MELBOURNE: China's Li Na complained she could barely breathe stifling conditions in Australian Open after coming through a tough first match 6-3, 41061 against Ksenia Pervak Kazakhstan.
Fifth-seeded Li, the reigning French Open champion and runner-up Kim Clijsters won in Melbourne last year, a dangerous Pervak 69 minutes, but later said high temperatures had a rough day.
"It's not easy," said Li, who last week reached the final of the Sydney International.
"I'm not used to it. I came down from Sydney, but it was only like 20 degrees. It was really hard today."
"I felt really at the end of the first heat on the court. Also, I had no feeling in the air. I could not breathe. As I was feeling like that's going on?" he added.
Li Pervak matched for much of the first set both players traded on the booming ground strokes, but Li always looked more threatening, and drew first blood when he broke to go 4-2, only to give up the next game to break.
But Li, 29, the world number 40 then accelerate to break right back, winning five consecutive games to take the first set and open the second to lead 3-0.
Pervak stemmed the tide for a moment, when he broke Li made it 3-1, but it was only a temporary reprieve of the world's number six rushing to go to the game Hisense Arena.
Li said he was pleased with his form coming into the first Grand Slam.
"I was happy with what I was doing at the Hopman Cup and Sydney. Yes, I think I'll just continue," he added.
Chinese player says he rediscovered his hunger after the great slump, after his breakthrough win the French Open last year, when he became the first Asian to win the grand slam title of Great.
Li is a relatively smooth way up to the fourth round, where he can face the 2011 final rematch against Clijsters.
Article Source:- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/australian-open-2012/top-stories/I-couldnt-breathe-says-sweltering-Li-Na/articleshow/11509405.cms
