WATCH: Jon Wertheim speaks with new Hall of Famer Li Na

Jul 16, 2019
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WATCH: Jon Wertheim speaks with new Hall of Famer Li Na

She was a two-time Grand Slam champion, and was once ranked as high as world No. 2.

Published Jul 16, 2019

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Li Na saw much of herself in a young player on the women's tour early last year.

The two-time Grand Slam champion didn't hesitate to anoint Japan's Naomi Osaka as the player with a bright future.

So, Li Na, to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July along with fellow former Australian Open champions Mary Pierce and Yevgeny Kafelnikov, was not surprised when Osaka won the 2018 US Open and is already a quarterfinalist at Melbourne Park this time.

Li was a trailblazer in a women's tennis, becoming the first player from China to win a WTA title — in 2004 and the first from Asia to win a Grand Slam singles title when she won the 2011 French Open. She also won the Australian Open in 2014 and losing two previous finals here.

"When I first saw Naomi Osaka play, I thought she was really calm, very mature on court. She was so focused on her game itself, no pressure, point by point. That quality and the player's focus really impressed," she said through a Chinese translator.