On her coach, Carlos Rodriguez

- "Undoubtedly, Carlos let me be more confident. Especially during winter training, he always shouted at me, 'Calm down. Calm down'. Now I'm used to hearing it."

- "After training with Carlos for three days, I said to Jiang, 'I really want to retire. I can't handle it after just three days. How can I go on with it for three weeks or a whole year?'"

- "I think next time I should bring Carlos with me (to the news conference). I know so many people are interested in him, so maybe next time we can do it together."

On her husband, Jiang Shan

- "The relationship between Jiang and me is better now. At least we don't have to shout at each other on the court."

On her age (Li will turn 31 next month)

- To the on-court hostess: "The truth is I'm younger than you."

- "I'm getting a little bit older, getting more experience. Right now, I really enjoy every match."

China Daily

(China Daily 01/25/2013 page24)