Li Na: A Hall of Famer is more difficult than a Grand Slam

Chinese Tennis icon Li Na is gearing up to become the first Asian Tennis player to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July. Speaking to SNTV at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, the 37-year-old said she believes this honor is more difficult to achieve than her two grand-slam victories.

"This is an acknowledgment of my entire Tennis career. I believe everybody knows that it is more difficult to be inducted into the Hall of Fame than to win Grand Slams. Some players who have won Grand Slams may not be able to have the honor of being inducted into the Hall of Fame,"Li told the sports news agency.

"When I was told I will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, I thought that is of no extra importance to me because, to be considered even simply as a candidate for nomination, is already a great honor for me," the two-time Grand Slam champion added.

Talking about her first appearance at Wimbledon, Li said: "To be honest, I had no idea about the rules of Wimbledon when I first played over there. Nobody told me I needed to dress in white and nobody told me I needed to wear special shoes for the grass court. At that time, I actually had no source of information about the practices and customs of the tournament."

The legendary Chinese, who achieved a career-high WTA-ranking of the world no. 2 on February 17, 2014, won nine WTA singles titles, including the singles titles at the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open.

Li Na wins the women's singles final match at the French Open at Roland Garros, in Paris, France, June 4, 2011. /VCG Photo 

Speaking about the next generation of Tennis players in China, she said: "Now the next generation has a much better Tennis environment and many more opportunities than in my time. Everything can be a double-edged sword. Our young players also now have greater pressure. So, according to my personal experience, I would suggest they switch off their social media so that they don't have to be bothered by irrelevant information which can disrupt their pace and rhythm."

The feats of the Tennis star from Wuhan in Hubei Province were a catalyst for many in Asian to take up Tennis and earned her the reputation as the region's Tennis trailblazer.

When it comes to the new generation of Asian Tennis stars, including the latest sensation of women's Tennis Naomi Osaka, Li mentioned, "She (Naomi Osaka) is still very young in terms of her age, but already very mature in terms of her mentality. I believe, judging from her current form, that she will have no problem in winning 10 Grand Slam titles. Talking about what our young players can learn from her, the only thing that I would say is the desire and eagerness to win championships."

The Chinese superstar will be joined by Mary Pierce and Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the Hall's "Class of 2019".