism, but she lacked the mental calm and consistency to use those assets effectively on a regular basis. But with Rodriguez, rather than her husband, as her coach, she showed some signs of progress as the year went on. For now, China’s No. 1 remains a notch below the WTA’s top tier, but she’s also one of the players with the ability to knock anyone off when everything is clicking.

Best Case Scenario: Provided Rodriguez is still in her corner, which seemed likely at season’s end, Li may have her best shot at a big win right off the bat, at the Australian Open. She was one set from the title there two years ago, and she likes the slow hard courts Down Under. After that, it’s anyone’s guess how Li will do from month to month or even set to set. She’ll have another shot at Paris, which she won in 2011, and a little more consistency overall could get her into the Top 5.

Worst Case Scenario: At the year-end WTA Championships, we saw some of the old problems—forehand breakdown, mental meltdown, barking at her coaching box—return for short stretches. Will those short stretches turn into long stretches? If they do, will Rodriguez tolerate being on the receiving end of her glare? A break-up there, and a return to being coached by her husband, would be a setback.

Australian Open Outlook: Li, a finalist in Melbourne in 2011, will come in right behind the Top 3 as a sleeper pick to win the whole thing. The courts suit her game, she’s in her part of the world, the season is young, and she should be mentally fresh. With a good draw, she could find herself alongside Vika, Serena, and Maria in the semifinals.

More What's Next?

- ATP No. 10, Richard Gasquet
- WTA No. 10, Caroline Wozniacki
- ATP No. 9, Janko Tipsarevic
- WTA No. 9, Sam Stosur
- ATP No. 8, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
- WTA No. 8, Petra Kvitova
- ATP No. 7, Juan Martin del Potro
- WTA No. 7, Li Na
- ATP No. 6, Tomas Berdych
- WTA No. 6, Sara Errani