Sports stars want new schools to combine academics, athletics_美文

Sports stars want new schools to combine academics, athletics

"School classes should be taught at the same time while practicing tennis, and I hope to cooperate with prestigious universities," said Li. "So children could have two options when they turn 18 - keep playing professionally or go to college."

Li, who started practicing tennis in the early 1990s with the Wuhan provincial team, did not receive much education until temporarily retiring in 2002 to study journalism at Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

The undergraduate program gave Li a break from grinding competition and honed her public relations skills to better deal with media requests.

Boasting outspokenness and wit, Li was named the 2013 Ambassador of the Year of the International Tennis Writers Association before the Australian Open.

Her colorful post-match interviews at major international tournaments coupled with her fluent English have won praise from foreign media.

"Because of her success, there are big media demands on her time, and she handled this with great professionalism. She set a very good example to her fellow players," ITWA co-president Paul Newman said.

Yao, another international sports icon for China, echoed Li by kicking off the opening semester of his NBA Yao School at Beijing's Wukesong Basketball Park over the weekend.

Jointly launched by Yao and the National Basketball Association, the school features a 13-week extracurricular bilingual program, which has attracted 200 children ages 6 to 16 to practice basketball skills while learning life lessons.