李娜退役告别信
2015-02-03
My dear friends,
For close to fifteen years, weve been a part of each others lives. As a tennis player representing China on the global stage, Ive trekked (远足;跋涉) around the world playing hundreds of matches. Youve always been there for me, supporting me, cheering me on, and encouraging (鼓励) me to reach my potential (潜力).
亲爱的朋友们:
近15年来,我们都是彼此生活的一部分。作为一名代表中国在国际赛场上征战的网球运动员,我经历了上百场的比赛。这期间有你们一直陪在我身边,支持我,鼓励我,激励我发掘自己更多的潜力。
Representing China on the tennis court was a true honor. Having the opportunity to bring more attention to the sport of tennis in China and all over Asia is something I will cherish forever. But in sport, just like in life, all great things must come to an end.
在网球赛场上代表中国,是我至高无上的荣誉。通过这样的机会,我希望能够吸引更多的关注到中国甚至全亚洲的网球运动中,这也将会是我一生的事业。但是,即便如此,职业生涯就像是人生,它们都会有终点。
2014 has become one of the most significant (重要的) years in my career and my life. This year was full of amazing highlights (最突出的事物), which included winning my second Grand Slam singles title (大满贯单打冠军头衔) at the Australian Open and sharing the extraordinary (非凡的;特别的) experience with my country, my team, my husband and my fans. It was also a year filled with difficult moments, such as having to deal with the inevitable (不可避免的) thing—making the decision to end my professional tennis career.
2014年是我职业生涯乃至人生中最重要的年份之一,充满了亮点。在2014澳大利亚公开赛上,我取得了女单冠军,赢得了个人第二座大满贯。我很高兴我能够把这份特殊的喜悦和经历与我的祖国、我的团队、我的丈夫及我的球迷共同分享。但同时,这也是艰难的一年,需要面对很多不得不面对的事情,例如做出结束我网球职业生涯的决定。
The amazing moment in Australia was filled with joy, happiness and extraordinary sense of accomplishment (成就). The task of finally making a decision to hang up my racquet (球拍) felt a lot more difficult than winning seven matches in a row in the Australian heat. It took me several agonizing (使人苦恼的) months to finally come to the decision that my injuries will never again let me be the tennis player that I can be. Walking away from the sport, effective immediately, is the right decision for me and my family.
在澳大利亚的时光固然充满了喜悦、幸福,以及一种特殊的成就感。但做出放下球拍的决定,比在澳大利亚的高温中连续赢下7场比赛要艰难许多。在之前我苦恼了几个月,最终,伤病让我不能再像以前一样。尽管我做出了百分之百的努力去争取参加第一次在我家乡举办的比赛,但是,作为一个职业的网球运动员,现在离开赛场对我来说是最正确的决定。
Most people in the tennis world know that my career has been marked by my troubled right knee. The black brace (支撑物) I wear over it when I step on the court has become my tennis birth mark. And while the brace completes my tennis look, the knee problems have at times overtaken (突然来袭) my life.
很多朋友知道我右膝的伤病一直“伴随”着我的职业生涯,每当我踏入赛场时,人们都会看到我右膝处的黑色护膝,它就像我胎记一样。尽管我对它已习以为常,但膝盖病发还是会时不时让我疼痛难忍。
After four knee surgeries (手术) and hundreds of shots injected into my knee weekly to alleviate swelling and pain, my body is begging me to stop the pounding. My previous three surgeries were on my right knee. My most recent knee surgery took place this July and was on my left knee. After a few weeks of post-surgery recovery (术后恢复), I tried to go through all the necessary steps to get back on the court.
我的双膝已经经历四次手术。同时,为了减轻膝盖的肿胀和疼痛,我每周还需要接受注射治疗,至今已经有上百次了。前三次手术都是在我的右膝,最后一次在7月份的手术是我的左膝。而现在,我的身体再也承受不起任何重创。最近那次手术之后,即使经历了几周的术后恢复,我也用尽了每一丝的力气,试图回到赛场。
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 (国际女子职业网联) tournament (联赛) in my hometown of Wuhan. As hard as I tried to get back to being 100%, 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%.
但是,和以前术后重回赛场相比,这次不一样了。这次我的目标之一是尽快痊愈,为将在我的家乡武汉进行的WTA网球公开赛做准备。但哪怕我用尽自己全部的力量,我的身体却一直告诉我,32岁的我,再也不会在行业的最高水平中竞争了。网球这项运动的竞争激烈,对运动员要求完美,而我,再也不能回到从前百分之百的状态了。
Winning a Grand Slam title this year and achieving a ranking (排名) of World No. 2 is the way I would like to leave competitive (比赛的;竞技的) tennis. As hard as its been to come to this decision, I am at peace with it. I have no regrets. I was not supposed to be here in the first place, remember? Not many people believed in my talent and my abilities, yet I found a way to persevere (坚持), to prove them (and sometimes myself!) wrong.
赢得大满贯,获得世界排行第二名,这是我选择带着这样的荣誉离开网球赛场。尽管做出这一决定的过程非常艰难,但是我对发生的这一切都很平静,不会后悔。一开始没人想到我会出现在这里,你们记得吗?最初有很多人不相信我的天赋和能力,但是我最终证明了他们(有时甚至是我自己)是错误的。
Ive succeeded on the global stage in a sport that a few years ago was in its infancy (起步阶段;初期) in China. What Ive accomplished (完成;达成) for myself is beyond my wildest dreams. What I accomplished for my country is one of my most proud achievements.
