Li announces retirement

LiNa

The two-time major winner was rumoured to be calling time on her professional career, which started in 1999, seeing her fall agonisingly short of a dream farewell at the WTA Premier event in China.

Li cited injuries - she has been sidelined since Wimbledon with a knee problem - for ending her career just prior to the Wuhan Open.

"Most people in the tennis world know that my career has been marked by my troubled right knee," a letter Li posted on social media read.

"The black brace I wear over it when I step on the court has become my tennis birth mark. And while the brace completes my tennis look, the knee problems have at times overtaken my life.

"After four knee surgeries and hundreds of shots injected into my knee weekly to alleviate swelling and pain, my body is begging me to stop the pounding. My previous three surgeries were on my right knee. 

"My most recent knee surgery took place this July and was on my left knee. After a few weeks of post-surgery recovery, I tried to go through all the necessary steps to get back on the court.

"While I've come back from surgery in the past, this time it felt different. One of my goals was to recover as fast as I could in order to be ready for the first WTA tournament in my hometown of Wuhan. 

"As hard as I tried to get back to being 100 per cent, my body kept telling me that, at 32, I will not be able to compete at the top level ever again. The sport is just too competitive, too good, to not be 100 per cent."

Li's career highlights were her two major breakthroughs, when she claimed her maiden grand slam crown at the 2011 French Open before again succeeding at the 2014 Australian Open.

The win at Melbourne Park, Li said, was an easier objective to complete than deciding to retire.

"The amazing moment in Australia was filled with joy, happiness and extraordinary sense of accomplishment," the letter continued. 

"The task of finally making a decision to hang up my racquet felt a lot more difficult than winning seven matches in a row in the Australian heat. 

"It took me several agonizing months to finally come to the decision that my chronic injuries will never again let me be the tennis player that I can be. 

"Walking away from the sport, effective immediately, is the right decision for me and my family."

Li's career will be honoured at a ceremony at the China Open in Beijing on September 29.

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