justine henin

[alsl]

Justine has pulled out of the AO..I'm trying to get confirmation,but one of the commentators of the Watsons tourney said so.

[alsl]

From official webby:

Hello Everyone,

I need to address to you very important news, unfortunately it's not good news. I have to withdraw from the Australian tournaments for personal family reasons. A new calender schedule will be made once I have decided, and I will return to you.

I want to thank you in advance for respecting my choices, and my private life.

Justine

[davis]

www.tennis.com/news/ticker.aspx:
The website of Belgian newspaper La Meuse reports that, according to reliable sources, Henin-Hardenne and husband Pierre-Yves Hardenne are separating. Henin-Hardenne pulled out of the Australian Open and a warm-up tournament in Sydney citing "personal family reasons."

[hellanvodka]

www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21016658-2722,00.html
Justine's no-show remains 'personal'
Margie McDonald
January 06, 2007

THE reasons for Justine Henin-Hardenne's shock withdrawal from the Australian summer season remain a mystery.
In an updated message on the world No.1's website yesterday, the Belgian indicated her decision to skip Melbourne's Australian Open and the Medibank International in Sydney was deeply personal, without elaborating further.
Henin-Hardenne will forfeit her No.1 ranking and will be fined $US10,000 ($A12,770) for her late withdrawal.

As late as Wednesday, the message on her website said how well her off-season training had been going and how much she was looking forward to arriving back in Australia.

Whatever is distracting her, it must be overwhelming since Henin-Hardenne has been able to keep her personal turmoil intensely private in the past.

"I am withdrawing from the Medibank International in Sydney and the Australian Open in Melbourne for personal family reasons that require my full attention," Henin-Hardenne said yesterday. "I hope that my fans and others are able to understand that because this is a personal matter, I am not comfortable providing any more detail at this time.

"If and when the time is right, I will provide additional detail. I thank you all for respecting my privacy at this time, and I look forward to getting back on the court as soon as possible."

Henin-Hardenne's older sister Florence died at the age of three after a hit-and-run car accident nine years before Henin-Hardenne was born. The death is reported to have strained the marriage of her parents, Jose and Francoise Henin.

When she was 14, Henin-Hardenne lost her mother to cancer. Francoise Henin had been the one family member to encourage her blossoming tennis career.

She left home at 17 revealing her family life was "like a prison" and was a negative effect on her tennis development.

She severed all contact with her father, brothers David and Thomas, and younger sister Sarah for more than five years. But in recent years Henin-Hardenne is understood to have had minimal contact with both her father and sister, although neither has been at any of the five Grand Slam titles she has won.

It was at 19 that Henin-Hardenne came into sharp public focus when she reached the Wimbledon final in 2001, losing to Venus Williams in three sets.

But the blonde with the deadly accurate one-handed backhand won many fans. She had a presence and stoic style about her, not unlike other intensely private stars Chris Evert, Tracy Austin and Steffi Graf.

Henin-Hardenne came off court at Wimbledon six years ago to learn her maternal grandfather had died. She had telephoned him after she beat Jennifer Capriati in the semi-finals.

"He was so happy for me, and so proud, that I'm glad he knew I made it to the final," Henin-Hardenne said at the time.

"He always believed in me and never judged my decisions."

What the Belgian may have lacked in close family support, she has found in long-time coach Carlos Rodriquez, who took her on as 14-year-old. Her bond with Pierre-Yves Hardenne, whom she moved in with after leaving her family, resulted in marriage in November 2002.

If Henin-Hardenne is true to form, she may never reveal the exact nature of her current personal upheaval

[hellanvodka]

Henin-Hardenne's marriage breaks up

www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21017388-3162,00.html

JUSTINE Henin-Hardenne's shock withdrawal from the Australian Open was triggered by the collapse of her marriage, according to Belgian media.

La Meuse, a Belgian paper, yesterday carried reports that world champion Henin-Hardenne is separating from her husband Pierre-Yves Hardenne.
The couple recently holidayed at an unspecified beach location, prompting Henin-Hardenne to write about happiness, calm and serenity in her website diary.

