The Best Moments at Li Na's Farewell Ceremony

Li Na was seen off the world's professional sporting stage at the China Open in Beijing with a fitting farewell gathering of friendly foes and special guests. Here's the full footage, which clocks in under 30 minutes—about as long as a set during one of her many decisive victories. Li's incisive backhand drives won her a good many points and earned her the right to be known for all of time as one of the game's greats, truly a trailblazer as tennis has made its way into East Asia.

Without further ado, as that clip harbors plenty of that, in a good way, here are the Spin's favorite moments from the event:

1. The CEO of the WTA tour, Stacey Allaster, termed Li "a pioneer" and "the player of this decade who has made the most impact on growth on women's tennis." She also made note of the star's "beautiful smile and that fun personality," wishing "you and your perfect husband ... good health, lots of happiness, and good luck." (Li famously made jokes at her husband's expense, often during victory speeches.)

2. Li looked in the rear-view mirror herself, calling out her IMG agent Max Eisenbud, who she shares with Maria Sharapova, for not just making her rich (as she noted in her glorious Australian Open winner's speech this past January), but for helping her find coach Carlos Rodriguez, who aided her in winning a second Grand Slam singles title.

3. The tears. Lachrymose types such as Jelena Jankovic, Caroline Wozniacki, and others fought back the waterworks during the ceremony. These women, all combatants with each other on court, so often share genuine laughter behind the scenes, in the times when they're not sweating it out for individual glory.

4. The fans. Their reactions to a video lauding Li's accomplishments on court escalated most when footage played that depicted her French Open and Australian Open titles and trophy hoisting. What a difference she truly has made, and in the lives of Asian youngsters.

5. Rafael Nadal's cameo appearance. He entered with Li's husband, Jiang "Dennis" Shan, and handed her a bouquet of flowers, also delivering kisses to both cheeks. It was a fantastic touch, a beacon of the ATP tour reaching out to his WTA peer, and a fellow French Open champion known for both true grit and class.

6. The event's announcer told Petra Kvitova, as she took to the microphone, that Li has considered her "a sister off the court." Kvitova herself said last week that she and Li got along so well, for one reason, because they have the same sense of humor about things. In these moments, as Kvitova addressed the assembly, they exchanged the lioness' share of another batch of emotions as well.

7. Finally, Kvitova's words: "Thank you for being our opponent, thank you for being our inspiration, and thank you for being our friend." The simpleness of the statement was itself beautiful.

What's your favorite Li Na memory, on or off the court?

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