Li Na, Two
The two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na will announce her retirement from tennis Friday, two Chinese state television networks reported Thursday.
Neither Li nor her agency, IMG, commented on the reports.
Li, 32, has not played since a third-round loss at Wimbledon in July. She withdrew from the United States Open in August with a recurring knee injury.
Knee problems have dogged Li throughout her career - she had three surgeries from 2008 to 2009 - but she recovered to win the French Open in 2011, becoming the first Chinese, and first Asian, to win a Grand Slam singles title. Li won her second Grand Slam title in January at the Australian Open, saving a match point in her third-round win before cruising to a 7-6 (3), 6-0 win over Dominika Cibulkova in the final.
The victory took Li to a career-high ranking of No. 2, the highest mark ever achieved by a player from Asia. She remained in that spot, behind top-ranked Serena Williams, until late July, when her ranking slid as a result of her injury layoff. She is currently ranked sixth.
The retirement announcement would come on the eve of the inaugural WTA tournament in Wuhan, Li's hometown. The event has an impressive entry list that includes every woman in the top 20, including Li, though it is unclear if she will play.
Li is also entered in the China Open, which will be held the next week in Beijing, and is in contention to qualify for one of the eight spots in the WTA Finals later in October. That tournament is being held in Asia for the first time this year, kicking off a five-year stint in Singapore.
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