Chinese sports fans will hope to see the first athlete from the country crowned Laureus sportsperson of the year tonight as the Laureus World Sports Awards unfold in Shanghai, the first time China has hosted the prestigious event.

Li Na, China's first Grand Slam winner, is in contention for Sportswoman of the Year after she encouraged legions of Chinese women to take up tennis and rose to world No 2 in the WTA rankings in February 2014 before repeated knee injuries saw her retire in the fall.

She will join a number of her compatriots from the sporting firmament at the globally televised event including former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming, FIFA Women's Player of the Century Sun Wen and Olympic greats Deng Yaping, Li Ning and Li Xiaopeng.