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BEIJING, China - Li Na, a two-time Grand Slam champion from China who took tennis in Asia to a new level, has retired due to recurring knee injuries. The 32-year-old Li posted a statement on social media sites Friday, ending a week of intensifying speculation that she would announce her retirement ahead of the new WTA tournament at Wuhan, her home town. The WTA, which runs womens tennis, has described Li as a trailblazer and credits her with being the first player from Asia to win a major title — she won the 2011 French Open, beating four Top 10 players in succession to wrap up the title — a few months after becoming the first from the region to reach a Grand Slam final, which she did at the 2011 Australian Open. She clinched the Australian Open title in January, in her third trip to the final at Melbourne Park, to reach a career-high No. 2 ranking, another continental milestone. Li hasnt played since a third-round defeat at Wimbledon, withdrawing from the U.S. Open citing a knee injury. "Most people in the tennis world know that my career has been marked by my troubled right knee," Li said in the open letter she posted online. "After four knee surgeries and hundreds of shots injected into my knee weekly to alleviate swelling and pain, my body is begging me to stop the pounding." After three operations on her right knee, dating back to March 2008, Li said her most recent surgery in July was on her left knee. "After a few weeks of post-surgery recovery, I tried to go through all the necessary steps to get back on the court," she said. "While Ive come back from surgery in the past, this time it felt different. "One of my goals was to recover as fast as I could in order to be ready for the first WTA tournament in my hometown. As hard as I tried to get back to being 100 per cent, my body kept telling me that, at 32, I will not be able to compete at the top level ever again. The sport is just too competitive, too good, to not be 100 per cent." Li started her career in the national system system, but had a keen sense of individuality. She bucked the system at times during her career — giving up tennis for two years to do media studies at a university earlier in her career — and later insisting on selecting her own coach. She also has won support from the public for her courage to defy Chinas rigid state-run sports system aimed at training world-class athletes. The announcement that she had parted ways with coach Carlos Rodriguez, ending an almost two-year working relationship with the former long-time mentor for Justin Henin, followed her Wimbledon defeat in July. Li won millions of admirers with her tough-as-nails approach on court, and her warmth and charm outside the arena. Her frequent jokes about life with Jiang Shan, her former coach and husband since 2006, in courtside interviews helped Li become an instant hit at the Australian Open. Among her other milestones, Li was the first Chinese player to win a WTA tour title (Guangzhou in 2004), the first to reach a Grand Slam singles quarterfinal (Wimbledon in 2006), first to break into the Top 20. "Ive succeeded on the global stage in a sport that a few years ago was in its infancy in China," Li said. "What Ive accomplished for myself is beyond my wildest dreams. What I accomplished for my country is one of my most proud achievements." Li rose to No. 2 in the rankings after her win in Australia in January, but dropped to No. 6 this month due to her injury-enforced inactivity. In the immediate future is the establishment of a Li Na Tennis Academy, providing scholarships for future Chinese players. In the not-too-distant future, shes hoping to start a family. "My philanthropic work will expand in scope as I continue to dedicate myself to helping those in need. What was once just a dream in China today is a reality," she said. "On a personal side, I look forward to starting a new chapter of my life, hopefully having a family and reconnecting with those I did not have the luxury of spending a lot of time with while playing." In a statement celebrating her 15-year professional career, WTA chief executive Stacey Allaster said Li "has been a fun, powerful, and wonderful player on the WTA tour and, along with her fans, I am sad to hear that she has retired." "In addition to her amazing tennis abilities and her warm and humorous personality, she is a pioneer who opened doors to tennis for hundreds of millions of people throughout China and Asia. Her legacy is immense and I have no doubt that her contributions to the WTA will be seen for decades to come," Allaster said. "Its hard to be a household name in a nation with 1.4 billion people, but thats what Li Na is." ___ AP Sports Writer John Pye in Brisbane, Australia contributed to this report. Eagles Jerseys .com) - It may just be the right place and the right opponent for the Detroit Red Wings to snap their longest losing streak of the season. Dallas Goedert Youth Jersey . Cruz set the tone with a two-run homer in the first inning, and Baltimore scored eight times in the eighth to pull away for a 12-3 victory in Game 1. The major league leader with 40 homers during the regular season, Cruz added an RBI single to his early blast off Max Scherzer. http://www.theeaglesfootballauthentic.co...n-black-jersey/. Ashton scored a hat trick -- giving him 13 goals in 16 AHL games this season -- to power the Toronto Marlies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters in AHL action on Sunday. Harold Carmichael Jersey . The game was the first of two international friendlies that Canada is playing during the international break, with the second game against Slovenia set for Tuesday in Celje. Canada looked uncomfortable defensively throughout the game, and every free kick that came into Canadas penalty box looked like ending up in the back of the net. Shareef Miller Womens Jersey . Ashton scored a hat trick -- giving him 13 goals in 16 AHL games this season -- to power the Toronto Marlies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters in AHL action on Sunday.Winless since the start of June, the task doesnt get any easier for Torontos Mark Buehrle on tonight with the veteran scheduled to go up against a longtime adversary. Buehrle looks to beat the New York Yankees for only the second time in his career as the Blue Jays begin a three-game series in the Bronx. The 35-year-old Buehrle appeared on his way to a career season nearly two months ago, improving to 10-1 with a victory over Kansas City on June 1. His earned run average at the time stood at 2.10. However, Buehrle has gone 0-5 with a 4.06 ERA in eight starts since, losing once to the Yankees in two starts over that time. His setback in New York on June 18 was his eighth consecutive losing decision to the Yankees and he is just 1-11 against them lifetime with a 5.81 ERA. The left-hander escaped with a no-decision versus Texas last time out on Sunday, giving up five runs on eight hits and three walks over six innings. He is 10-6 on the year with a 2.86 ERA. Both the Blue Jays and Yankees are putting heat on Baltimore in the race for first place in the American League East. Toronto and New York both find themselves three games back of the front-running Orioles thanks to some recent surges. The Blue Jays saw starter Marcus Stroman carry a no-hitter into the seventh inning of Thursdays 8-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Stroman ended up allowing one hit over seven scoreless frames, while Juan Francisco ended a double shy of the cycle, hitting a two-run homer and ddriving in four.dddddddddddd But the true spotlight was on Stroman, who walked two and struck out seven to help Toronto go 5-2 on a seven-game homestand. "He pitched a hell of a game today," said Toronto catcher Dioner Navarro, whose club now begins a 10-game road trip. The Yankees, meanwhile, have lost just once in seven games since the All-Star break and took the final three of a four-game set with Texas by winning Thursdays finale 4-2. Brandon McCarthy pitched six strong innings for his second straight win, striking out five and giving up one run on four hits and two walks. The Yankees have won all three of his starts since acquiring the right-hander from the Diamondbacks on July 6 for Vidal Nuno. "They put up some long at-bats against him," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "But he just kept at it, kept throwing strikes. ... He just found a way to get through it." The Yankees next turn to 39-year-old Hiroki Kuroda, who is 6-6 with a 3.88 ERA on the year. Kuroda did not factor into a 3-2 win over Cincinnati on Sunday, charged with one unearned run over 6 2/3 innings. The righty worked around three hits and two walks, striking out six. Kuroda is 5-3 with a 3.86 ERA in his career versus Toronto, including a recent r