Golden pair split up after losing their shine
Athens Olympic gold medal-winning pair Li Ting and Sun Tiantian have been split up to ensure China has the best possible tennis pairings for the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games.
The duo's form has plummeted since Athens, and they won only one title last year and lost in the semi-finals of the Asian Games in Doha.
"They have been lacking motivation since coming back from Athens," said Sun Jinfang, director of the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA). "They are temporarily divided because they've been out of form the past two years. But they will continue to be important players in the national team and lead young players."
Doubles prospects Sun Shengnan(right) an Ji Chunmei |
Li Na, Peng Shuai, Li Ting, Sun Tiantian as well as youngsters Sun Shengnan and Ji Chunmei will be tried out in different partnerships at WTA tournaments. The final three Olympic pairs will be decided in June, when the new Olympic Points System takes effect.
Sun Tiantian will team up with Sun Shengnan at next week's Australian Open. The duo played well together when they reached the semi-finals of the Auckland ASB Classics last week.
Sun Shengnan, 19, scored a first for Chinese tennis when she won the junior doubles title at the Australian Open in 2004 with Latisha Chan of Chinese Taipei.
With the combination of youth and experience, the duo is expected to be China's second ranked pair after Zheng Jie and Yan Zi, winners of the Australian Open and Wimbledon doubles titles last year.
Singles aces Peng Shuai and Li Na will be paired up in a fiery combination, but less is expected of them after they lost in the first round in Auckland.
"We will try more pairings after the Australian Open," said Sun Jinfang. "Our adjustment is to ensure we qualify for the Olympics and occupy good positions in the draw," she said.
Sun Jinfang denied rumours that the Olympic duo had fallen out with each other.
"There is no problem between them," she said. "It's common that an athlete suffers bad form, sometimes you can see a problem but can't do anything about it.
"Changing the pair is the best choice for all of us, but we do not rule out the possibility of bringing them back together later this year."
Li Ting had been contemplating retirement after winning a bronze medal at the Doha Asian Games last month but the CTA has asked her to stay on through the preparatory period for the Beijing Olympics, Sun Jinfang added.
(China Daily 01/12/2007 page22)
