Connie LiTennis ProfessionalConnie started her tennis journey at age of 5. By 10, she was training and traveling full-time and got selected for the China national team. At 12, her parents sent her to JTCC in College Park, Maryland to receive more professional training. Connie turned pro at 15, with Alan Ma as her head coach and manager—who currently manages Magda Linette, Zarina Diyas, and Saisai Zheng... etc., and Tim Nichols as her touring coach, who currently coaches Moyuka Uchijima. On average, Connie played around 35 tournaments per year and was selected to represent Team China at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics. She was managed by Star River PTC in Guangzhou, China, and she ranked top 50+ in ITF junior and the Top 350+ in WTA singles by age of 19.
In 2018, Connie faced multiple injuries, she returned to the tour after a challenging recovery but lost all the matches. This led her to question her future in tennis. By the end of 2018, she chose to take a break and attend college at UNLV to pursue her academic education while training with former WTA player Tetiana Luzhanska. She hoped to return to the tour after completing her studies. However, the challenges with the COVID-19 and Chinese passport made things very difficult. Connie decided to retire in 2021 and moved to Dallas to work as an accountant for EY. In 2023, Connie experienced several major life events that led her to question herself deeply. She decided to pick up her tennis racquet again and rediscover the joy that the sport brings her. Currently, she is pursuing a master’s degree in accounting at SMU. |