letter from li na:

my dear friends,

for close to fifteen years, we’ve been a part of each other’s lives. as a tennis player representing china on the global stage, i’ve trekked around the world playing hundreds of matches on the wta tour, for china’s fed cup team, at the national games and at several olympic games. you’ve always been there for me, supporting me, cheering me on, and encouraging me to reach my potential。

近15年来，我们都是彼此生活的一部分。作为一名代表中国在国际赛场上征战的网 球运动员，我经历了上半场的比赛，其中包括wta巡回赛，作为联合 会杯中国队队 员，我也参加了全运会和几届奥运会。这期间有你们一直陪在我身边，支持喔，鼓 励我，激励我发掘自己更多的潜力。

representing china on the tennis court was an extraordinary privilege and a true honor. having the unique opportunity to effectively bring more attention to the sport of tennis in china and all over asia is something i will cherish forever. but in sport, just like in life, all great things must come to an end。

我能够拥有这样非同寻常的机会，在网球赛场上代表中国，是我至高无上的荣誉。 通过这样的机会，我希望能够吸引更多的关注到中国甚至全亚洲的网球运 动中， 这也将会是我一生的事业。但是，即便如此，职业生涯就像是人生，它们都会有终点。

2014 has become one of the most significant years in my career and my life. this year was full of amazing highlights, which included winning my second grand slam singles title at the australian open and sharing the extraordinary experience with my country, my team, my husband and my fans. it was also a year filled with difficult moments, such as having to deal with the inevitable - making the decision to end my professional tennis career。

2014年是我职业生涯乃至人生中最重要的一年之一，充满了两点。在2014澳大利亚 公开赛上，我取得了女单冠军，赢得了个人第二座大满贯。我很 高兴我能够把这 份特殊的喜悦和经历与我的祖国，我的团队，我的丈夫及我的球迷共同分享。但同 时，这也是艰难的一年，需要面对很多不得不面对的事 情，例如做出结束我网球 职业生涯的决定。

the amazing moment in australia was filled with joy, happiness and extraordinary sense of accomplishment. 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。

在澳大利亚的时光固然充满了喜悦、幸福，以及一种特殊的成就感。但做出放下球 拍的决定，比在澳大利亚的高温中连续赢下7场比赛要艰难许多。在这之 前我苦恼 了几个月，最终，长期以来的伤病让我不能再像以前一样。尽管我做出了100%的努 力去争取参加第一次在我家乡举办的比赛，但是，作为一个 职业的网球运动员， 现在离开赛场对我来说是最争取的决定。

most people in the tennis world know that my career has been marked by my troubled right knee. 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。

很多朋友知道我右膝的伤病一直“伴随”着我的职业生涯，每当我踏入赛场时，人们 都会看到我右膝处的黑色护膝，它就像我胎记一样。尽管我对它已经习 以为常， 但膝盖病发还是会时不时让我疼痛难忍。

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%， 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%。

我的双膝已经经历了四次手术，前三次手术都是在我的右膝，最后一次在7月份的 手术是我的左膝。同时，为了减轻膝盖的肿胀和疼痛，我每周还需要接受 注射治 疗，至今已经有上百次了。而现在，我的身体再也承受不起任何重创。最近那次手 术之后，即使经历了几周的术后恢复，我也用尽了每一丝的力气， 试图回到赛场。

但是，和以前术后重回赛场相比，这次不一样了。哪怕我用尽自己全部的力量，我 的身体却一直告诉我，32岁的我，再也不会在行业的最高水平中竞争 了。网球这 项运动的竞争激烈，对运动员要求完美，而我，再也不能回到从前百分之百的状态了。

winning a grand slam title this year and achieving a ranking of world no.2 is the way i would like to leave competitive tennis. as hard as it’s been to come to this decision, i am at peace with it. i have no regrets. i was not supposed to be here in the first place, remember not many people believed in my talent and my abilities, yet i found a way to persevere, to prove them (and sometimes myself!) wrong。

赢得大满贯，获得世界排行第二名，这是我选择带着这样的荣誉离开网球赛场。尽 管做出这一决定的过程非常艰难，但是我对发生的这一切都很平静，不会 后悔。 我甚至从一开始就不应该出现在这里，你们记得吗 最初有很多人不相信我的天赋 和能力，但是我最终证明了他们(有时甚至是我自己)是错误的。

i’ve succeeded on the global stage in a sport that a few years ago was in its infancy in china. what i’ve accomplished for myself is beyond my wildest dreams. what i accomplished for my country is one of my most proud achievements。

网球这项运动这些年在中国发展的非常快，而现在我已经在这项运动的世界舞台上 取得了成功。我所获得的成就远远超出了我的梦想，为国家获得的荣誉也 是我个 人最骄傲的成绩。

in 2008, there were two professional women’s tennis tournaments in china. today, there are 10, one of them in wuhan, my hometown. that to me is extraordinary! serena williams, maria sharapova and venus williams – with thirty grand slam singles titles among them - are coming to my hometown to play tennis for the fans of china! just as i didn’t think i could ever be a grand slam champion, never in my wildest dreams did i imagine that some of the best female athletes in the world could play tennis in wuhan, in my backyard。

2010年，中国只有两项专业女子网球赛事。今年，中国已经举办了是个专业女子网 球赛事。其中一场就在我的家乡--武汉。届时会有包括威廉姆斯姐 妹、莎拉波娃 等球星参赛，她们将带着赢得过30座大满贯单打冠军的荣誉来到我的家乡，