While most Olympians enjoy a break after finishing their competitions at the Olympics, Chinese tennis ace Li Na is packing for a trip to the US Open, which starts on Monday.

The 26-year-old Li says she needs to forget about the past few weeks and look to the future, even though she made Chinese tennis history by reaching the semifinals at the Games.

The buzz over the Olympic tennis competition is still in the air - fans are talking about it, Li's Olympic matches are being replayed on TV and the Chinese media are falling over each other to get interviews with the team.

Many believe this was the pinnacle of Li's career, but Li says it was just another "stop" on her busy tennis tour schedule.

"I understand how much the Olympics means to many people. But for me, as a professional tennis player, it is a just a tournament," Li said in an interview with China Daily yesterday.

She could choose to be happy after eliminating top seeds and Grand Slam champions, including Svetlana Kuznetsova and Venus Williams, en route to the semifinals.

But Li, a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist, showed how she has matured over the years, understanding that there is always another tournament and the importance of not getting hung up in the past.