Li holds key to future of tennis

Forget Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova: China's Li Na is regarded as the hottest property in tennis, not just because of her ability, but because she is opening the door to the sport's future.

In becoming Asia's first Grand Slam champion at the 2011 French Open, the wise-cracking Chinese star brought tennis to a huge potential new audience, including 1.3 billion of her compatriots and a region encompassing two-thirds of humanity.

Women's Tennis Association chief Stacey Allaster has put Li, 31, front and center of a concerted push into Asia, including multiple new tournaments in China and the end-of-season championships in Singapore.