China’s former tennis star Li Na joins business school

BEIJING: Chinese two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na enrolled on Saturday in a prominent Beijing business school program for senior management executives.

“As a retired athlete who has been in the tennis industry for many years, I hope to pursue a wide range of business interests in my second career,” Li said in a statement.

“I will be looking to develop on many levels, and making many new friends while undertaking the rigorous studies will also help to create more opportunities for the future,” she added.

Li will be studying alongside 300 students including famous pianist Zhao Yinyin in the two-year program at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB).

Training since the age of 6, Li was the first Asian player to win a grand slam singles title.

Her success prompted rapid growth in the sport in China before she retired in 2014. China’s men have yet to make an impact on world tennis.

Li’s runaway success came after she made the tough and controversial decision to split from China’s state sporting system and go it alone with her own coaching set-up.

CKGSB bills itself as China’s first independent business school, with more than 40 professors who earned their PhDs or held tenured positions at leading schools including Harvard, Wharton and Stanford.