Na Li

Chinese Born 1982 172 cm Right handed
Head to heads vs Maria Sharapova (15)vs Serena Williams (12)vs Victoria Azarenka (11)vs Agnieszka Radwanska (11)vs Jelena Jankovic (10)vs Svetlana Kuznetsova (10)

Match log

2014

WimbledonGrass, June
R32LBarbora Strycova6-7(5) 6-7(5)
R64WYvonne Meusburger6-2 6-2
R128WPaula Kania7-5 6-2
Roland GarrosClay, May
R128LKristina Mladenovic5-7 6-3 1-6
RomeClay, May
QFLSara Errani3-6 6-4 2-6
R16WSamantha Stosur6-3 6-1
R32WCasey Dellacqua6-1 6-4
MadridClay, May
QFLMaria Sharapova6-2 6-7(5) 3-6
R16WSloane Stephens2-6 6-3 6-2
R32WJie Zheng6-2 6-3
R64WKirsten Flipkens6-1 7-6(7)
MiamiHard, March
FLSerena Williams5-7 1-6
SFWDominika Cibulkova7-5 2-6 6-3
QFWCaroline Wozniacki7-5 7-5
R16WCarla Suarez Navarro6-0 6-2
R32WMadison Keys7-6(3) 6-3
R64WAlisa KleybanovaDEF
Indian WellsHard, March
SFLFlavia Pennetta6-7(5) 3-6
QFWDominika Cibulkova6-3 4-6 6-3
R16WAleksandra Wozniak6-1 6-4
R32WKarolina Pliskova6-3 6-4
R64WJie Zheng6-1 7-5
DohaHard, February
R16LPetra Cetkovska6-7(2) 6-2 4-6
R32WMagdalena Rybarikova6-1 5-7 6-2
Australian OpenWon the titleHard, January
FWDominika Cibulkova7-6(3) 6-0Won the title
SFWEugenie Bouchard6-2 6-4
QFWFlavia Pennetta6-2 6-2
R16WKate Makarova6-2 6-0
R32WLucie Safarova1-6 7-6(2) 6-3
R64WBelinda Bencic6-0 7-6(5)
R128WAna Konjuh6-2 6-0

2013

ShenzhenWon the titleHard, December
FWShuai Peng6-4 7-5Won the title
SFWAnnika Beck6-1 6-3
QFWMonica Niculescu7-5 4-6 6-4
R16WNadiya Kichenok6-1 6-4
R32WVera Zvonareva7-5 6-3
WTA ChampionshipsHard, October
FLSerena Williams6-2 3-6 0-6
SFWPetra Kvitova6-4 6-2
RRWJelena Jankovic6-3 2-6 6-3
RRWSara Errani6-3 7-6(5)
RRWVictoria Azarenka6-2 6-1
BeijingHard, September
QFLPetra Kvitova6-4 2-6 4-6
R16WSabine Lisicki7-5 6-4
R32WBojana Jovanovski6-0 6-1
R64WDaniela Hantuchova6-0 6-4
US OpenHard, August
SFLSerena Williams0-6 3-6
QFWKate Makarova6-4 6-7(5) 6-2
R16WJelena Jankovic6-3 6-0
R32WLaura Robson6-2 7-5
R64WSofia Arvidsson6-2 6-2
R128WOlga Govortsova6-2 6-2

Na Li

No one from Asia had won a Grand Slam singles title until Li Na beat Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6(0) at Roland Garros in 2011, a reported 116 million watching in China. The tennis was flat and early, the two-handed backhand down the line her best shot. The independence mattered as much: in 2008 she left China's state sports system under the "fly alone" reform, hired her own coach and kept her prize money.

Melbourne owed her one. She lost the Australian Open finals of 2011 and 2013, then won the title in 2014 at 31, beating Dominika Cibulkova 7-6(3), 6-0 and delivering a deadpan speech that thanked agent Max for making her rich and told her husband he was lucky to find her. She reached world No. 2 that February; the knees, operated on repeatedly, gave out by September, and she retired at 32 with 2 majors among 9 career titles. The Hall of Fame called in 2019.