On the singles tennis circuit from China, Li Na undoubtedly reigned supreme by defeating numerous top-10 players such as Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, and Victoria Azarenka. Around the same time when Li Na was triumphant on the WTA tour, Peng Shuai became equally successful on the doubles front, having won both the French Open and Wimbledon and became world no.1 in 2014.
Peng Shuai enjoyed great doubles run with partner and friend, Hsieh Su-Wei
Shuai began her career way back in 2001 and started showing promise as a 15-year old. Having come from a non-tennis background, Peng employed a peculiar two-handed forehand, a playing style that wasn’t employed by many athletes from both the tours.
After proving herself on the ITF level, Peng took time to find success on the WTA singles tour. She defeated the likes of Martina Hingis, Ana Ivanovic, Francesca Schiavone, amongst others. Despite producing top-tier victories, Peng found it hard to sustain the winning momentum at big tournaments.
On the other hand, she was hugely successful on the doubles front. The Chinese player had multiple partners during the course of her career. But, she enjoyed a successful run on the doubles tour with childhood friend, Hsieh Su-Wei.
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The duo had a phenomenal 2013, where they managed to clinch the title at Wimbledon and also went on to win the year-end championships. The same pair went on to win Roland Garros the following year alongside winning both Indian Wells and Beijing.
Peng dealt with multiple injuries in her two-decade long career
During a career spanning more than two decades, Peng Shuai had to deal with a lot of injuries. Even before the start of her journey as a tennis player, she had to undergo a heart operation at a young age of 12. Peng Shuai narrated her experience during the “Impossible is nothing” campaign by Adidas.
As a professional athlete, Peng had to take intermittent breaks from tennis due to injuries on ankle, right adductor, back, and waist. Despite facing multiple threats from her body, the Chinese player always found a way to bounce back to top form.
Even though Peng has a stupendous doubles record, she had a great singles season in 2014. Having reached her first-ever round of 16 appearance at SW19 that year, she managed to reach the semis at the US Open, where she had to retire from the matchup against Caroline Wozniacki.
With a unique playing style, Peng Shuai has made her mark on the WTA tour with 23 doubles titles and 2 singles titles to her name. Also, the Chinese star won a gold medal at the 2010 Asian games by defeating Akgul Amanmuradova in the final.
Peng Shuai’s career has been nothing short of extra-ordinary as she proved her merit on both the singles and doubles circuit on the WTA tour across big events.
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