But after a successful training camp at her Monaco base, the Olympic gold medallist rocked Melbourne Park officials by withdrawing from the Australian Open and the Sydney International.

"I need to address to you very important news. Unfortunately it's not good news," she said.

"I have to withdraw from the Australian tournaments for personal family reasons.

"A new calendar schedule will be made once I have decided, and I will return to you. I want to thank you in advance for respecting my choices, and my private life."

Henin-Hardenne, 24, planned to spend Christmas and new year with her husband and coach Carlos Rodrigues.

"I will spend these special festive times with Pierre-Yves, Carlos and the family," she said.

"I know that there will be only a week more before it's time again for the long season, but there's still a feeling of apprehension or nerves.

"It's always a little hard when it is necessary to go on tour again, but once I'm on the spot, it all seems natural."

Henin-Hardenne met her husband, a tennis coach, in 1998 when she presented him with a trophy at an amateur tennis tournament.

Henin-Hardenne lost her mother 12 years ago to intestinal cancer and has not spoken to her father in years.

She reached the final of every major last season, triumphing in Paris, but losing in Melbourne and London to Amelie Mauresmo and to Maria Sharapova in New York.

Henin-Hardenne is yet to declare when she will resume.

[Annie]

Henin-Hardenne will return to WTA tour in Paris next month

January 23, 2007

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Justine Henin-Hardenne is separating from her husband and plans to return to the WTA Tour.

Three weeks after pulling out of the Australian Open, Henin-Hardenne, the former No. 1, announced on her Web site Wednesday that she and her husband, Yves, had decided to separate and she planned to play next month in Paris.

"The last few weeks were difficult for me," she said.

She was the runner up at the Australian Open last year and lost her No. 1 world ranking because of forfeiting the first Grand Slam of the year.

Henin-Hardenne, 24, won the French Open last year and reached the final at the three other majors before capping 2006 with a win in the season-ending WTA Tour Championship. She had a 60-8 record.

The Gaz de France tournament is set for Feb. 5-11.

"It's not far from my home, and it's always pleasant for me to be in Paris," the Belgian said. "This will be my first tournament for the season. I hope to find my form, and as usual will give all of myself."

[davis]

This article's a little older (pre-separation) but I found this a pretty interesting read:

You Learn More From Your Losses:
The Lonely Life of Justine Henin-Hardenne

By Joel Drucker

There is no greater stylist in women’s tennis than defending French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne. With her luscious mix of spins and paces, power and panache, no one better refutes the notion that contemporary women’s tennis is strictly the province of the big and the powerful than this 5-foot-5 Belgian. “You can’t teach that kind of texture,” says Mary Carillo, an analyst for ESPN, CBS, and NBC.

It’s often the case that players as diversified as Henin-Hardenne are given to deleterious mental lapses and a potentially fatal lack of discipline. One thinks of Evonne Goolagong on a walkabout. Ditto for Gabriela Sabatini, plagued repeatedly by her inability to close out leads and improve her serve. More recently there’s Martina Hingis, whose long layoff was the result of both physical injuries and her stubborn unwillingness to shore up her weaknesses.

Then there’s Henin-Hardenne. Sitting in her car, driving through the French countryside on the way to her new home in Monte Carlo, she asks, “How can you expect to be focused in the match if you’re not focused in practice?” One morning several years ago, the Belgian headed to the courts for a workout with Hingis (a frequent practice partner). Prior to hitting, the two threw a football, a useful tool for improving service motions. Hingis’ toss fluttered. Henin-Hardenne reared back and fired the ball as if she were John Elway rifling one over the middle.

This is a woman who conducts herself with exceptional urgency. “She has always been this way,” says Carlos Rodriguez, her coach for nearly a decade. Check out Henin-Hardenne’s distinctive walk as she makes her way to a practice session. With her shoulders rolled up, the body gently lumbers, resembling a running back slowly emerging from a pile. Her facial expression is grim, her brown eyes strikingly flat against her pale skin. As Henin-Hardenne begins hitting, her husband, Pierre-Yves, sits on the sidelines intently watching every ball. Only when she misses an easy shot does she permit herself a tiny smile. Rodriguez tells her to serve and volley for a few points. She advances to the net, strikes a volley, nails an overhead. The workout ends after 30 minutes. She shakes Rodriguez’s hand, says a few words to Pierre-Yves, signs 10 autographs and makes her way through the crowd. Says Rodriguez, “In her eyes, from the first time I saw her, there was this flame.”

