Li Na talks to Lesley Stahl

Li Na's father wanted her to follow in his footsteps and play badminton, but coaches said she wasn't good enough. They suggested she try tennis instead. Li Na was 14 years old and busy competing in tournaments when her father died. No one told her how sick he was, she tells 60 Minutes in the above clip.

When Li Na first started playing tennis, few people knew about the sport. Her parents called it "fuzzy ball," she recalls in the above clip. But thanks, in part, to her success and influence, a new generation of Chinese tennis players are trying to make it to the pros.

Editor's Note: This Overtime post was originally published in January 2015. Since then, Li Na and her husband Dennis welcomed a baby girl named Alisa.