Tennis players around my age started retiring, many thought I was reaching the end of my career, and suddenly it seemed like everyone was talking about "retirement."In many reports, the reporters bluntly called me an "old" player, and every now and then someone with good intentions spread the news that "Li Na wants to retire" on my behalf.Sometimes, the reporters even asked me very bluntly: "Li Na, when do you plan to retire?"
This kind of question is annoying to hear too much, my therapist Alex said to me: next time I answer their "what is age" question, tell them "it's just an extra stroke on the paper".
Someone who looks like a teenager is actually in his twenties, and someone who looks like he's in his thirties may actually be in his twenties.In my current opinion, age is just a scale, and I feel that my body's functions and brain's wisdom are far from reaching their peak.A friend told me that compared with European and American players, Chinese players mature relatively late in physiology, so they will appear to be late bloomers on the tennis court. Although 29 years old is not young among tennis players, my tennis career is different from most players. I have retired for more than two years to study.Therefore, in terms of physical wear and tear, I have a clear advantage over players of the same age group, and my sports life will correspondingly be longer.Alex thinks I can last at least two to three years in my current form.
Only two to three years?I don't believe it, I think it can be longer.
According to the Chinese concept, women are already old at the age of 30, but I think my condition is not bad. As long as I persist in this kind of training for a long time and maintain the state of the game, I have the confidence to continue playing.Of course there will definitely be a fading period at the end, but I don't think the year will come right away.Seriously, how different is 30 from 29?I don't think this age will bring me restrictions.Everyone's growth environment is different.Agassi quit tennis at the age of 36, and was able to reach the final of the US Open at the age of 35. Mr. Date is still playing for the Japanese tennis world.
What really makes me feel the need to adapt is the change of mentality. Regardless of economic conditions or honors, I have to learn to live in a new level after the change, so that I can control the new life and adapt to the new competition. Continue or improve your competitive ability.
Mentality is a very elusive thing. "It is easy to conquer the country, but it is difficult to stay in the country", because they are completely in two states, one is working hard, no worries, you can let go of all the things you think, and just move forward.And once you advance to a certain field, if you can't fully control the life in this new field, you will feel panic. To a large extent, master duels are about mentality. An experienced player can quickly judge whether the opponent's mentality Be stable. When you wander in a panic, your grades will definitely drop immediately.This is a matter of mentality, not physical fitness.
Everyone is doing different things and has different social value positioning.Only when you have a good positioning, you can do everything well with ease. No matter whether you live in a high place or a low place, everyone is the same.It's not that you feel happy when you reach a high place.Only when I am purely immersed in playing tennis itself can I feel real happiness.
In my eyes, the allure of tennis has been increasing.There are so many tennis events every year, maybe you finish playing with this opponent today, and you can play against her again three days later.Basically a new feeling every week.
Whether I win or lose, every time I play, I feel something new from it.I observe the growth and changes of my opponents, and understand my body better in constant actual combat. Winning is not the only meaning of the game.No matter what other people are saying, I will comfort myself and tell myself: "I feel what I feel, and they don't." This feeling is only known to you, and no one else can feel it or experience it.
I'm slowly starting to feel motivated, I know I'm doing something I love and I'm enjoying the sport.I also know that I am in control of my life, that if I like it, I can continue, and if I get bored or not interested, I can stop at any time and live my life in a different way.My world, I call the shots.
Another new discovery brought to me in 2012: I am gradually making peace with life.
I still played alone and faced everything, but I also gradually discovered the other side of loneliness.Tennis is a sport that combines all sports, with complex aesthetics, it perfectly combines strength and strategy, and can fully consider the player's ability.Some people say "tennis is very simple", I think he has not really realized the mystery and broadness of tennis culture, its beauty makes me more and more interested in exploring and following.
What everyone sees in tennis is that there are referees on the sidelines and players on the court.But in fact, the roles played by tennis players are referees, coaches, and athletes.
When the ball may be misjudged, you have to play the role of the referee and protest to the referee.In a tennis match, an athlete has to make 800-1200 choices, which is unmatched by any other sports.In modern games, the peripheral facilities of tennis have also been improved step by step.Sometimes players can also be seen arguing with the referee about whether the ball's landing point is out of bounds. Now all major games will have eagle eyes. When there is any objection to the ball's landing point, players can challenge it.Because sometimes the line referees and referees may also experience fatigue after sitting for two or three hours.This rule is not only welcomed by athletes, but also has higher requirements for referees. Referees must ensure that their attention is more concentrated in order to give players a chance to correct their misjudgments.For those in the tennis world, the introduction of Hawkeye technology to the tennis scene is a significant innovation, which is comparable to the introduction of the tie-break system 36 years ago.Players requesting to watch "Eagle Eye" replays are dissatisfied with the referee's judgment, which means challenging the referee's authoritative position on the field.
But when you play, you play the role of an athlete.Not only against the opponent on the opposite side, the audience around you, but more importantly against yourself.Through tennis, I am constantly challenging myself every day.Sometimes the opponent is very strong, sometimes the audience likes to interfere with the athletes, sometimes I can't calm down, sometimes the teamwork goes wrong, almost no day can be passed smoothly, and every day there are new situations waiting for you.
Tennis is a so-called "aristocratic" sport, so it has high requirements for players' personal etiquette.Athletes can't swear, they can't play without trying their best, and they can't communicate with their coaches.The referee will learn the swear words of various countries, and if he hears you swearing, he will warn you.There is a fine after two warnings.
Playing without effort will be severely punished.If you scold the referee on the court, you have to be prepared to pay for it, and you must be fined.You can't deliberately lose to your opponent, there are some special clauses to limit this possibility.If the doctor said before the game that you can’t play the game, but you still have to play, you will also be fined if you lose the game, because this is not a full-fledged game.Tennis has its own way of running, it will have some way to restrain players.To show that "we do not appreciate this behavior, do not support this behavior."
I was particularly impressed. I played a game in Tokyo in 2010. There was a ball that was particularly impressive. I said a Wuhan dialect: "How about this ball, you still use your strength for this ball." The referee thought I was talking about it. "Hold".He issued a warning!Confused me, there are only 20 seconds of rest between minutes of tennis.I thought: Is he going to give me a warning because I timed out or procrastinated?
After the game, the more I thought about it, the more I was wrong, why did you warn me?I simply went to the referee's office to ask what happened, but was told that the reason for the warning was: You swear.
I immediately declare: I did not swear.The referee didn't believe it, he said what I said was: Fuck!Fortunately, this kind of innocence is easy to prove, just call out the live video.I later learned that if I didn't explain it at the time, I might be fined $1,500.It's dangerous.
