Li Na may have exited Wimbledon in the first week but she was flying home to China today consoled by a prediction that she can become the highest-earning woman in world sport.
Li, the third seed, was last night beaten 3-6, 6-4, 8-6 by German wild card Sabine Lisicki inside a roofed Centre Court in what was the biggest shock at this year's Wimbledon.
However, the surprise loss won't take any of the gloss off her breakthrough achievement in becoming Asia's first Grand Slam champion after winning the French Open.
That triumph, following on from Li's appearance in the Australian Open Final in January, has transformed the 29-year-old's life because major companies are now queuing up to exploit her fame in a bid to crack the massive Chinese market.
Car maker Mercedes-Benz is the latest company to back Li with a deal worth £1million a year. But that is only a taster of the fortune heading her way. If the right-hander can repeat her Grand Slam success, experts believe she could bank an estimated £15m annually and so overtake Russian tennis pin-up Maria Sharapova at the top of the female sporting rich list.
Nigel Currie, director of leading sports marketing agency brandRapport, said: "Li Na's successes at the Australian Open and winning the French Open could make her the highest-paid sports woman of all time. Sharapova is the leading earner among female sports stars, banking around £12m a year and she can expect to maintain that as long as she remains in the world top 10.
"Li Na's earnings have just soared to £6m a year and she can expect that to reach £10m next year. She is slightly older, at 29, to be entering the high earner's list but her annual earnings could reach £15m for a period of two to three years if she wins a few more Grand Slam events.
"For top individual sports the sponsorship, advertising and endorsement-earning opportunities are huge and if someone can establish themselves at the very top, the potential exists to earn up to £300m."
Despite her shock defeat, in which she failed to capitalise on two match points, Li is acutely aware of the impact she has made at home following successive Grand Slam final appearances.
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She said: "I am so happy with what I am doing to promote the game in Asia. Now, the whole world knows that an Asian player, a Chinese player, has a Grand Slam and it is proof that it can happen."
