Beijing: French Open champion Li Na blamed her dip in form since winning at Roland Garros on a lack of mental toughness, adding that only the men can stay strong throughout the entire season.
The 29-year-old Li reached the Australian Open final before becoming the first Asian to win a Grand Slam singles title in June in Paris. But then she lost in the second round at Wimbledon and in the first round at the US Open.
"All the active women tennis players have the same situation of ups and downs in the competitions, almost everyone, because women cannot have the same mentality of men, who expect to win every competition," Li said Friday at a sponsorship event.
"(A) women's heart can never be as harsh and tough as men's. We are very easy to be satisfied after winning a championship and we like to leave some time for self-adjustment. So this season is coming to the end, and there is still some time, several months ahead of the next season. I will try my best to prepare well for the competitions of the next season."
Li became a massive star in China following her French Open victory, but she said the fame has not affected her.
"I don't think there is any change on my identity. I am still a tennis player," Li said. "Maybe people look at me in a different way and like to put the label on me as the winner of a Grand Slam."
"I think I remain the same as a tennis player. All I need to do is to give my best performance in the tennis court."
Li's career had blossomed since she pulled out of China's government-run sports training system in 2008. That will likely raise questions about the costly system, which has produced Olympic champions in gymnastics and other racket sports such as badminton and table tennis, but has a poor record in more commercial sports such as tennis and golf.
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