Li Na
FILE - Peng Shuai, of China, drops to her knees in pain during the semifinals of the 2014 U.S. Open tennis tournament against Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, on Sept. 5, 2014, in New York. Struggling to stay upright as suffocating heat and humidity drained her energy in the U.S. Open semifinals, Peng Shuai refused to give up. She paused between points to clutch at her left thigh and put her weight on her racket as if it were a cane. Helped off the court and diagnosed with heat stroke, doctors told her to quit. But Peng still came back for more. Six more points until she eventually collapsed to the ground and Caroline Wozniacki, her opponent in that 2014 match, came around the net to check on her. Only then, with her body pushed to the absolute limit -- maybe even beyond the limit -- did Peng retire from the match that marked the pinnacle of her singles career. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
Tennis trailblazer: Peng known for her grit on the court

By Andrew Dampf Nov. 19, 2021 07:46 AM EST