Li: I'm ready to win Slam
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China's top women's tennis player, Li Na, believes she is ready to win a Grand Slam to add the ultimate chapter to her lengthy list of achievements in the nation's tennis history.
The 28-year-old is enjoying the best season of her career to date as she made the semifinals at the Australian Open in January and then became the first Chinese to break into the top 10 of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings.
Last month, she made it to the last eight at Wimbledon to equal her personal best at the grass-court tournament before losing to eventual winner Serena Williams.
Li also claimed her first title on grass in Birmingham in June, defeating former world No 1 Maria Sharapova in straight sets in the final.
"Wining a Grand Slam is my ultimate goal." Li said. "I am ready at any time (to win that). "
She had a good fight with world No 1, Serena, at Wimbledon in a match in which she squandered a 40-0 lead at 5-5 in the first set. Before that, she did not lose a single set en route to the quarterfinals, including a straight-sets victory over world No 9 Agnieszka Radwanska, the Pole who denied her a fourth-round place at the event the year before.
"I played my normal game (at Wimbledon)," Li said. "I have had a good season and I want to get better and better."
Li is widely considered to have the potential to win a Grand Slam title as she boasts explosive baseline play, giant serves and a growing confidence level.
However, the mental part of her game is seen as the weakest link. During her quarterfinal match against Serena at the All-England Club, she held three set points at 40-0, 5-5, but lost the game with a series of unforced errors, including two double faults.
Li shrugs off such doubts about her mental strength and is uncomfortable when others question her about it.
"Does it mean that you have strong mental power when you win the game and bad when you lose the game," she said.
"The situation on the court is always changing. Winning the first five games does not mean you can win the next five."
Ironically, Li has lost to the eventual winners of the past three Grand Slam events. She went down to Serena in the Australian Open and Wimbledon and was defeated by Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone at the French Open in the third round. Chinese fans say Li needs a little bit of luck when it comes to Grand Slam events.
"I don't think that's totally dependent on luck," Li said. "Take Schiavone for example. There are a lot of people saying she won the title by luck but you have no idea how hard she has been working. I really don't understand why people say that."
Bearing the heavy expectations of the nation, Li is hesitant to predict how she will perform at the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year, which begins in late August. However, she hopes to remain in the top 10 this year to ensure a berth at the Doha Championships.
"I want to go to Doha. That's the goal of the season."
Li, who once so hated tennis that she decided to retire at 20, said she is currently enjoying the game.
"If I am not happy, I don't think I am able to hang in the sport for so long.
"There have been ups and downs in my career. But when you achieve your goals you don't feel the painful part any more."
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