Li Na says that she hired Danish Fed Cup captain Michael Mortensen as her new coach because she was unable to regain her confidence under her husband, Jiang Shan, who coached her to the Australian Open final.
"After the Australian Open I didn't do well until Madrid," said Li. "We're working well together—we have good communication and [Mortensen] is helping me a lot. He's giving me a lot of confidence and I feel positive on court."
Li reached the semis of Madrid after suffering four straight first-round defeats. Mortensen is also a technical coach for No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. No. 6 Li told Reuters she needed to make change.
"I don't care what other people think," she said. "My confidence was low and I felt I had to change my coach. After Melbourne I didn't do well and if you don't do well you don't have confidence. I'm not a young player so I know my body and what I can do on the court. We are focusing more on the mental side as I feel I need someone to support me. Melbourne was good, but it was just one tournament. Of course when you do well it's not easy because the fans expect you to reach the final every time. But I'm learning to concentrate and set my own goals."—Matthew Cronin