Li Na once again serves as the captain of the Macau Tennis Legends team, prompting netizens to joke: an unshakable Na, but ever-changing players.

Has Li Na truly integrated with the Macau Tennis Legends tournament? At present, many are convinced this is the case!

Last year, Li Na and Michael Chang, the American-Chinese tennis icon, captained two teams at the Australian Open Tennis Legends event, creating a huge buzz among fans and online communities. The gender battle between Li Na and Chang especially elevated the exhibition’s popularity to its peak.

Building on last year’s foundation, even before the lineup for this year’s exhibition was announced, fans and netizens were eager to find out if Li Na would appear again at the 2025 Australian Open Tennis Legends event.

When the organizers revealed the final roster and team captains, seeing Li Na’s name prominently listed once again excited her fans immensely.

Since Li Na officially retired in September 2014 and rarely appeared in the tennis world afterward, many assumed she had completely stepped away from tennis to focus on family life at home.

However, after she started participating in senior matches and took on the role of director for last year’s Hong Kong event, her fans felt reassured, believing Li Na was preparing a big comeback and would not abandon her supporters. Eventually, fans and netizens got exactly what they were waiting for.

When news broke that Li Na would captain the 2025 Macau MGM Tennis Legends event, many praised the organizers for such a smart decision.

As a pioneer of tennis in Asia and China, although Li Na is no longer active on the professional circuit, her legend remains alive in the tennis community, with many longing and calling for her return.

Having Li Na captain this exhibition alone brings a strong emotional appeal, greatly boosting the event’s attention. Coupled with American-Chinese Michael Chang supporting the event, this powerful alliance made the Australian Open Tennis Legends event extremely popular.

Unfortunately, while Li Na remains active at this year’s Australian Open Tennis Legends event, Michael Chang is absent, replaced by Martinez as captain.

Aside from the change in captain from Chang to Martinez, the guest player lineup has seen a major overhaul. Last year’s players such as Kei Nishikori, Wang Xinyu, Ruud, Rublev, and Muchova have been replaced by Fokina, Menchik, Andrejeva, Draper, and Ierlano this year.

Although this year’s players are generally less well-known and accomplished compared to last year’s lineup, it’s clear the 2025 Australian Open Tennis Legends event is focusing on youth, featuring vibrant young talents who represent the future of tennis.

While the lineup has changed drastically, Li Na’s position remains rock solid. Fans have humorously dubbed the event “the unshakable Li Na, the revolving door of players,” implying her influence has been further confirmed. International stars may come and go, but the homegrown favorite Li Na remains irreplaceable.

However, some jokingly remind everyone that there is another person whose status rivals Li Na’s stability — former Chinese number one Shang Juncheng.

In terms of participation frequency at the Australian Open Tennis Legends event, Shang was one of the players last year on Li Na’s team. This year, judging by the team divisions, Shang still follows Li Na closely, earning him the nickname from fans and netizens as “Li Na’s most loyal companion.”

Apart from Li Na and Shang Juncheng being constants and the majority of players changing, another difference from last year’s Macau Tennis Legends event is the schedule. Last year’s two-day event coincided with Christmas Eve (December 24) and Christmas Day (December 25), while this year it takes place from December 27 to 28.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moon River’s Starry Sky)