But there is another side of her that Henin-Hardenne would like people to see. “A lot of people say I’m not very friendly, that I’m cold,” she says. “But I’m just the opposite. I live a very simple life. I’m a normal person, very sensitive, very caring about those around me.”

And yet, it is the experiences of those around her that so heavily define the aura of mystery—or better yet, melancholy—surrounding Henin-Hardenne.

Nine years before she was born, her parents, Jose and Francoise, endured the anguish of their 3-year-old daughter Florence’s death at the hands of a hit-and-run driver. The loss of Florence cast a cloud over the Henin family. As author Mark Ryan notes in his 2004 book, Justine Henin-Hardenne: Tragedy & Triumph, Henin-Hardenne “may be competing against a ghost all her life, the perfect image of an elder sister long departed.”

If so, she has proven resolute. In a tale that’s become tennis legend, first prize for Justine’s victory in a 1992 junior tournament was a trip to the French Open final. Five days after she turned 10, Justine sat with her mother and watched Monica Seles edge Steffi Graf, 10-8 in the third. Mother, she said, one day that will be me on that court. You will see me win this title.

But it was not to be. Francoise was soon diagnosed with cancer, and died in 1995. Several years after Francoise’s death, Justine’s nephew died as an infant. Moments after losing the 2001 Wimbledon final, Justine was informed that her grandfather had died.

Justine and her mother weren’t the only Henins at Roland Garros that day in 1992. In another part of the stadium sat her father, Jose and brother, Thomas. But of late, Henin-Hardenne has no contact with her family. She has spoken cryptically about the lack of support she received as she transitioned into the pros. Ryan’s book was written virtually entirely without her cooperation, focusing heavily on the family’s lament that she refuses to communicate with her father or siblings. Interviewers are cautioned that bringing up this topic with Justine can rapidly curtail any conversation.

As for Henin-Hardenne, she says, “This is cool, I will talk about this. I don’t have any secrets. I’ve made my decision, things that can help my tennis and my life. Your family doesn’t have to be perfect. I don’t see them right now. That’s my choice, to create my own world. I know it’s pretty sad, but I’m very happy with my life and the choices I’ve made.”

With that, Henin-Hardenne stops talking, and the flame Rodriguez saw years ago becomes apparent. It’s a flame of passion, but also one that can rapidly make a decision and close a door with not an iota of flexibility. At 23, she is already working with her third management firm. This is also the woman who during her controversial 2003 French Open semifinal with Serena Williams failed to notify the umpire that she had held up her hand, the signal for the opponent to pause. Instead, Henin-Hardenne opportunistically took the point when Williams double-faulted. In her 2004 Australian Open final against her longtime rival and countrywoman Kim Clijsters, Henin-Hardenne virtually baited the chair umpire into overruling a call during a key point. That was just one of several contentious interactions between Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters. The chasm between them is an unfortunate byproduct of a relationship gone sour between two childhood friends.

“We don’t hate each other,” says Henin-Hardenne. “But it is hard to keep the relationship as it was before when you’re both pursuing the same thing—becoming No. 1 in the world. But we have a lot of respect for each other.”

While the affable Clijsters says, “Justine and I get along now,” she adds that, “just because we’re from the same country, it doesn’t mean we have to act like sisters.”
And then there was the little matter of this January’s Australian Open final, when after losing the first set Henin-Hardenne defaulted to Amelie Mauresmo early in the second, claiming that a stomach injury brought on by heavy anti-inflammatory pills left her debilitated. Having failed to create much positive equity for herself in the manner of such exemplary sportswomen as Clijsters, Henin-Hardenne was hammered by the media. Interestingly, nary a story explored the potential impact of these drugs, which several doctors told me could cause everything from stomach bleeding and ulcers to failure to breathe. Instead, many assumed Henin-Hardenne’s injury was nothing more than an ache a child might suffer from eating too many treats.

