Li Na to announce retirement on Sept 19: media  

曝李娜19日将宣布退役 身体状况已不能继续比赛

The Weibo post of CCTV5 that Li Na will announce her retirement at a press conference on Friday, Sept. 19. (Photo: Weibo)

(ECNS) – Chinese tennis megastar Li Na is to announce her retirement on Friday, Sept 19, according to reports on Thursday.

Citing insider knowledge, the sports channel of China Central Television (CCTV5) posted on its official Weibo that Li's agent will announce the news at a press conference on Friday.

According to the post, the retirement is over "concerns about Li's health."

The post also indicated that the insider information hadn't been confirmed.

There has been persistent speculation that the two-time Grand Slam champion would end her career following a negative prognosis regarding her lingering knee injuries.

Earlier this month Max Eisenbud, vice president of IMG's tennis division, which represents Li Na, denied the retirement rumors.

Friday is also the inaugural tournament of the Wuhan Open in Hubei province, where the 32-year-old was born.