Full text of Li Na's farewell letter (2)

Li Na of China poses with her trophy near the Eiffel Tower after winning her women's final against Francesca Schiavone of Italy at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, capital of France, June 4, 2011. [Photo: Xinhua]

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. My previous three surgeries were on my right knee. My most recent knee surgery took place this July and was on my 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.

While I've 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 of Wuhan. As hard as I tried to get back to being 100%, 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%.

我的双膝已经经历四次手术,前三次手术都是在我的右膝,最后一次在7月份的手术是我的左膝.同时,为了减轻膝盖的肿胀和疼痛,我每周还需要接受注射治疗,至今已经有上百次了.而现在,我的身体再也承受不起任何重创.最近那次手术之后,即使经历了几周的术后恢复,我也用尽了每一丝的力气,试图回到赛场.

但是,和以前术后重回赛场相比,这次不一样了.哪怕我用尽自己全部的力量,我的身体却一直告诉我,32岁的我,再也不会在行业的最高水平中竞争了.网球这项运动的竞争激烈,对运动员要求完美,而我,再也不能回到从前百分之百的状态了.

Winning a Grand Slam title this year and achieving a ranking of World No.2 is the way I would like to leave competitive tennis. As hard as it's been to come to this decision, I am at peace with it. I have no regrets. I was not supposed to be here in the first place, remember? Not many people believed in my talent and my abilities, yet I found a way to persevere, to prove them (and sometimes myself!) wrong.

赢得大满贯,获得世界排行第二名,这是我选择带着这样的荣誉离开网球赛场.尽管做出这一决定的过程非常艰难,但是我对发生的这一切都很平静,不会后悔.我甚至从一开始就不应该出现在这里,你们记得吗？最初有很多人不相信我的天赋和能力,但是我最终证明了他们(有时甚至是我自己)是错误的.

I've succeeded on the global stage in a sport that a few years ago was in its infancy in China. What I've accomplished for myself is beyond my wildest dreams. What I accomplished for my country is one of my most proud achievements.

网球这项运动这些年在中国发展的非常快,而现在我已经在这项运动的世界舞台上取得了成功.我所获得的成就远远超出了我的梦想,为国家获得的荣誉也是我个人最骄傲的成绩.

In 2008, there were two professional women's tennis tournaments in China. Today, there are 10, one of them in Wuhan, my hometown. That to me is extraordinary! Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams – with thirty Grand Slam singles titles among them - are coming to my hometown to play tennis for the fans of China! Just as I didn't think I could ever be a Grand Slam champion, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that some of the best female athletes in the world could play tennis in Wuhan, in my backyard.

2008年,中国只有两项专业女子网球赛事.今年,中国已经举办了10个专业女子网球赛事.其中一场就在我的家乡--武汉.届时会有包括威廉姆斯姐妹、莎拉波娃等球星参赛,她们将带着赢得过30座大满贯单打冠军的荣誉来到我的家乡,为中国球迷们带来精彩的比赛.就像我从来没想过能获得大满贯一样,我也从来没有想到有一天,世界最著名的女子运动员能够来到武汉,来到我的家乡,为大家带来精彩纷呈的网球比赛.