'Fly-away' move works wonders for Li and company

China's elite women's tennis players rose steadily on the international stage in 2009, their first year outside the state-support system, thanks to the ground-breaking move initiated by the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA).

However, their success does not necessarily mean others will be allowed to follow that path.

"It has only been a year since we let the players become self-managed, so it's too early to judge the impact," said Gao Shenyang, CTA vice-president.