Grand Slam champion Li Na inspires budding tennis talent in China on their Road to Wimbledon 2018

BEIJING, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The Road to Wimbledon, the All England Lawn Tennis Club's prestigious junior tournament for 14 & under, returns to China for its third year.

Tennis star Li Na, Asia's first Grand Slam singles champion, is in Beijing Tuesday to encourage Chinese junior players participating in the tournament.

Li Na said, "The Road to Wimbledon has given junior tennis players an international platform to interact and sharpen their grass court skills, which will give them a strong headstart in their tennis careers."

The top eight players who qualify in Beijing will travel to Nanjing for the Masters tournament in the week of 14 May. Winners from the Nanjing Masters will then proceed to represent China at the Road to Wimbledon Finals from 12 to 18 August on the All England Club's historic grass courts.

China's rising stars have proven themselves before in this setting. In 2017, Chinese junior player Huang Ziyi was crowned girls' singles champion at the Road to Wimbledon Finals.

Road to Wimbledon Tournament Director and former British Davis Cup Captain Paul Hutchins said, "As the Road to Wimbledon returns to China for the third year in 2018, we continue our commitment to bringing the grass court tennis experience, coaching, and opportunities to engage with some of the best tennis players internationally - to more junior players in Asia."

"While the Road to Wimbledon gives some of the best young players around the world the opportunity to play on Wimbledon's famous grass courts, the tournament is about far more than just tennis. It also fosters life-skills and values such as teamwork and discipline that will maximise the potential of young people for the rest of their lives," added Richard Lewis, Chief Executive of The All England Lawn Tennis Club. Enditem