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Henin retires

Associated Press

Latest comment posted at 1:28 PM EDT 14/05/08

World's top-ranked women's player says she's ending her competitive career effective immediately ...Read the full article

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  1. D M from King City, Canada writes: I sure hope that she stays in a while longer just to keep Serena and Sharapova from winning all the grand slam titles. She's got a beautiful all-court game, and IMHO, she's pound for pound, the best female tennis player that I've seen. Even though she's not well-liked, her retirement will be a big blow to the WTA.
  2. Martyn Whitt from Canada writes: And further to D Ms post, she's got a beautiful backhand!!!
  3. kevin moulton from Toronto, Canada writes: A blow to women's game most definately. But there is more to life than tennis, and maybe she'd like to experience that.
    Merci Justine, for all that you've given to the sport. And oh my, what a backhand indeed!!
  4. Allan Wexler from Canada writes: Strange sequence of events. There must be more to this story. Stay tuned. I won't speculate, but I do have some ideas.
  5. Martyn Whitt from Canada writes: Come on Allan share cause I don't...pregnancy maybe?
  6. Allan Wexler from Canada writes: yes, Martyn, I've thought of pregnancy and/or failure of a drug test ala Martina Hingis.
  7. steve allan from Canada writes: I hope she reconsiders. She's the only woman I like to watch. This news is a bit shocking to me.
  8. Ilove Spain from Canada writes: She is a woman of elegance and grace....and I support her decision...she should definitly move on to other things...she's only 25 afterall and has all this (and a divorce!) under her belt....her focus needs to change.....I applaud her decision!
  9. Pretty Much from Canada writes: She has had a rough personal life, but despite all that she makes defeating her opponent on the court very effortless. I am lucky I got to see her play at the Rogers Cup this year.

    She is the best player for woman's since Steffi Graff. Good luck with your future endevaours Mme Henin!
  10. Kim Philby from Canada writes: She's a great example of how technique and strategy (not to mention mental toughness) can overcome size and strength. I liked watching her play.
  11. Moose Lion from Canada writes: Best player since Steffi? Give me a break. Arguably fourth best. Certainly no better than second best.
  12. g h from Canada writes: I agree with most of the above and, as Steve Allan wrote, she's the only female player that I would change my schedule so that I could watch her play. I never heard that she wasn't well liked (by other players?) but maybe that comes with competing so intensely. In Justin I see only qualities that I admire. She was the David that would regularly slay Goliaths like the Williams sisters and Sharapova.

    And there are only a handful of backhands that take your breath away (Federer, Gasquet, etc.) but for me Henin's is number 1.
    Would love to see her come back some day.
  13. Chris S from Canada writes: Sad day for tennis. Henin showed the world that a determined player who honed her skills could take on the physically gifted stars (the Williams sisters, Davenport, Mauresmo, Sharapova) that were threatening to turn women's tennis into a replica of the 90's men's game: He with the biggest serve wins. This was especially important after Hingis' failure to adapt to the power game. Yes, Henin had her lapses of etiquette on the court, but these combined with her troubled personal life made her a very human champion that we could relate to. I doubt very much that we will be seeing any of the potential scandals that one of the previous posters alluded to. Henin always marched to her own drum and never seemed consumed with her place in history. She accomplished her goals, and who can blame her now for trying to salvage some sort of rewarding personal life? I will very much miss seeing her play in tournaments, but consider myself fortunate to have been able to see two of the most dominant, all-surface players in tennis history: Justine Henin and Roger Federer.
  14. g h from Canada writes: Moose Lion: you're right, I am very critical of players who quit mid-match. To tell you the truth, I don't get to see much tennis on TV and sometimes miss whole tournaments. I didn't know she did that, and don't know the circumstances. I can understand a player quitting in the middle of a match if he/she consults a physician or trainer and is told that he risks further injury by playing. Otherwise the player should show some grit and respect for fans and carry on.
    If Henin quit a match just to avoid giving her opponent a bona fide win then I would be disappointed and lose some respect for her.
  15. B. Spence from Canada writes: Henin had far more class & good sportsmanship than the Williams sisters.
  16. True Grit from Canada writes: Best player since Steffi? You are kidding, right? Serena has clearly been the best player in the post Graf era. And Graf was only as successful as she was because Seles was 'cut down' in her prime -- by one of Graf's deranged fans.
  17. David P from Canada writes: Henin was much more classy then either Williams' sister. I will change the channel to not listen to their press conferences where they remind everyone of how fabulous they are...Even if Seles wasn't attacked, I still think Graff would have dominated her and still been the best female player ever.

    So the sport loses a champion and a good competitor...too bad...
  18. g h from Canada writes: Henin may not be the best player since Graf but you could argue she's the best player for the women's game since Graf. More people starting tuning in to see her compete and win against the amazons that were flooding into the game, like Serena, Sharapova, Mauresmo et al.
    Henin was able to use movement, shot variety and strategy to construct points and take on women who were used to blowing their opponents off the court. Interesting to hear her say that she was not capable of winning Wimbledon. Federer and his ego could take a cue from that.
  19. Moose Lion from Canada writes: GH:

    In 2006, Henin quit the FINAL of the Aussi Open down 6-1, 2-0 to Amalie Mauresmo, because of....stomache pain. Guess who won the French that year...yup Henin.

    What made it worse is that it was Amalie's first grand slam win and Henin robbed her of a real victory.

    That's the main reason why there are a lot of tennis fans that don't like her (including me).

    There was also an incident where she clearly cheated Serena late in the french open. She put her hand up to signal 'time-out' right before Serena's ball toss, and then Serena hit the ball out because she was already in motion. The chair upmire asked Henin if she called time, and she denied it, when the replay clearly shows she did.

    I can't believe people say she has more class than the williams's.
  20. WC Dieno from Canada writes: lots of inbred comments ........ nice to see so much passion about the passing of a dimunitive but powerful player ...... go one and have a good life Justine
  21. Stewart Mawdsley from Fort Smith, NWT, Canada writes: Absolutely shocking - I am extremely disappointed that she won't be there to defend her French Open title....maybe she felt off her game and didn't want to lose the face of losing that title, but I suspect something major must have happened for her to quit so close to her favorite event. Huge loss to women's tennis.
  22. g h from Canada writes: Moose: She was still great to watch, but that info changes my opinion of her. I almost wish I still didn't know.
  23. Antonio San from Canada, Canada writes: Justine Henin achieved a lot and deserved anything she got. Beautiful backhand and a powerful serve for a size. True her late years have been tarnished by some questionable sportsmanship -the final against Mauresmo in Australia comes to mind- but Mauresmo beat her fair and square at wimbledon that year. So it's the past.
  24. Allan Wexler from Canada writes: Henin cannot stand to lose and will quit when the going is too tough and she is losing. Her quitting in the Australian Open final a couple of years ago still sits badly with me and if she is quitting again because of her recent bad losses, it diminishes what has been an otherwise stellar career. But those flaws keep her from being ranked with the Steffi Grafs of the world and while she is an all time great, there are blemishes on her record. I still say there is more to this story than meets the eye.
  25. Pretty Much from Canada writes: Well I stand corrcted, perhaps not as good as Graff but for a 5'5' woman she definately relied more on srategy and strength like Graff than size (Williams), and even when Seles was not attacked she didnt have the finesse like Graff on court. So I am definately team Graf and I think we haven't had a player like her in a while who truly respects the game.

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