Gee this photoshot has cause mass attention and all in favor of this young lady. She is a worthy can...more
posted 07/08/11 at 5:34am
on Vonn Watch: Sports Illustrated Cover is Predictable
Li Na- The face of Chinese tennis...and Chinese politics
posted by The Rabbit Hole
Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 9:05am EDT
Blogger Courtney Szto is a Master's Student studying the socio-cultural aspects of sport, physical activity and health (or as some call it Physical Cultural Studies). Bachelor's in Sport Management. Former tennis coach & ropes course facilitator.
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Li Na. Photo by William West/AFP/Getty Images
Li Na's French Open win this year was a momentous occasion for Chinese tennis. As the first Chinese player to ever win a Grand Slam, Li stamped China's official arrival on the WTA scene. Chinese women's tennis has been on the rise in recent years with Zheng Jie also making waves in both singles and doubles. There are currently four Chinese women ranked inside the Top 100 and both the ATP and WTA Tours have made China a strategic priority for the growth of tennis. In 2009, USA Today reported that 130 million Chinese were "interested" in tennis and the country had 65,000 courts, which have been "multiplying by 15% annually".
WTA Vice President, David Shoemaker, remarked that China reminds him of
Russia in the 1990's, where the opening to the West following the crumbling of the Soviet Empire, coupled with a strong athletic tradition and dangling dollar signs, translated into a wave of success in women's tennis.
The only difference this time is that China is anything but a crumbling nation and Li's win has been promoted by the Chinese government as a "demonstration of the superiority of socialism with Chinese characteristics under the leadership of the Communist Party of China". And who said sports isn't political!
Photo by ME
I think China's presence in tennis (at least on the women's tour) is an interesting and timely occurrence given the geo-political/socio-political state of the world, and something worth keeping an eye on. Nonetheless, I have yet to figure out whether Li's success through a communist system into a capitalist industry strengthens communism or further emboldens capitalism.
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