So perhaps there is more ambiguity to her on-court default. Certainly, had Clijsters or Lindsay Davenport (who basically tanked the third set of the ’05 final) walked off, there likely would have been far less criticism. What didn’t help, though, was Henin-Hardenne’s self-absorbed behavior and stinginess in praising Mauresmo’s effort. As a former employee of one of her management firms says, “With Justine everything is straight from the heart, exactly the way she sees and feels it. She’s not trying to win any popularity contests. She’s trying to win tennis matches.”

Indeed, being “one of the girls” has never been high on Henin-Hardenne’s agenda. Then again, her singular approach is not much different from other champions such as Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, Monica Seles, or Steffi Graf. As each of them rose up the ranks, they too were criticized for isolating themselves from their peers.
As a child, Henin-Hardenne was wrapped in the cocoon of precocity—what Rodriguez calls “a brutal diamond, like nothing else Belgian tennis had ever seen.” As an adult, her coterie of husband and coach handle all her needs. Yet can you blame her for isolating herself? Even before she was born, Henin’s family saw how cruel the world can be, how it can take away what you love most, and that to preserve what matters you must fight hard—and even then, life remains bittersweet. In 2004, ranked No. 1 in the world, holder of three Grand Slam titles, Henin-Hardenne was stricken with a cytomegalovirus infection, an illness that so derailed her she found herself sleeping 14 hours a day. “I don’t know if I thought tennis was over,” she says, “but I did worry that I’d never be the same player again. I didn’t know what my future was going to be.”

Those struggles made her French Open win last June exceptionally sweet. Fighting her way through the early rounds, after overcoming match points in the round of 16 against Svetlana Kuznetsova, Henin-Hardenne ripped through Maria Sharapova, Nadia Petrova, and Mary Pierce without losing a set. Everything, from her trademark backhand and her beefed-up forehand to her serve, spins and movement, was clicking in ways neither she nor Rodriguez expected. “ “That was amazing,” says Henin-Hardenne, “first just to be back on the court, then to play so well.”

Even then, in the wake of the Roland Garros triumph she was snapped back to reality, losing in the first round at Wimbledon. “She wasn’t ready to play seven matches there after Paris,” says Rodriguez. The initial plan had been to enter a few clay-court events and get some more match play. Rodriguez hadn’t anticipated she’d sweep through four tournaments.

Properly calibrating match play, conditioning, and relaxation will not be easy. Says Carillo, “Her game is bigger than her body. She’s got a great engine, but it can sure get overheated and break down.” Henin-Hardenne admits she is in a race against time. “I’m scared, I’m nervous,” she says. “Tennis will be my life for a couple of more years at least. But I know the tennis life is not a real life. Losing my mother, that was the real life, the hardest thing I ever dealt with, a true loss. This, well, this tennis is something else altogether.”

[jenhatter06]

Top-ranked Henin abruptly retires

Henin: 'This is the end of a child's dream'
Seven-time Slam winner has been battling fatigue and not playing well

LIMELETTE, Belgium (AP) -- Justine Henin retired from tennis Wednesday, an abrupt ending to a short and successful career in which she won seven Grand Slam singles titles and leaves while ranked No. 1.

The 25-year-old Belgian made the surprising announcement at a news conference Wednesday, less than two weeks before the start of the French Open. She has won that clay-court major championship four times, including each of the past three years.

"This is the end of a child's dream," Henin said. "This is a definitive decision. Those who know me know it is serious."

Her announcement came a day after one of the greatest female golfers in history said she's walking away: Annika Sorenstam, owner of 10 major titles and one of six women to complete a career Grand Slam in her sport, is retiring at the end of the season.

Henin, though, won't have any sort of farewell tour. She is quitting immediately.

