BEIJING, China - Li Na, a two-time Grand Slam champion from China who took tennis in Asia to a new level, has retired due to rec

BEIJING, China - Li Na, a two-time Grand Slam champion from China who took tennis in Asia to a new level, has retired due to recurring knee injuries. Rod Langway Jersey . The 32-year-old Li posted a statement on social media sites Friday, ending a week of intensifying speculation that she would announce her retirement ahead of the new WTA tournament at Wuhan, her home town. The WTA, which runs womens tennis, has described Li as a trailblazer and credits her with being the first player from Asia to win a major title — she won the 2011 French Open, beating four Top 10 players in succession to wrap up the title — a few months after becoming the first from the region to reach a Grand Slam final, which she did at the 2011 Australian Open. She clinched the Australian Open title in January, in her third trip to the final at Melbourne Park, to reach a career-high No. 2 ranking, another continental milestone. Li hasnt played since a third-round defeat at Wimbledon, withdrawing from the U.S. Open citing a knee injury. "Most people in the tennis world know that my career has been marked by my troubled right knee," Li said in the open letter she posted online. "After four knee surgeries and hundreds of shots injected into my knee weekly to alleviate swelling and pain, my body is begging me to stop the pounding." After three operations on her right knee, dating back to March 2008, Li said her most recent surgery in July was on her left knee. "After a few weeks of post-surgery recovery, I tried to go through all the necessary steps to get back on the court," she said. "While Ive come back from surgery in the past, this time it felt different. "One of my goals was to recover as fast as I could in order to be ready for the first WTA tournament in my hometown. As hard as I tried to get back to being 100 per cent, my body kept telling me that, at 32, I will not be able to compete at the top level ever again. The sport is just too competitive, too good, to not be 100 per cent." Li started her career in the national system system, but had a keen sense of individuality. She bucked the system at times during her career — giving up tennis for two years to do media studies at a university earlier in her career — and later insisting on selecting her own coach. She also has won support from the public for her courage to defy Chinas rigid state-run sports system aimed at training world-class athletes. The announcement that she had parted ways with coach Carlos Rodriguez, ending an almost two-year working relationship with the former long-time mentor for Justin Henin, followed her Wimbledon defeat in July. Li won millions of admirers with her tough-as-nails approach on court, and her warmth and charm outside the arena. Her frequent jokes about life with Jiang Shan, her former coach and husband since 2006, in courtside interviews helped Li become an instant hit at the Australian Open. Among her other milestones, Li was the first Chinese player to win a WTA tour title (Guangzhou in 2004), the first to reach a Grand Slam singles quarterfinal (Wimbledon in 2006), first to break into the Top 20. "Ive succeeded on the global stage in a sport that a few years ago was in its infancy in China," Li said. "What Ive accomplished for myself is beyond my wildest dreams. What I accomplished for my country is one of my most proud achievements." Li rose to No. 2 in the rankings after her win in Australia in January, but dropped to No. 6 this month due to her injury-enforced inactivity. In the immediate future is the establishment of a Li Na Tennis Academy, providing scholarships for future Chinese players. In the not-too-distant future, shes hoping to start a family. "My philanthropic work will expand in scope as I continue to dedicate myself to helping those in need. What was once just a dream in China today is a reality," she said. "On a personal side, I look forward to starting a new chapter of my life, hopefully having a family and reconnecting with those I did not have the luxury of spending a lot of time with while playing." In a statement celebrating her 15-year professional career, WTA chief executive Stacey Allaster said Li "has been a fun, powerful, and wonderful player on the WTA tour and, along with her fans, I am sad to hear that she has retired." "In addition to her amazing tennis abilities and her warm and humorous personality, she is a pioneer who opened doors to tennis for hundreds of millions of people throughout China and Asia. Her legacy is immense and I have no doubt that her contributions to the WTA will be seen for decades to come," Allaster said. "Its hard to be a household name in a nation with 1.4 billion people, but thats what Li Na is." ___ AP Sports Writer John Pye in Brisbane, Australia contributed to this report. Nic Dowd Jersey . The Argentina striker has not played for the Premier League leaders since September when he refused to warm up during a Champions League match and only returned last week from a three-month unauthorized absence at home. City coach Roberto Mancini had initially told Tevez he would never play for City again after