The Front Row with John Leicester June 6, 2011

PARIS - On the table in front of her, the French Open trophy glittered. Bold Chinese characters on her T-shirt read: "Sport changes everything." And her broad smile showed how thrilled Li Na is to be China's first Grand Slam tennis champion.

Then, a reporter mentioned the brutal military assault that is taboo back in her native China, "Tiananmen."

Li's grin vanished.

"Asking about June 4," she sputtered later in Chinese, still stunned. "Mad!"

It was pure coincidence that Li's trailblazing 6-4, 7-6 (0) win over Francesca Schiavone of Italy came exactly 22 years after Chinese soldiers, under orders to clear democracy protesters from Tiananmen Square, shot their way into Beijing on the night of June 3-4, 1989, killing hundreds, or possibly more.

I was in the square that night. And to see Li make history 22 years later on a sunny day in Paris made me think that a dose of personal liberty really does go a long, long way.

The young protesters in Tiananmen basically wanted more freedom.

Li is unusual among Chinese athletes in that she has what they wanted.

And the freedom to make her own choices is one reason - not the only one, but a reason nonetheless - that she is now having unparalleled success late in her tennis career.

So as China's bright red flag was raised at Roland Garros and the Chinese anthem, March of the Volunteers, played, I wondered: Is there a lesson here for those in charge in China? Something about how people can achieve wonderful things when allowed to choose their own destinies and do what they want, when they want, how they want?

Surely.

Li, strong-willed and with a crisp forehand that proved fearsome on the red French clay, shook herself loose of China's state-supported sports system in late 2008.

At her winner's news conference, Li made a point of thanking Sun Jinfang.

"Without her reform, then possibly we wouldn't have achieved this success," she said.

John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at [email protected] or http://twitter.com/johnleicester