Li eyes 3rd straight slam final
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Shanghai Daily, June 20, 2011
After teaching the world a Chinese tennis lesson in Paris by winning the French Open, Li Na may have to educate her own mother on just what a big deal that was.
Li became the first Chinese player to win a grand slam title two weeks ago at Roland Garros. About 116 million people reportedly watched the match in China, but Li said her mother only sent her a text message following the victory over Italy's Francesca Schiavone to ask when she would be back home.
"I say, 'After Wimbledon.' And then she never send me back again, so ... ," Li said. "I think she know I win the tournament. I don't know if even she know how big (the) tournament is. I didn't ask her."
Ask anyone on the women's tour, though, and they'll be able to answer just fine.
"What she's done for her country, China, all the pride that they have to have, a grand slam champion from that country, is incredible," said Russian Maria Sharapova, who won her first major title at Wimbledon in 2004.
Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki, who is still searching for her first major title, said Li's victory was good for tennis.
"I'm sure that a lot of young girls and boys in China now also want to play tennis because they want to play like Li Na," the Dane said. "It's great for tennis that we can have it even bigger as a sport than it is now."
Li also reached the final at the Australian Open, losing to Belgium's Kim Clijsters. But while two straight grand slam finals has Li among the favorites at Wimbledon along with Sharapova, Wozniacki and the Williams sisters, she doesn't quite agree.
"You win the French Open (on clay), doesn't mean ... you can do well in Wimbledon," said Li, who chatted briefly with Schiavone on Saturday as rain interrupted her practice schedule. "Change of surface. Totally different.
"So what I say before: French is over."
Li has twice made the quarterfinals at the All England Club, including in 2010. In the first round, she will face Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia.
"I always like to do better than last year," said Li, who could face 2008 Wimbledon semifinalist and compatriot Zheng Jie in the third round.
The pressure to succeed in a third straight grand slam is big, and Andy Murray was asked if he had any advice for Li. Murray is once again trying to become the first British man to win a Wimbledon singles title since Fred Perry in 1936.
"Well, she's won a slam," said Murray, a three-time major runner-up. "So I should be the one asking her for the advice."
"You need to play your best at the end of the tournament, that's for sure," he added.
Murray is the odd one out in the world's top four - No. 1 Rafael Nadal, second-ranked Novak Djokovic and 16-time grand slam champion Roger Federer - as the only one without a major on his CV.
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