American Time magazine announced world’s 100 most influential people on Thursday and Chinese Tennis player Li Na is included in a Time’s list of the 10 most influential people on earth.
She is far from the only sports star to make the publication’s list she finds herself sitting alongside the likes of LeBron James and Lindsey Vonn. She earns association with other tennis pioneers such as Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova.
At 31, Li Na is currently world No. 5. She won seven WTA and 19 ITF single titles and made to her career high-ranking world No. 4 after winning the French Open two years ago, becoming the first player from Asia to win a Grand Slam singles tournament, since then she has never been out of world’s top 10 players. She was runner-up at Australian Open, twice, this year, and in 2011. The magazine describes Li as a maverick and icon of the Chinese sports system, inspiring the sports rapid development in China.