LI NA sent a teenage prodigy packing for the second successive round at the Australian Open and then discussed this week’s revelations that she considered quitting the game before Wimbledon last year.

The Chinese player ended up having the most consistent season of her career in 2013 and finished the year ranked third in the world.

But in an interview with Melbourne newspaper The Age, Li revealed she told coach Carlos Rodriguez on the way to London from Eastbourne last summer that she wanted to retire.

She decided to play at Wimbledon and see how it went, and a run to the quarter-finals persuaded her to continue.

She said: ‘‘It wasn’t about how I hit the ball on the court – it was about so many things off the court. But I was really happy I did well in Wimbledon, so that’s why I’ve continued until now. Otherwise, I don’t know where I would have been now.’’ Li cited negative media coverage in her home country, where she is a huge star, after she was knocked out in the second round of the French Open as her principal offcourt frustration.

She said: ‘‘It’s not about all the Chinese media. It’s some of them.

‘‘I could say something but what they would write down in the newspaper is totally wrong. They gave me a very tough time when I played the French Open, and it continued to Wimbledon.’’ Those days now appear far behind Li, who is regarded as a title challenger after two final appearances in Melbourne, most recently last year.

The fourth seed was first up on Rod Laver Arena yesterday against 16-year-old Swiss Belinda Bencic, having knocked out another 16-year-old, Croatian Ana Konjuh, in the first round.

Li had little trouble against Konjuh and it appeared it would be the same again but Bencic gave notice of just what a talent she is by fighting all the way before going down 6-0 7-6 (7/5).

World number one Serena Williams wasted little energy in winning her second-round match 6-1 6-2 against Serbia’s Vesna Dolonc.

Temperatures again hit 40 degrees Celsius, and Williams said: ‘‘It was tough conditions out there. I think it keeps getting hotter.

‘‘I’m just drinking a lot, making sure I stay hydrated. I kept waking up in the middle of the night last night paranoid.

I just wanted to stay hydrated.

‘‘The last thing I want to do is to cramp in this weather. It can happen so easily.’’ A number of players criticised the decision to keep playing through the worst of the heat on Tuesday, with Canadian Frank Dancevic branding it ‘‘inhumane’’ after he blacked out on court.

Williams said: ‘‘I think the conditions in my match were okay. I wasn’t here yesterday.

I heard they were extreme.”