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INTRO
Li Na was runner-up for the second year at the 2013 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday, narrowly missing the title after losing against Bellarussian Victoria Azarenka, in the women's final .
But her coach says the French Open singles title winner, was the real winner.
We caught up with Xia Xiyao...The woman who trained Li Na.
In the beginning, Li Na was chosen to play tennis by her first coach,
Xia Xiyao
, at the Wuhan Xinhua Road Tennis centre.
In 1989, Xia chose children to join her team.
SOUNDBITE(CHINESE) XIA XIYAO, Li Na's first tennis coach:
"At the time, I lived in the stadium. Everyday when class was over, I would pass through the badminton hall. Once, I was attracted by the lively training inside. During the break, I talked to the badminton coach Mr. Lin and said I wanted to pick up several kids to play tennis. He chose three kids, and Li Na was one of them."
Through professional tests, Xia found Li's achievement was brilliant.
SOUNDBITE(CHINESE) XIA XIYAO, Li Na's first tennis coach:
"I asked the three kids to run around the stadium. I found that a girl ran as fast as the kids two years older than her. She did a good job. Then I knew her name was Li Na. I asked her that whether she liked tennis. She said she didn't know what tennis was. I asked whether she was afraid of sunburn. She said no."
After their brief meeting, Xia found Li's physical characteristics rendered her a natural tennis player...
SOUNDBITE(CHINESE) XIA XIYAO, Li Na's first tennis coach:
"I gave her a bucket of tennis balls and a racket, and asked her to play them without teaching her. I wanted to see if she was gifted. To my surprise, she could hit every ball over the net. Her badminton coach said she was not able to play badminton well because she used her arm, not her wrist. But, she could play tennis well with her strong arm. Some gifted tennis player should play better than her at that age. But, her calves were stronger than others'."
After that, Xia asked Li's father what his opinion was on her shifting to tennis.
As a badminton player himself, he had sent her to play badminton since she was five.
But despite his attachment to the sport, Li's father took Xia' s advice on playing tennis.
They agreed that if Li didn't like tennis, she could come back to badminton in three months.
But three months later, aged seven, Li stayed in Xia's tennis team.
A year later, in a selective match, Li beat some players two years older then her to become a key member of the team.
Xia says Li's character lead her to success.
SOUNDBITE(CHINESE) XIA XIYAO, Li Na's first tennis coach:
"She was persistent and worked very hard. And she was competitive in every match."
Li followed Xia until 1992, when she was selected to a professional team.
And as Li moved up, Xia continued to follow her progress.
During Saturday's final at the Australian Open, Xia was watching closely, on a screen thousands of miles away, in her hometown.
SOUNDBITE(CHINESE) XIA XIYAO, Li Na's first tennis coach:
"She played well, no matter whether she won or lost in the final. I think she has won, because she was injured, but could persist in playing. In that case, some players may give up, but she never. Her physical strength could not support her well, so she lost the game. It's a little disappointing, but I am confident in her. Come on next year."
Li fell twice on the ground, but played to the end - unlike her opponent, Victoria Azarenka...
Who took a controversial ten minute "medical break" during a crucial point in her semifinal against America's Sloane Stephens...And ultimately defeated an injured Li Na, who chose to carry on.
But despite missing the 2 million dollar prize, Li's fighting spirit and athletic skills touched many tennis fans...
And made her the clear crowd favorite, by the end.
