Li Na doing her bit to help China's next generation of stars

Tennis great Li Na seems busier than ever after retirement.

If looking after daughter Alisa and son Sapajou, born in 2015 and 2016, wasn't enough, China's two-time Grand Slam champion is planning to build a tennis academy under her name and co-produce a biopic of her career with renowned Hong Kong director Peter Chan - all the while carrying out her ambassadorial duties and fulfilling commitments to sponsors.

Li's love of the game that brought her fortune and fame shone through at Tuesday's The Road to Wimbledon junior event at Beijing International Tennis Center, where she traded lobs with children and shared her insights about life as a touring professional.

Chinese tennis is busy trying to produce a player that can emulate Li, who remains Asia's only Grand Slam singles champion following her victories at the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open.

However, Li, who retired in 2014, warned that increased investment in the game here is no guarantee of success.

"Young players nowadays are developing in a much better environment than we had in the past with so much support and events going on at home, she told China Daily. "But I am concerned this will make them cherish each of the opportunities less than we did before.

"When everything comes so easily, people tend to take things for granted while neglecting that they still have to earn it.

"Professional tennis demands great inner drive, as well as physical and technical preparations."

The return of The Road to Wimbledon, an under-14 tournament, for a third year in China is further proof of the West's growing interest in the nation's tennis boom.

The women's game continues to surge in popularity here, with seven WTA tournament scheduled on the mainland this year, including the premier mandatory China Open in Beijing and the year-end championship in Shenzhen.

"Kids now are very lucky to have abundant access to so many high-level tournaments on their doorsteps to gain an understanding of pro tennis much earlier than we did," said Li, who turned pro in 1999 when China had only two lower-tier tournaments.

Earlier exposure to the pro circuit and more advanced coaching are starting to bear fruit for China.

Following 23-year-old Wang Yafan's surprising run to the Miami Open quarterfinals this week, China will have five players in the top 100 of next week's WTA rankings.

And with more anchor tournaments beefing up the talent system, Steve Simon, CEO of the WTA, is confident that it's only a matter of time before the next Li Na emerges.

"You've had a Li without the program that you have in place right now. So again, as the game becomes more popular and more people participate, I can guarantee you will have another Li coming through. It's not if, it's when," Simon told China Daily.

Li stressed that winning major tournaments is a much tougher task than merely rising up the rankings.

"It's no longer about their level technically. Anyone who comes through the system we have now has the ability to crack the top 100," she said.

"It's more about how much they want it and making sacrifices to decide how high they can climb."