Li Na is a Chinese former professional tennis player, who achieved a career-best ranking of world No. 2 on the WTA Tour on 17 February 2014, but retired from the sport seven months later due to chronic and worsening knee injuries. Over the course of her career, Li won nine WTA singles titles, including two Grand Slam singles titles at the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open. Li’s rise to prominence came after those victories, which made her the first and only Grand Slam singles champion from Asia. Prior to this, she had already become the first player representing an Asian country to appear in a Grand Slam singles final, a milestone she achieved at the 2011 Australian Open. Li was also the runner-up at the 2013 Australian Open and 2013 WTA Tour Championships, a three-time quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and a semifinalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and 2013 US Open. Among her other most notable accolades, she was the first Chinese player to win a WTA tour title at the Guangzhou International Women’s Open in 2004, the first to reach a Grand Slam singles quarterfinal at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, and the first to break into the world’s top 10. Her feats have sparked a major population growth of tennis players in Asia, earning her the reputation as the region’s tennis pioneer and trailblazer.
2015 Nominees:
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Novak Djokovic, Lewis Hamilton, Renaud Lavillenie, Marc Marquez, Christiano Ronaldo, Rory McIlroy
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Genzebe Dibara, Valerie Adams, Marit Bjogen, Li Na,
Tina Maze, Serena Williams
Laureus World Team of the Year: Germany Men’s Football Team, European Ryder Cup Team, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, Real Madrid F.C, San Antonio Spurs, Switzerland Davis Cup Team
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: James Rodriguez, Marin Cilic, Mario Gotze, Daniel Ricciardo, Mikaela Shiffrin, Switzerland Davis Cup Team
Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award: Schalk Burger, Francesco Acerbi, Diego Milto, Pierre Vaultier, Oliver Wilson, Jo Pavey
Laureus Sportsperson with Disability Award: Tatyana McFadden, Shelley Gautier, Roman Petushkov, Anna Schaffelhuber, Sarah Storey, Leung Yuk Wing
World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Alan Eustace, Stephanie Gilmore, Nyjah Huston, Sage Kotsenburg, Danny Macaskill, Gabriel Medina
Laueres Sport for Good Award: Skateistan
Laureus Spirit of Sport Award: Yao Ming
Laureus Academy Exceptional Achievement Award: Li Na
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