Na Li

Li Na advanced to the 4th round of Australian Open when Garrigues retired after painfully turning her ankle.

An excerpt from a Reuters article describing Na Li's offseason:

Li's ball striking and court movement have been impeccable in consecutive singles wins at the Hopman Cup thanks to an intensive four-week training camp in Munich during the off-season.

"In Munich I had four weeks of no interviews, no photos shoots, only tennis training," she said.

"It was tough, six hours of training a day, two or three hours on the court but mostly it was for fitness because I want to be healthy for a whole season. I have had knee and back injuries and I don't want that again."

World No.5 Li Na believes her French Open hangover is now a thing of the past and she's in the right frame of mind to become a far more consistent player in 2012.
Li's form waned badly after breaking through for her maiden grand slam title at Roland Garros in May, winning just seven of her remaining 15 matches for the year.
The disappointing run included a first-round exit at the US Open and a second-round exit at Wimbledon.
Li admits the off-court attention she received after the French Open affected her on-court performances.
But, after coming back from a set down to defeat world No.9 Marion Bartoli 2-6 6-2 6-4 in China's Hopman Cup loss to France on Saturday, Li is confident she can post more consistent results in 2012.
``It's tough after winning a big title, (maintaining) the concentration,'' Li said.
``If I go somewhere to play a tournament, more people know who I am. I lose concentration on the court. I'm only focusing on the photo shooting.
``Now I'll just try to turn it around, same as before the French.
``I want them (opponents) to see me like 'oh she's back, she's strong, she's tough'.''
Li looked rusty in the first set against Bartoli before regaining her touch to take out the match in a tick under two hours.

AAP.

Chinese Trailblazer Li Qualifies For Istanbul
Li Na has become the fifth singles player to qualify for the prestigious TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships, which will be hosted at the state of the art Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul, Turkey from October 25 to 30, 2011. China's No.1 joins Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka as qualifiers for the singles field so far. Katarina Srebotnik & Kveta Peschke and Liezel Huber & Lisa Raymond have already qualified for the doubles field.
The WTA's year-end finale, to be held in Istanbul through 2013, will feature the world's Top 8 singles players and Top 4 doubles teams competing for the coveted title and a share of $5 million in prize money. The WTA and Turkish Tennis Federation's goal is to deliver the best finale in history to fans of women's tennis in Turkey and all over the world.
"I congratulate Li Na on qualifying for the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships, marking a perfect end to her truly historic season," said Stacey Allaster, Chairman & CEO of the WTA. "Li Na's success is credit to her incredible talent, determination and perseverance and she is an inspiration to millions of people around the world and in China."
"This year has been the most successful of my career so far and I'm very happy to have qualified for the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships," Li said. "I'm proud to be the first Chinese woman to qualify in singles for this event and I look forward to some tough matches in Istanbul against the best players of the season."
Li made history in June by becoming the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam title when she defeated four Top 10 players en route to the Roland Garros title. According to CCTV, Li's victory over Francesca Schiavone in the final was watched by a record-breaking 116 million viewers. Li was already Asia's first Grand Slam finalist at the Australian Open earlier in the year (losing to Kim Clijsters) and has equalled the highest ranking ever for an Asian player, peaking at No.4 (tying her with Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm). Li was an alternate at the 2010 year-end event in Doha, but did not play a match.
http://bit.ly/pqHFQE

At least she's honest...this is what Na Li said after her drubbing at the hands of Niculescu in Beijing:

"On the court I don't know what I can do. I felt even winning one point was tough for me. My coach (husband, Jiang Shan) came out and told me exactly what was right, but I couldn't do it. The end of the season is coming and there's a long break—hopefully I'll be able to stand up again and prepare for next year."

Li Na suffered a nightmare first round defeat at the China Open on Sunday as she went down 6-4 6-0 to 58th ranked Niculescu. http://au.sports.yahoo.com/tennis/news/article/-/10385210/li-na-suffers-shock-loss-at-china-open/

Na Li will face Monica Niculescu in the first round of the China Open.

French Open champion Li Na has parted ways with Danish coach Michael Mortensen, according to China Daily.

Mortensen started working with Li at the end of April and helped her break a three-month slump. Li immediately made back-to-back semifinals in Madrid and Rome and then went on to win her first major title at Roland Garros. But she has struggled since then, including a first-round loss at the U.S. Open, where Li hinted at growing dissatisfaction with how Mortensen was handling her drop in form.

“Before the match, I was talking to my coach. I say, ‘I didn’t have good timing to hit the ball,’” Li said. “He tells me everything is perfect, everything is fantastic. I say, ‘Yes, everything is fantastic, but I always lose first round.’ I mean, this is not fantastic. I think we need to change something. I think maybe the team or coach just try to give me confidence, but I don’t think I get [it].”

China Daily reported that Li soured on Mortensen’s “mild and gentle” style of coaching.

On Tuesday Li Na made an early exit at the US open when she fell 6-2 7-5 to Romanian Simona Halep.

"I really wanted to do well after Roland Garros," Li said.

"(But) Now I lose all the confidence on the court. I was feeling, 'Oh, tennis (is) just too tough for me."

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2011/08/30/djokovic-ruthless-as-li-falls-early/

Might pay to keep this article in mind - I hope the money doesn't take away her competitive edge.
What's made her such a good player in my opinion has been her hunger and toughness:

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis/chinas-tattooed-maverick-poised-to-be-the-richest-woman-in-sport-20110804-1icl3.html