To ink or not to ink? Tennis players and their tattoos

#2 Li Na

Li Na was at the receiving end of a major backlash in China when her tattoos became front-page news

China’s Li Na has a fiercely independent streak (she was the first player from her country to break away from the national tennis association as she wanted to have more control over her career, schedule and her earnings). So it’s no surprise that the two-time Grand Slam champion sports two tattoos – a rose and a heart on her chest and a butterfly on her lower back.

Li says the rose-and-heart tattoo represents her love for her husband – “I had been with him for three years when I had it done – I wanted to do something for him and for us. I chose a rose because it’s romantic and having it on my chest means I have given my heart to him.”