Chinese tennis superstar Li Na was born and raised in the city of Wuhan. (Photo : Reuters)
Retired Chinese tennis player Li Na is set to be part of a series of activities to be held in Wuhan, her home city, during the 2015 Wuhan Open as part of promotions for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Premier 5 and Chinese tennis culture in general.
The announcement was made by the event's organizers on Sunday.
The two-time Grand Slam champion will make an appearance at the Wuhan Optic Valley International Tennis Center on Sept. 27 to unveil the new stadium with the capacity to fit 15,000 people.
The unveiling will happen about year after she formally announced her retirement on Sept. 19, 2014.
The stadium is the biggest of its kind in Asia. It will serve as the main arena for the Wuhan Open tournament this year.
The construction costs of the stadium exceeded 1 billion yuan ($156 million).
The day after the unveiling, Li will play tennis in front of the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan to promote her home city. She is set to play with several other international stars.
Afterward, Li will be present at the stadium for a press conference.
Born and raised in Wuhan, Li helped give prominence to Chinese tennis on a global scale, with victories at the Australian and French Opens. Her retirement from tennis has been considered a loss for the Wuhan Open.
Making its debut during the 2014 season, the Wuhan Open is one of five tournaments in the Premier 5 as part of the WTA Tour. The other four tournaments take place in Dubau, Rome, Cincinnati, and either Toronto or Montreal.
This year, 43 players from 19 countries and regions will compete in the Wuhan Open, scheduled to take place from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3.
As of now, eight out of the top 10 women tennis players in the world have been confirmed to compete, including current tennis champion Petra Kvitova.