Henin won 10 tournaments last year, but has been in one of the worst slumps of her career this season. She lost last week in the third round of the German Open and pulled out of this week's Italian Open, citing fatigue.

"I thought long about this," Henin said, her voice cracking and eyes watering. "I started thinking about it late last year. I was at the end of the road. I leave with my head held high."

Last year, Kim Clijsters -- another Belgian who reached No. 1 and won a Grand Slam title -- retired from tennis at 23. She has since married and become a mother.

The 5-foot-5 3/4, 126-pound Henin overcame her slender build and a litany of injuries to dominate tennis for long stretches, thanks to a superb one-handed backhand, impressive court coverage and grit.

In 2006, she reached the finals of every Grand Slam tournament. In 2007, she sat out the Australian Open in January while going through a divorce, then returned to the tour and won the French Open and U.S. Open, eight other tournaments and more than $5 million.

However, after winning her home tournament in Antwerp in February, she has failed to go beyond the quarterfinals at any other event this season.

Henin's year began with a 6-4, 6-0 loss to Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January, followed by a 6-2, 6-0 drubbing by Serena Williams at the Sony Ericsson Open in April, the worst loss for a top-ranked player in nine years.

At last week's German Open, Henin lost 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 to Dinara Safina.

"She finds it tough, losing matches she normally would not lose," Belgian Fed Cup captain Sabine Appelmans said.

In addition to her French Open titles, Henin won the Australian Open in 2004, and the U.S. Open in 2003 and 2007. The only Grand Slam title to elude her was Wimbledon, where she was the runner-up in 2001 and 2006.

Henin, who earned nearly $20 million in career prize money, has been ranked No. 1 since Nov. 13, 2006, except for a seven-week period last year when Sharapova held the top spot.

"Justine Henin will be remembered as one of the all-time great champions in women's tennis, and a woman who made up for her lack of size with a will to win and fighting spirit that was second to none," WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott said. "It is rare that an athlete leaves at the very top of her game in this day and age, but Justine has always played by her own rules, in the very best sense of those words."

[justsafin]

I love Justine's game, especially her powerful one-handed backhand which I believe will become a never-be-seen-again legend. Women's tennis is gonna be boring without her around.

Well, she has gone thru a tough life and it's time to relax and enjoy something else. Wish her the best. Justine will forever remain as my favorite female tennis player despite all the controversies.

[jenhatter06]

some additional quotes from updated articles:

“It is a new beginning for me. I feel like I already lived three lives. I gave the sport all I could and took everything it could give me,” she said. “I take this decision without the least bit of regrets. It is my life as a woman that starts now.”

“She was a great opponent. She always challenged herself to play her best tennis no matter what the circumstances,” Venus Williams, a six-time major champion, said Wednesday at the Italian Open. “She was just a real fighter, so I think that was really what made her best.”

“At the end of the match in Berlin, (retirement) all of a sudden was there as something evident,” Henin said. “I decided to stop fooling myself and accept it.”


Dressed in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, her brown hair in a ponytail, Henin spoke in French for nine minutes before taking questions Wednesday. She never lost her composure and held the microphone firmly.

But her coach, Carlos Rodriguez, broke down in tears. “Because of her,” Rodriguez said, “I am somebody.”


“Winning Wimbledon would not make me happier than I am,” she said. “I could never dream of Wimbledon. It was destiny. I didn’t feel myself capable. It was too much for me.”

[dawaymarat]

OMG, when I just read that Justin retired it was like a little shock to me!
I mean she was an attached part of women's tennis. She had character. I didn't even like her soo much but I was impressed how constant she could play tennis on highest level!!!
I will definately miss her

[justsafin]

Henin Retires From Sony Ericsson WTA Tour
www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=2255

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA - Tributes are flowing in from around the world for Justine Henin, who on Wednesday announced her immediate retirement from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. The 25-year-old Belgian became the first woman in the history of professional tennis to retire from the sport while ranked No.1 in the world.

