Chinese tennis star Li Na frustrates some of her fans in China. She's lauded for being the first Asian to win a Grand Slam title (French Open in 2011) and China has high hopes for her in this year's US Open, scheduled to being August 26. But some in China–especially the state-run media–find her attitude less than grateful. Li Na is openly critical of the state-run Chinese sports system that produced her. And she's known to tussle with Chinese journalists who sometimes ask her to explain her losses or victories to her Chinese fans.
The New York Times' Brook Larmer spent some time with Li Na while he was researching his profile of her. "She's almost incapable of lying or saying something that doesn't seem true to her," says Larmer. "She's always going to give you the straight unvarnished answer."
And that personality trait may be why she's so blunt with the Chinese press.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!