Ann Li: Learning the economics of winning tennis



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MONTERREY / WASHINGTON, March 19, 2021 (by Michael Dickens)

Anne Li saves winning tennis matches in a calm but positive way that exudes confidence in their abilities. In just a few years, Li has done the little things well and guess what? Its world ranking has been the beneficiary of its success.

“I’ve always been pretty calm on the pitch; I’m working on it! It’s just my personality â€, Friendly, soft-spoken 20-year-old Li said Tennis TourTalk during a Zoom interview this week in Monterrey, Mexico. “I’m very calm and just relaxed off the pitch. I think it shows on the court, but it’s definitely a different story with my legs. I try to move as much as I can.

“I think body language is something I’ve been working on for a while and it’s going pretty well right now. Just stay positive and play it one point at a time. I think that’s a great thing for me.

At just her third tournament of the year, the 72nd-ranked American is in her second quarter-final after winning 6-4, 6-3 over 93rd. Tamara Zidansek from Slovenia Thursday afternoon to Open PNB Seguros, a WTA 250 outdoor hard-court event this week in Monterrey, Mexico. After easily winning the first set, she recovered from a 1-3 loss and won the last five games of the second set to claim another triumph.

Li hit 34 winners – including three aces – and converted five of seven break point opportunities against Zidansek, who also committed 31 unforced errors. Li dominated his opponent 72-56. Then, she will face the seeded n ° 3 Zheng Saisai from China, who advanced with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Zhu Lin from China.

When asked what she was most proud of after her eighth victory of the year, Li replied: Just playing my game and being as aggressive as possible and putting my physique in every point has helped me the most. Stick to one point at a time, do my best. …

“I’m starting to feel more comfortable – I’m proud of my adaptation – and that’s all I can ask for. Hope I can perform well in my next game.

Originally from King of Prussia, Pa., Li trains at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., When she is not on tour. She comes from a family of sportsmen including an aunt, a professional speed skater in China. His father played soccer in college and his mother did track and field in college.

Growing up, the 5-foot-7-inch (170 cm) Li idolized Roger Federer. She still emulates the Swiss maestro, taking a business approach to her game, hitting solid right-handed groundstrokes with efficiency and determination.

“Yes, my idol is Federer. I have always admired Federer,” Li unabashedly admitted. “I like the way he plays and I try to integrate his game into my game in certain ways and try to be myself on the pitch. Plus, there are things to take away from Djokovic and Nadal as well. I’m just trying to figure out all the good things (laughs).

So it’s no surprise that grass is Li’s favorite surface after reaching the junior girls final at Wimbledon in 2017, where she lost a straight-set battle in an all-American battle against Claire Liu. Two weeks later, Li won his first professional title on the ITF Tour, a $ 15,000 tournament in Evansville, Indiana. While she won a few more ITF titles over the next two years, Li continued to fail in her quest to qualify for the Grand Slam at Wimbledon and the US Open.

Finally, that changed last year when Li qualified for the Australian Open and won a round before losing to the future champion. Sofia kenin, 6-1, 6-3. Then she secured a berth in the main draw at the US Open and won two rounds, including a surprise against the 13th seed. Alison riske, 6-0, 6-3, before losing to the No. 17 seed Angelique Kerber in the third round. After failing to qualify at Roland Garros, Li returned home and won an $ 80,000 ITF hard court event in Tyler, Texas, beating the Danish teenage star. Clara Tausson in the quarter-finals, Belgium Greet Minnen in the semifinals and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the final.

Li finished in 2020 at 97th place, a huge improvement from her ranking three years earlier at 583rd in November 2017. When asked if she was surprised – she soared into the Top 100 in si shortly – Li said she was’ t. “I always knew I had the ability. It was just a matter of when and when I was going to step it up. Now I really think I belong to the top [100] group. I will continue to work.

This year, Li has started well by winning eight of his first nine matches. She shared the co-title of the Grampians Trophy in Melbourne, a pre-Australian Open tune-up for players who were strictly quarantined upon arrival in Australia, with Anett kontaveit from Estonia. On the way she beat her fellow American Jennifer brady in the semifinals, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 10-6. Then Li surprised everyone by winning his first two matches at the Australian Open, both in straight sets. She beat the No. 31 seed Zhang shuai from China and Alizé Cornet of France. However, she met her match in the world No.8 Aryna sabalenka of Belarus, who beat Li 6-3, 6-1. Monterrey represents Li’s first tournament since Melbourne.

When asked how Li handled the moment of co-winning her first WTA title, she replied: “I took it one game at a time. I was happy to come out of strict quarantine in Australia and be able to be outside to play and compete. I was really happy with the way I played and the results that came with it. Obviously, I would have loved to play the final – my first WTA final – so that would have been fun. I understood the circumstances. I think my body took the rest well. I’m happy with it. I agree with that.

Looking back, Li expressed her satisfaction with how she fared during the Aussie Swing: “I think those few tournaments in Australia have really helped me and kind of gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the year – the rest of my career,” Li said with a smile. “I think just for me to perform so well there, I have to give credit to my preseason. Every day was hard work and I think I have grown a lot physically and mentally, and it has helped me both in Australia and here. I look forward to the rest of the year.

On Monday, eighth seed Li started his run in Monterrey with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over No.82 Arantxa Rus From the Netherlands. Paired with Thursday’s victory over Zidansek, it has won 15 of its last 17 games since last season. Despite the pandemic being interrupted, she finished 2020 with a very respectable 20-9 win-loss record, dividing her time between the WTA Tour and the ITF Tour.

“There are a lot of tournaments that I haven’t played so this year should be fun for me, â€Li said. “It’s my first time here [in Monterrey]. I want to improve my ranking. I don’t have a specific number I want to arrive at, but obviously the higher the better (laughs). We’ll see how it goes. I can not wait to see him.

Looking ahead, although Li doesn’t always flip through a tournament’s draw sheet to see who she’ll play next, she knows what to expect in terms of the schedule. It’s safe to say that she plans to keep busy.

“I’m definitely doing Miami and Charleston and there’s another tournament (a W60 on clay in late April) in Charleston as well. I live these three tournaments â€, Li said. “The calendar is filled with back-to-back tournaments every week, so you need to plan it well. I’m not sure about European swing yet, but I’m definitely doing Roland Garros and the grass courts. …

“I think it’s going to be a great year for me”, Li added optimistically. “One of my goals is to be able to improve myself every day, to focus on the little things, to be disciplined.”

Indeed, it’s the little things that all add up in Li’s win column.

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