Henin, winner of 41 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles – including seven Grand Slam championships – is currently in her 117th week as the world No.1, sixth on the all-time list. She has amassed $19,461,375 in career prize money and compiled a 493-107 win-loss record in singles. But more importantly than any statistics, the 5-foot, 5 3/4-inch (1.67 m) Henin was renowned for her spectacular backhand, incredible athleticism and unrivalled mental fortitude and work ethic.

"It's the end of a wonderful adventure but it's something I have been thinking about for a long time," Henin said. "I have experienced everything I could have. I have lived completely for tennis. I am relieved and proud of what I achieved.

"A new future is ahead and I won't go back on this decision."

"Justine Henin will be remembered as one of the all-time great champions in women's tennis, and a woman who made up for her lack of size with a will to win and fighting spirit that was second to none," said Larry Scott, the Chairman & CEO of the Tour. "It is rare that an athlete leaves at the very top of her game in this day and age, but Justine has always played by her own rules, in the very best sense of those words. History will remember Justine for not only her seven Grand Slam titles and three years finishing as the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's No.1, but for one of the most graceful backhands the sport has ever seen and an ability to overcome any and all obstacles placed in her way on and off the court."

"Pound for pound Justine is the greatest player of her generation," said Tour Founder and tennis legend Billie Jean King. "I trust she has not come to this decision quickly or easily and I wish her the very best. Justine is an extraordinary player and a special person and a true champion both in tennis and in life."

Added Scott: "This is a sad day for our sport and for her millions of fans around the world, but I know that I speak for so many in wishing Justine the very best in her future endeavors and hope that she will stay connected to the sport to which she gave so much."

Among her many accomplishments, Henin achieved the following:
- Finished three seasons ranked No.1 in the world (2003, 2006, 2007);
- Won her seventh and final Grand Slam singles title at the 2007 US open, beating both Serena and Venus Williams en route, the only player ever to beat both Williams sisters at a Grand Slam and going on to win the title;
- In 2007 she had her most successful season ever, winning 10 titles (including two majors) and becoming the first female athlete to pass the $5-million mark in a season;
- Was of the most successful players of all time on clay, winning Roland Garros four times in five years (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007);
- Won every major title except Wimbledon, taking the Australian, French and US Opens at least once, along with two season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships (2006, 2007) and an Olympic gold medal (singles) in Athens in 2004; she also led Belgium to its first Fed Cup title in 2001.

Henin is the first current world No.1 to retire from professional tennis, and only the fifth Top 5 retiree, after Margaret Court in 1977 (No.5), Chris Evert in 1989 (No.4), Steffi Graf in 1999 (No.3), and fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters in 2007 (No.4).

[justsafin]

Justine Henin: A Look Back
www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=2256

Hers was a career built on motivation. Whether she drew it from personal reasons or the sheer desire to be the best she could be, there was arguably no one else more driven or intense out there during her time. But in recent months that motivation began dwindling, and as quickly as she rose to the top Justine Henin said goodbye, announcing her retirement from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour at a press conference in Limelette, Belgium on Wednesday, May 14, 2008.

While tennis was entering an age of bigger players and baseline mentality, Henin was crafting her own unique brand from a very young age. She picked up her first racquet when she was two years old and began taking lessons when she was six. Her self-confessed turning point came when she was 10, when she watched the 1992 Roland Garros final between Steffi Graf and Monica Seles with her mother, telling her she would one day win the tournament. Her mother's passing two years later drove her to make that dream come true, and shortly after pairing up with life-long coach Carlos Rodríguez, she was already playing her first events on the ITF Circuit, where her variety of spins off the ground, a willingness to come into the net and a never-say-die attitude began gathering steam.

After winning a handful of titles in the minor leagues, Henin turned pro at the beginning of 1999, and it didn't take long for her to begin her ascent. She won the first Tour event she ever played at Antwerp that year and a few months later gained international attention at what would become her greatest stage, pushing Lindsay Davenport to 7-5 in the third set in the second round of Roland Garros. Having worked her way into the Top 20 over the next two years she made another splash at Roland Garros in 2001, making it to the semifinals and putting fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters on the ropes before succumbing. A few weeks later at Wimbledon she snapped Jennifer Capriati's Grand Slam winning streak en route to the first of her 11 Grand Slam finals, finishing runner-up to Venus Williams. Having begun the 2001 season ranked No.45, she finished it at No.7.