网球这项运动这些年在中国发展得非常快,而现在我已经在这项运动的世界舞台上取得了成功。我所获得的成就远远超出了我的梦想,为国家获得的荣誉也是我个人最骄傲的成绩。
In 2008, there were two professional womens tennis tournaments in China. Today, there are 10, one of them in Wuhan, my hometown. That to me is extraordinary!Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova—with thirty Grand Slam singles titles among them—are coming to my hometown to play tennis for the fans of China! Just as I didnt think I could ever be a Grand Slam champion, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that some of the best female athletes in the world could play tennis in Wuhan, in my backyard.
2008年,中国只有两项专业女子网球赛事。今年,中国已经举办了10个专业女子网球赛事。其中一场就在我的家乡——武汉。届时会有包括威廉姆斯姐妹、莎拉波娃等球星参赛,她们将带着赢得过30座大满贯单打冠军的荣誉来到我的家乡,为中国球迷们带来精彩的比赛。就像我从来没想过能获得大满贯一样,我也从来没有想到有一天,世界最著名的女子运动员能够来到武汉,来到我的家乡,为大家带来精彩纷呈的网球比赛。
My contributions (贡献) to the growth of the sport in China are very special to me. But I dont want to stop here. Together with my management company, we are putting together various plans on how we will continue to grow the sport of tennis in China. These plans include opening the Li Na Tennis Academy (学校), which will provide scholarships (奖学金) for the future generation of Chinese tennis stars. I will also stay involved in the Right to Play, an organization for helping underprivileged (穷困的) children overcome challenges through sport.
能为中国体育发展做出微薄的贡献,对我自己而言也有特殊的意义。就此,我不会停歇,我将和我的经纪公司一起,制定各项促进中国网球发展的计划。包括开办“李娜网球学校”,学院将会为下一代的中国网球明星提供奖学金。另外,我也会参与“Right to Play”儿童乐益会公益组织,致力于帮助生活贫困和身处困境的儿童和青少年,帮助他们通过体育战胜困难。
On a personal side, I look forward to starting a new chapter (章;节) of my life, hopefully having a family and reconnecting with those I did not have the luxury (奢侈) of spending a lot of time with while playing. I cant wait to revisit all the amazing places I played tennis in and see the world through a new set of eyes. I look forward to slowing down and living my life at a new, slower, relaxed pace.
个人方面,我非常期待开始我人生新的篇章。我希望能多花一点时间和家人在一起,以前打球的时候这些事儿都是很奢侈的,现在我想尽力去弥补我的家人。我等不及想再去一遍那些我曾经打过球的地方,这一次不用比赛,而是用一双不同的眼睛看看这些可爱的地方。我期待着在一个让人放松的地方安静地开始和家人的新生活。
Tennis is an individual sport and as players, our job is to spend a lot of time focusing on (聚焦;关注) ourselves. But no player can ever become a champion alone and nobody knows this better than me. There isnt enough space to thank everyone who has traveled on my journey with me and contributed to my success. But I must thank those that have stuck with (跟着……) me through the highs and the lows and have helped me become the person that I am today.
网球是一项个人运动,作为网球运动员,我们的工作就是花很多时间关注自己的状态。但是,没有人比我更清楚,没有一个运动员能够只靠一个人的力量成为冠军。这里由于篇幅有限,不能对陪伴我走过职业生涯、对我的成功付出汗水的人们一一表示感谢,但是我必须感谢那些无论高潮还是低谷都陪伴着我的人,是你们成就了今天的我。
When I started playing tennis, I was just a neighborhood kid with an after-school hobby, not realizing what magical journey lay ahead of me. If I only knew what a vehicle (交通工具) the sport of tennis, along with my success, would become for my beloved (亲爱的) China. While my journey hasnt been easy, it has been rewarding (值得的;有报酬的). Ive seen change happening in front of my eyes, young girls picking up tennis racquets, setting goals, following their hearts and believing in themselves. I hope that Ive had the opportunity to inspire young women all over China to believe in themselves, to set their goals high and pursue them with self-belief.
我最开始打网球的时候,只是一个邻家小女孩,打网球只是我的课余爱好,我完全没有想到我面前有如此神奇和美好的网球之旅。当时谁能想到网球对于我挚爱的祖国意味着什么呢?即便我的职业旅程并不是一帆风顺,但是它还是值得的。我看见变化就在我眼前发生,小女孩拿起网球拍,制定目标,跟随她们的内心并且相信自己。我希望我的经历和故事能够激励更多的中国年轻女孩,让她们为自己设立目标,并相信自己。
Whether you want to be a tennis player, a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher or a business leader, I urge (主张;驱动) you to believe in yourself and follow your dream. If I could do it, you can too! With hard work, your dreams will come true!
无论你想成为网球运动员、医生、律师、老师还是一个商人,我都希望你相信自己,追随自己的梦想,坚持到底。我能做到,你也可以!只要努力,最终一定会实现自己的梦想!