Tangible evidence of tennis's growth in China comes in the form of the Wuhan Open's new, 15 000-seat stadium, opened by Li last month, which has a similar capacity to Wimbledon's Centre Court.
Steady crowds and the presence of 12 Chinese players in the women's top 200 -- behind only Russia, the United States and the Czech Republic -- also demonstrate tennis's upward trajectory.
Much of the growth is directly attributable to Li, Asia's first Grand Slam singles champion who won two major titles before she retired on the eve of last year's inaugural Wuhan Open.
But many observers believe China's next Grand Slam winner could be as many as 10 years away, with the dominance of the state-run sports system hampering players' development.
