The first Chinese Grand Slam champion Li Na will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) on July 20, the ITHF announced in Melbourne on January 22 during the Australian Open.

Joining Li Na will be fellow tennis greats Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Mary Pierce.

"It's a great honor," Li told Xinhua News Agency, hoping her induction will encourage more young people in China to play tennis.

Born in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, in 1982, Li started to play tennis at the age of 6 and entered the national team in 1999. She was the French Open champion in 2011, and won the Australian Open in 2014. She retired in September 2014.

Besides her remarkable achievements on court, Li is also credited with sparking the rise of the game across Asia.