MELBOURNE — Li Na’s superior strength and fitness told as she reached the Australian Open semi-finals yesterday after a pre-season training regime that was so tough, she considered quitting the sport. Report by Reuters
Maria Sharapova beat fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-2 to reach the Australian Open semi-finals. Fourth seed David Ferrer kept his Australian Open hopes alive with an extraordinary five-set win over fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro in the quarter-finals.
Almagro led by two sets and served for the match three times, but eventually went down 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.
Li reached her first Grand Slam semifinal since winning the 2011 French Open with a 7-5, 6-3 win against Agnieszka Radwanska, the world No 4, who had been unbeaten this year.
It was a powerful performance by the Chinese sixth seed, whose physical prowess allowed her to dominate diminutive Pole Radwanska after an erratic first set.
Li was formerly coached by her husband Jiang Shan, but Carlos Rodriguez, Justine Henin’s former handler, took the reins last year.
But Li (30) said she was so exhausted after three days of off-season training in December that she told Jiang her career could be over.
“We train every day for five, six hours, but not only playing tennis,” Li said. “Tennis was like maybe two, three hours. Fitness was for two or three hours as well. “First time I was training with him, I was so excited, but after three days, I was dying. My husband didn’t come with me to Beijing.
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“I called him and said, ‘Carlos is crazy’. He was like, ‘Why?’ I described the programme to him. He was like, ‘Don’t joke’. I said, ‘Hey, listen, I’m not making a joke’.”
She added: “After three days I was really tired. I called my husband and said, ‘I really want to retire’. It was only three days. How could I continue for three weeks or all the year?”
However, the work has paid off with Li just one match away from her third Grand Slam final and second in Australia. She will play either world No 2 Maria Sharapova or Ekaterina Makarova tomorrow.
Li also conceded her off-court life was less complicated now her husband was no longer her coach and said she was now happier than during previous times in her career.
“We always had good communication, but coach and husband is a tough balance,” she said.
