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according to a report by sing tao news on september 12, when chinese tennis star li na was communicating with the media, she was asked whether the achievements of zheng qinwen, the gold medalist in the women's singles tennis at the paris olympics, were a flash in the pan. li na put away her smile and said that she would seriously criticize those who said that the players were a flash in the pan, "i think this is disrespectful to the players' efforts."

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it is reported that on september 11, cheng ming-che, president of the hong kong tennis association, announced that li na will serve as the tournament director of the china hong kong open.

li na told the media that being the tournament director is a great challenge for her and she hopes to turn the hong kong tournament into a carnival, using her previous status and experience as a player to better serve the players and "make them think 'come back next year'".

the report said that the conversation also mentioned zheng qinwen, who has been very popular recently. although the two are 21 years apart in age, they have both created a brilliant page for china. li na is the first chinese player to win a singles grand slam title. she retired due to injury in 2014. exactly 10 years later, zheng qinwen won the gold medal in the women's singles tennis at the paris olympics.

some media at the scene mistakenly reported that zheng qinwen was eliminated in the round of 16 in the us open. li na immediately corrected it and said "it was the top 8."

when asked whether zheng qinwen, currently ranked 7th in the world, was just a flash in the pan, li na immediately put away her smile: "i never think a player's success is a flash in the pan, because they have worked very hard in private to succeed, but people just don't see it. i will seriously criticize those who say that players are just a flash in the pan, because it is disrespectful to the players' efforts."

since both of them are from hubei, li na was asked what characteristics hubei people have that can make them champions. she smiled and replied: "they have a hot temper and a strong desire to win."

there are now five chinese female tennis players ranked in the top 100 of the women's tennis players association (wta) rankings. who will be the next world-class player? li na said, "the atmosphere of chinese tennis is very good at the moment. i hope every player can reach their level. before zheng qinwen came out, many people said it was impossible (to have another world-class player). after zheng qinwen, everyone's expectations are different. of course, i think 10 years is a bit long. it would be better if it could be shortened to 5 years."

the paper previously reported that when zheng qinwen was a teenager, li na had always been his idol. "she gave me the dream that an asian player, a chinese player, could win a grand slam."

"before her, you would feel that stage was out of reach, but after her, you will find that it is achievable. she made the impossible possible."

when the two met offline, li na also gave valuable advice to her junior. "li na gave me advice - just play on the court, don't think too much, just keep it simple." zheng qinwen revealed the secret that his predecessor taught him.

source | observer.com