his act of public insubordination, but later softened his stance and only asked for an apology. Jakub Vrana Capitals Jersey . Hernandez (3-0) struck out 11 and shut down Oakland for the second time in a week, becoming the first Mariners pitcher to win three times in the first nine games of a season. With the usual "Kings Court" for Hernandez home starts expanded to a "Supreme Court" encompassing the entire stadium with yellow shirts and "K" cards, Hernandez gave up four hits in the 28th double-digit strikeout game of his career. http://www.capitalsteamstoreonline.com/authentic-jonas-siegenthaler-capitals-jersey/ . "After consultation with the Team USA medical staff and officials, it was determined that he should return to Winnipeg as a precaution due to his previous injury history," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Wednesday in a statement.WASHINGTON -- After scoring two goals for the first time in his NHL career, Dmitry Orlov was set to pace a big win for the Washington Capitals. But that changed when he committed a five-minute major penalty and helped pave the way for a comeback by the Philadelphia Flyers. Vincent Lecavalier scored at 2:45 of overtime and the Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 5-4 victory on Sunday. Trailing 4-2 entering the third period, the Flyers started their comeback when Jakub Voracek scored a power-play goal at 11:58. The Flyers were given a five-minute advantage when Orlov received a major penalty for boarding Brayden Schenn at 9:33. After Philadelphia sent goalie Steve Mason off for an extra skater, Claude Giroux sent the game to overtime, scoring his second goal of the game with 65 seconds left in the third. Adam Hall also scored for the Flyers, Kimmo Timonen had three assists and Mason made 25 saves. The defining play came when Orlov retaliated for a similar hit moments earlier by Schenn. "I understand you want payback, but youve got to be disciplined," Washington coach Adam Oates said. "You expect the other team to have a push. But lets not give them the push." Washington is familiar with the situation. It was the 14th time this season the Capitals blew a two-goal lead. "(The Flyers) are going to try to intimidate you and we just needed to play our game," Washington forward Eric Fehr said. "Thats not the style we play. We dont try to intimidate teams. We try to out-skill teams, out-work teams and try to score goals that way. We have to stick to our game plan and not get baited into theirs." Washington had a chance to pass Philadelphia in the Metropolitan Division and get into playoff position for the first time since Jan. 18, when it was mired in a seven-game losing streak. But the Flyers left D.C. with an uplifting victory. "Coming through in one of the biggest moments of the year right now is great to see," Mason said. "For us to be able to force overtime and get the one point at least and then come through and get the second one against a divisional opponent who is right behind us in the standings, its huge." After getting outshot 117-6 in the opening period, Philadelphia put 30 shots on goal to 12 for the Capitals. Dennis Maruk Capitals Jersey. . "First period wasnt good. I thought that we were good after that," Flyers coach Craig Berube said. "I liked the second period. I liked the third obviously." Braden Holtby had 31 saves. Mike Green had three assists for Washington. Marcus Johansson and Jay Beagle also scored goals for the Capitals in a physical game. Washington took the lead as Troy Brouwer passed from behind the net to Orlov, whose slap shot rattled the corner post for his second goal of the season at 6:06 of the first. Philadelphia tied it at 11:22 of the period when Giroux scored on a slap shot on a power play. Even as some Flyers celebrated the goal, officials initially failed to count it. But 90 seconds of playing time later, after a stoppage and a video review, Giroux was awarded his team-high 20th goal. The Capitals regained the lead three seconds after the expiration of a power-play chance as Johansson tipped-in a red line pass from Jason Chimera for his eighth goal at 13:56. Philadelphia tied it at 12:50 of the second period with a turnover from Washingtons Alex Ovechkin, who left the puck near his own goal, expecting a trailing teammate to pick it up. But the Flyers Sean Couturier was the first one to it and passed to Hall for a blast from the point. Less than a minute later, Green assisted on a goal by Beagle to help the Caps retake the lead and also assisted on Orlovs second goal of the game at 16:23 of the second to give Washington a 4-2 lead going into the third period. But thats when Washington fell into Philadelphias aggressive style of play. "Thats the kind of game that that team wants to play," Oates said. "Theyre good at that. Were not." NOTES: Washington was without Mikhail Grabovski, who aggravated a left ankle injury in the first game after the Olympic break. The injury had forced him to miss eight games before the break. ... Goalie Ray Emery did not make the trip to Washington. He is day to day with a lower-body injury. As a result, it was Masons third start in less than 70 hours as Philadelphia did not give AHL callup Cal Heeter his first NHL start. ' ' '