Li Na humble and focused after progressing in Madrid

 　　MADRID, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China's top tennis player Li Na was focused² on the job in hand after defeating Angelique Kerber in the last 16 of the Madrid Open tournament³ on Wednesday.

　　Li's win over the player who had beaten her in Indian Wells earlier in the season sets up a quarterfinal tie against number one seed Victoria Azarenka or Ana Ivanovic, who meet later in the day.

　　"I know the way she (Kerber) plays and I lost easily to her at the start of the year in Indian Wells, so I really didn't want to lose twice in a row," explained Li after her 7-5, 6-4 win. "In Indian Wells, I was always looking to hit a winning⁴ shot⁵, but today I was patient and I tried to make her make mistakes," she explained.

　　The 30-year-old, who is the number eight seed in Madrid, will move to Rome and then Paris, where she will defend her French Open title. She insisted she was focused on winning in Madrid and relaxed about what may happen in Paris.

　　"I still have another tournament before France, (Rome) but now I am enjoying Madrid and playing well here. When I go to Paris again, I want to go and enjoy it on court without any pressure."

　　"A lot of people say 'the French Open is coming soon, you are defending Champion and you should have a lot of pressure,' but I am not young any more: this is true, I don't know how much longer I can keep on playing, so I just want to enjoy it," she commented.

　　Li also gave an indication⁶ of her humility⁷ in her attitude to tennis and life in general, although she admitted that the second half of last season had been complicated⁸.

　　"I am still Li Na, I am still from China, nothing has changed and I am nothing special," she said.

　　"Last year after winning the French Open, I didn't do well and I lost focus¹ on court and I was not enjoying playing. So at the end of the year, I stayed in Munich for six weeks, just training and trying to get back on court and it's not bad, because I think I am doing well at the start of this year," she explained, brushing aside the fact that she was recently rated as fifth on Forbes Chinese celebrity⁹ list.

　　"I always think that being number five (in the Forbes list), is from outside, it is something that the fans and sponsors¹⁰ have maybe given to me, but for me I am still a tennis player, so my job is to play good tennis on the court."

　　"I never try to be a hero for the country. Tennis is my job and I try to do well in my job. I don't know why many people think she is special. I am just a normal person, I am just an athlete," said Li.

1 focus   

n.焦点，焦距；vi.聚焦，注视；vt.使聚焦，调焦，集中

参考例句：

• She was the focus of everyone's attention.她是大家注意的焦点。
• The noise made it hard for me to focus on work.噪音让我无法集中注意力工作。

2 focused   

adj.聚焦的v.（使）集中， （使）聚集( focus的过去式和过去分词 )；调整（镜头，眼睛）焦点[焦距]以便看清；（光、声等的）焦点；集中（光束于）

参考例句：

• Research has focused on improving the car's aerodynamics. 研究的重点是改善轿车的流线型。
• The discussion focused on three main problems. 讨论集中在三个主要问题上。

3 tournament   

n.比赛，竞赛，锦标赛

参考例句：

• He was the best boxer in the tournament.他是本届联赛的最佳拳手。
• The Council resolved that the next tournament should be held in Shanghai.理事会决定下次比赛在上海举行。

4 winning   

adj.获胜的，胜利的；吸引人的，有说服力的

参考例句：

• Team A has no chance of winning.A队没有获胜的可能。
• They have great hopes of winning.他们获胜的希望极大。

5 shot   

n.炮弹，射击，射手；v.射击，发出，发芽；vbl.射击，发出，发芽

参考例句：

• He shot a wild duck.他射中一只野鸭。
• All the children shot out their hands for the money.所有的孩子突然伸出手来要钱。

6 indication   

n.(暗示某事物的)言语，姿势，标记

参考例句：

• He gave no indication that he was ready to compromise.他没有妥协的意思。
• His behavior gave every indication of an open affectionate heart.他的行为就可以表明，他的心胸是坦荡的。

7 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

8 complicated   

adj.错综复杂的，麻烦的，结构复杂的

参考例句：

• The poem is so complicated that I cannot make out its meaning.这首诗太复杂，我理解不了它的意思。
• This is the most complicated case I have ever handled.这是我所处理过的最为复杂的案子。

9 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

10 sponsors   

n.保人( sponsor的名词复数 )；（广播电视节目、音乐会或运动会的）赞助者；（培训或教育的）资助者；（法案等的）倡议者v.赞助( sponsor的第三人称单数 )；资助（某人的培训或教育）；为慈善活动捐资；倡议

参考例句：

• The race organizers are trying to attract sponsors. 比赛的组织者在想方设法吸引赞助者。
• They become official sponsors and put their logos on stadium walls. 他们成为正式赞助者，从而能在赛场周围的墙上挂上他们公司的广告牌。 来自辞典例句