Stosur gets Li Na backing
January 10, 2012 17:51:53 UK
After Australian tennis star Samantha Stosur recently admitted that she finds it tough to play in front of her local fans, China's Li Na has echoed her comments and said that she has sympathy for her rival.
Li Na has given her backing to Australia's Samantha Stosur.Stosur finally broke her Grand Slam duck when she upset USA's Serena Williams last year in the finals of the US Open in New York.
Her win made her the first Aussie woman in 21 years to have claimed a tennis Major but her form has crumbled dramatically since her big victory.
In both the opening tournaments of 2012, Stosur bowed out early and after Sunday's defeat against Francesca Schiavone, she openly admitted that playing in front of her Aussie fans has become an awfully difficult task for her.
Don't forget all of the fantastic markets we have to offer, including In-Play betting, can be accessed on your mobile phone with the new and improved Mobile at bet365.
Li, who has experienced more than her share of struggles resulting from high expectations, can understand what Stosur is going through, but she still believes that the powerful Queenslander will be a major contender for the Australian Open title in a week's time.
"Actually, I used half year to learn that, so I mean, it's really tough. I mean, because after the French Open I couldn't concentrate on the court anymore because I have to do so many things off the court," Li said.
"I mean, she played a very tough match yesterday. Schiavone is not easy opponent to beat. I saw the match yesterday. I mean, she played unbelievable points. Yeah, Sam lost the match … but doesn't mean she is not a good player," she added.
Samantha Stosur is 17.00 to win the 2012 Australian Open, while Serena William is 5.00 and Petra Kvitova 3.50.
View all Tennis betting