Hong Kong: Australian Open champion Li Na on Monday defended her decision to skip the International Premier Tennis League, as she targets more Grand Slams and the world number one spot.
The inaugural edition of the IPTL takes place later this year with matches in Bangkok, Mumbai, Singapore and Dubai geared to raise the profile of the game across Asia and the Middle East. But the event, modelled on cricket's financially successful Indian Premier League, has been dealt a blow by the absence of Asia's top male and female players — Japan's Kei Nishikori and second-ranked Li.
The Chinese star became Asia's first Grand Slam winner at the 2011 French Open and followed it up with a second major title at Melbourne in January 2014, propelling her to a career-high rankings position. Women's Tennis Association (WTA) chief Stacey Allaster has placed the 32-year-old at the head of a concerted push into Asia including multiple new tournaments in China and the end-of-season championships in Singapore.
In September, Li's home city of Wuhan will host a new, premier-level competition, one of six WTA events on Chinese soil this year.
