Li Na welcomes home interest

STUTTGART, Germany (AFP) –

China’s Li Na reacts at the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium, on June 4, 2012, in Paris. Li said Monday she is pleased her on-court success has triggered a tennis boom in her native China as she prepares to launch her clay-court season at Stuttgart’s WTA tournament.

Australian Open finalist Li Na said Monday she is pleased her on-court success has triggered a tennis boom in her native China as she prepares to launch her clay-court season at Stuttgart’s WTA tournament.

“Now so many kids want to be professionals, they see the games broadcast on television. When I was little, it was quite different,” admitted the 31-year-old, who is the second seed in Stuttgart behind Maria Sharapova.

Li is a megastar in China where her 2011 French Open triumph was watched by 125 million on television, while an estimated 400 million watched the news the morning after.

She has risen to fifth in the world having reached this year’s Australian Open final, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka, having also reached the 2011 final.

It was her break through season as she went onto beat Italy’s Francesca Schiavone in the French Open final to capture her only Grand Slam title to date.

Li even made the cover of Time magazine earlier this year, after being voted one of their 100 most influential people in the world, but does not allow that to go to her head.

“Whether everyone knows me in China? I can’t really tell you that, because our country is very big,” she told reporters with a wink at Monday’s press conference.

“The hustle and bustle was a bit unpleasant at the time, but things have got back to normal now,” said the right-hander.

Nevertheless her debut as a Time cover-girl clearly impressed the tennis star, even if it took a while for the penny to drop.

“When I saw the cover, I thought ‘I know that person’,” she beamed.

“That was very cool and exciting that they have chosen me.

“I hope it helps the sport of tennis in China.”