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 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.
(Both text and pic from sonyericssonwtatour.com)
