Somewhere in the dark and winding corridors that enclosed the Istanbul Arena, Carlos Rodriguez was satisfied. And he had reason to be after he had just witnessed his charge produce one of her most efficient performances with him at the helm.

While most team members and coaches are often far more welcoming towards the press than their leaders, this was even more than that. Rodriguez was not so much as happily providing insight after a pleasing victory, he was showering it over anyone who would listen. With a tennis bag slung casually over his shoulder, he spoke for upwards of 20 minutes, bursting into fits of joy whenever a point was particularly notable.

For months upon months, the arrival of Rodriguez has been a talking point. It turned out that the only thing more shocking than their partnership was his plan of action for the Chinese veteran. Li’s game was stripped apart at its very base, and nothing was left unscathed. At the grand old age of 31, Li, famous for her ability to scale the highest mountain and tumble down the deepest valley almost simultaneously, has become a pillar of consistency unprecedented in her career.

The scene was set from the very first point:  a serve and volley. A year and a half ago, the entire concept of Li Na rushing the net was one that simply did not exist. Even so, Rodriguez was far from satisfied with a sporadic approach. When she did come to the net, it was only when she had gifted herself a comfortable space that she could exploit. But this was a different Li with a different mindset in today’s match. Attacks on the net suddenly came thick and fast. There was one at 40-30, another on game point, set points, the lot.

“This new thing is not like automatic,” Li said afterwards. “It's not like [playing at the] baseline, [where] I already know where I should hit or what I should do. But serve/volley for me is still new.  I was nervous a lot, of course.  If I was doing more, I was nervous what I should do and when I should do.  So even today's match I was also very happy about serve/volley.”

But it was not just the volleys. During the first set of the Istanbul final, Li glided around the court as though she was on ice. When Williams was able to unleash her devastating power, Li was able to retain her space inside the court, tracking the ball down with her effortless movement and ensuring that she remained in the point with a spiffy defensive slice. Other times, it was Williams moving into the net that provoked glorious defensive play from the top Chinese player, particularly constant showing off her new ability to hit dipping passing shots that barely skimmed the net and made life raucously difficult for her opponent.

And then she woke up. Only one set had been played. For all of her awe-inspiring tennis, still one remained to win the title. Another was required, but it did not come.

“The match is over,” said Li.  “You cannot think about [going] backwards.  The score is already there.  Everyone saw is 6‑Love. I have a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth after this match because it's Love, but I [am] still feeling more positive.  At least in the whole match I was using a lot of serve/volley.”

If Li continues to follow her coach’s bold game plans for her, she will not need to look backward very often in the future.