Australian Open: Surging Chinese tennis star Wang Xinyu on ‘big sister’ Li Na and her love of literature

Wang Xinyu is one of three promising Chinee tennis stars to feature at this year’s Australian Open.

The 20-year-old from Shenzhen had a stellar 2021 season, brushing past reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu on her way to a likely top 100 debut.

Alongside Zheng Qinwen and Wang Xiyu – both of whom picked up wins on day 1 of the Australian Open – Wang will be one to watch as she takes on American Ann Li in her opening match.

Once a promising gymnast, Wang soon discovered her height would be a disadvantage. She swapped the gym mats for a tennis racket and never looked back.

“I remember after school I used to go there for training every day, and I was the tallest of all the others,” she told WTA Insider. But for her surging tennis career, height has not been an issue.

At the 2021 Upper Austria Ladies Linz, Wang pulled off a big upset, outlasting reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu over a gripping 2 hours and 36 minutes. It was one of several highlights of the past year, but none as memorable as meeting her idol and Chinese tennis great Li Na.

Wang had previously met Li through her father Wang Peng, head of the national tennis team, and describes her as “like a big sister”. While she said Li’s advice on tour has been invaluable, it was a line from the two-time grand slam champion’s autobiography My Life that really stuck.