Tearful farewell for Li in China
Chinese tennis star received hugs, cheers and bouquet of flowers from Nadal
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-10-01 02:48 GMT
Beijing: It was a fitting goodbye for China's biggest tennis star, complete with hugs from her former competitors, cheers from Chinese fans, and a bouquet of flowers from Rafael Nadal. There were also tears. Plenty of tears. Li Na received a touching send-off at the China Open on Tuesday.
“The most important thing I want to say tonight is thank you for being our opponent, thank you for being our inspiration, and thank you for being our friend,” Kvitova said before giving Li a hug.
“We will miss you, champion,” she added. Just as the ceremony was about to conclude, there was one more surprise: Nadal emerged on court carrying a bouquet of flowers, accompanied by Li’s husband, Jiang Shan.
Li did a final lap around the court, waving goodbye with more tears streaming down her face. She finally managed a smile as the crowd chanted in unison, “Li Na, I love you.”