With the exception of a seven-month lay-off between September 2004 and March 2005 due to a combination of illness and injury, Henin produced her best tennis between 2002 and 2007, collecting seven Grand Slam titles (four French Opens, one Australian Open and two US Opens), Olympic gold in Athens and another 27 Tour titles. She was at her best in 2007, capturing 10 titles (including Roland Garros, the US Open and season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships) and becoming the first woman in tennis history to earn over $5 million in a single season. At 25 years old, the Belgian was breaking records left, right and center.

By anyone else's standards, the beginning of 2008 was strong. Henin collected titles at Sydney and Antwerp, and though she was suffering some uncharacteristic losses - such as a 64 60 defeat to Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and a 62 60 loss to Serena Williams in the same round of Miami - by history alone it seemed as though she would spring back into the spotlight during the clay court season, where she had always thrived. But a week after a shock three set loss to Dinara Safina in the round of 16 of Rome - and whilst celebrating her 61st straight week as the No.1 player, and 117th overall - she would find herself under a much different spotlight, announcing her retirement.

"This is the end of a child's dream. This is a definitive decision. Those who know me know it is serious. I thought long about this. I started thinking about it late last year. I was at the end of the road. I leave with my head held high."

Henin will likely be remembered most for her on-court brilliance, but she also championed several off-court endeavors, including Justine's Winners' Circle, her charity to help children with cancer, and more recently her own tennis academy. She overcame personal struggles, such as her mother's passing away and the dissolution of her marriage late in her career; but she had some strong support off the court, including from Rodríguez, and last year she made a much-publicized reconciliation with her previously-estranged family.

Henin will be remembered by some as incredibly talented, incredibly driven and incredibly successful. And as the first player in Tour history to retire while ranked No.1 in the world, she may be remembered by some as incredibly complex, as someone who always followed her own calling. But what's indisputible is that everyone will remember her as just plain incredible.

[davis]

http://www.tennis.com:

Justine Henin, providing an update on her website: "I have had a magnificent summer. I felt a deep need to breathe and my first real vacation allowed me to decompress. I was very enjoyable to discover what this new life offers... with curiosity and without pressure. I'm learning a lot every moment, and benefiting from simple pleasures like [reading] the newspaper. But I'm staying very active and permanently searching for new projects.

"I have resumed my studies. I have benefited from the calm in Monaco to advance in my courses. I would like to pass [final exams] next year. I know that this is not easy but I will do everything to meet this challenge.

"I also spoke for the first time at a coaching seminar. It was a wonderful experience through which Carlos and I had the chance to share our knowledge. And then I went to Florida recently to inaugurate our academy there. It's an exciting project in which I hope to invest more of myself.

"As you can see, I don't have time to be bored. People often ask me if I'm still doing a lot of sports; unfortunately, the answer is no. My knee is still troublesome and I will have it operated in a few days. I'm eager to use it again. I have to confess that I don't miss tennis. I keep a feeling of magic from that time when I learned so much. But my new life fills me and I am in full bloom."

[justsafin]

Oct 8, 2008 11:54:30 GMT 3 davis said:

http://www.tennis.com:

Justine Henin, providing an update on her website: "I have had a magnificent summer. I felt a deep need to breathe and my first real vacation allowed me to decompress. I was very enjoyable to discover what this new life offers... with curiosity and without pressure. I'm learning a lot every moment, and benefiting from simple pleasures like [reading] the newspaper. But I'm staying very active and permanently searching for new projects.

"As you can see, I don't have time to be bored. People often ask me if I'm still doing a lot of sports; unfortunately, the answer is no. My knee is still troublesome and I will have it operated in a few days. I'm eager to use it again. I have to confess that I don't miss tennis. I keep a feeling of magic from that time when I learned so much. But my new life fills me and I am in full bloom."

Nice to know she is enjoying a brand new life. But, I have to confess I do miss her tennis very much, probably forever.