Tennis Star Li Na Gives Birth To First Child Nine Months After Retirement

Retired Chinese tennis star, Li Na, gave birth to her first child on Wednesday, ESPN reported. Li gave birth to a girl, who they named Alisa. Li posted the news of her daughter’s birth on Chinese social media with a picture her, her husband, and baby Alisa. Li also posted a photo of baby Alisa’s footprint on the social media site. Li posted on social media about the birth of her child.

“Jiang Shan and I would like to introduce our Alisa to my lovely ‘Na fans’… We are happy and we lover her very much.”

Li Na announced her pregnancy in January, a year after she had won the Australian Open at Melbourne Park, the Wall Street Journal reported. Li was forced into retirement late last year after suffering from chronic knee injuries which required multiple knee surgeries. Li said about her retirement from tennis.

“My chronic injuries will never again let me be the tennis player that I [want to] be.”

Li Na’s daughter Alisa also shares a birthday with another tennis star in Spain’s Rafael Nadal. Li, though, says she would not push her daughter to tennis, but that she would encourage Alisa to take up sports. Li was pregnant with her daughter while playing, but joked that it did not qualify as pre-natal education. Li talked about her daughter’s future.

“My husband and I both agree to support our child for the first eighteen years. After that the child has to be independent financially.”

Li Na had returned to Beijing for the delivery of her daughter and was accompanied by her husband during the delivery. Fellow Chinese tennis player and friend of Li Na, Zheng Jie, talked about Li.

“Everything was the same except for a big belly for [Li Na] when I saw her last month before I departed for the French Open,”

Li Na is arguably the most famous and most recognizable Asian sports stars, as well as the most successful Asian tennis player in the history of the sport. Li is a two-time Grand Slam winner, winning the French Open in 2011 and also the Australian Open in 2014, just before her retirement due to injury.

During the height of Li Na’s professional career in tennis, she reportedly earned over $70 million in prize-money and in sponsorships, according to Forbes.

As reported by the Inquisitr, Li Na’s former physical trainer, Alex Stober, was hired by the No. 4 player in the tennis world, Petra Kvitova.

[Photo Credit: Dennis Grombkowski – Bongarts]