I've just heard this on the bbc. Apparently a press conference is scheduled for later today.

More news to follow...

:blink: :blink: :blink:

Reuters is carrying the news, taken from a Belgian newspaper.

Justine Henin set to end career

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - World number one Justine Henin is set to announce her retirement from professional tennis, Belgian newspaper De Standaard reported on Wednesday.

The paper said the four-time French Open winner would make the announcement at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Henin, who lost in the third round of the German Open last week, has withdrawn from this week's Italian Open, citing fatigue.

This from the skysports website...

World number one Justine Henin is to announce her retirement from professional tennis, according to media reports in Belgium.


Henin will confirm her decision at a press conference on Wednesday, says De Standaard.

The shock news comes less than two weeks before Henin is due to begin the defence of her French Open title.

The 25-year-old has won at Roland Garros four times, including each of the last three years and she has seven Grand Slam titles to her name.

Henin has struggled with fatigue and fitness this year and she pulled out of the Italian Open this week after losing to Dinara Safina in the third round in Berlin.

She began the year by winning in Sydney, before losing to Maria Sharapova in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.

Henin then won her home event in Antwerp, but has since suffered early exits to Serena Williams, Francesca Schiavone and Safina.

Got to say in some ways I hope she goes now rather than limps on to the end of the season - we saw with Clijsters how that doesn't really work.

the BBC website now reporting it:

Henin 'set to retire from tennis'
World number one Justine Henin is set to announce her retirement from tennis, according to Belgian media reports.

Newspapers claim the 25-year-old, who has withdrawn from this week's Italian Open, citing fatigue, will make the announcement at 1400 BST on Wednesday.

Winner of seven Grand Slam titles, Henin last week wrote on her website that she had been training without any problems and was injury free.

This has come as a hell of a surprise this morning, though I suspect given her health history that most Justine fans get a sinking feeling when the words "Fatigue" and "Henin" are used in the same sentence...

wtf???

She better bloody not do. :angry:

How bizarre??!! :blink:

I wonder where she is at mentally after the fantastic season she had in 2007?
Surely that would spur you on even more??

Henin's personal life must have something to do with this..

:o

Her personal problems may mean that the reason for retirement never really comes out...

What a shame, I really like Henin

Personally , I think for Justine as tennis player, considering her talent and ability can go on for a while..... but to re-echo what QJ kept saying about her psyche, it
was not all rosy.... If she in her mind thinks it is time, I think it is best for both Justine and everyone else that she goes at her peak. In that large scheme of things it is the right thing...

She was always a gutsy player and for sure it was more a mental balance. After pondering about what QJ wrote, plus the fact that she was setting up the tennis academy in Florida etc, family stuff, viral history... I suspected it was coming.... :unsure:

On a side note, Sometimes, I do wonder if, she had huge mega sponsorship deals, it could influence her decision on retirement etc. But, Justine was really not that kind of person as well..... :unsure:

Not good as I am sure we are gonna lose Mo Mo soon too :(

I thought the exact same thing last night after watching Annika Sorenstam (ladies' golfer) announce her retirement supposedly after brilliantly winning a tournament.

Momo, Justine, Davenport, ..... so many possibilities .... but then again it could be good for the young gunners, albeit the number position 1 may continously be recycled when the likes of them are all gone...lack of consistency...

I doubt that she would choose retire without good reason. If she has health issues that prevent her from playing then it is definitely the right thing to have done. This would apply to physical, mental and emotional aspects.

The game will of course be much worse without her, but really she has to look after herself, ultimately..

Wow, that was a big unpleasant surprise to log on to this morning. :(

But... she's been there, done all that, and if you've had enough - or your body has - I guess we should be grateful for all that there was.
Umm... not being very coherent here, what I'm trying to say is that she has already done enough to be remembered as one of the best even if she never hits another ball.

Meanwhile... I'm sure I'm not the first to notice this but it throws the race for the No 1 spot (once Justine's points drop off) - and effective top seed right now - as open as it can ever have been.

Agreed re: MoMo.. :(

As for the young guns, I just don't see them needing a rounded game to get ahead, and a slew of indentikit baseline bashers will take over. imo just not as nice to watch as the likes of JH and MoMo..

These two have both proved there is still room in the game for s&v, Mo Mo to more of an extent, and they have both proved you can get to Number 1 in the world by doing so.

I just hope there will be some girls out there who will realise that and will not be scared to pursue it.

I really thought Ju Ju would go all out for a Wimbledon title to add to her collection this year too but like you say PP it must be something major that has caused her to retire.

(if she does) I guess we won't know fully until this afternoon.

So true...... talk about the demise of the Serve & volley in the men's game , that equally applies to the women's .... Probably, Daniela or Kuznetsova may step up...

...You know, I kind of hope,,,,, :unsure: now that she has given herself a set time to exit..... being Justine, she would give us one last 'hoorah' and play some brilliant tennis for the remaining season...... :unsure: I know .... wishful thinking....

Oh. its good if she is not going to be announcing ehr imminent retirement. I do hope she stays at least until the ned of the saeson.

Oh such a disappointment...she was saying that maybe another 2 or three years...she wasn't playing all that bad! she still has to win the wimbledon :(
She can't go now! :nope:
Its so sad..a black day ....

this is the current BBC report - there's some suggestion it appears that she's not going to retire, but just going to take some time out for a few months:

Henin 'set to retire from tennis'

World number one Justine Henin could be set to announce her retirement, according to Belgian media reports.

The Belgian Tennis Federation said she would discuss her career and future at a news conference on Wednesday.

Henin, 25, wrote on her website last week that she had been training without any problems and was injury free.

The winner of seven Grand Slam singles titles recently talked at length about plans for her retirement, but would not specify when she planned to quit.

One Flemish newspaper, Het Nieuwsblad, states that the Belgian will announce her immediate retirement from the game.

The Vers l'Avenir newspaper group's internet site said the Olympic champion plans to retire either now, after trying to defend her Roland Garros title this month, or even after the Beijing Olympics in August.

But another newspaper, La Derniere Heure, suggested she would simply be taking time out for several months.

The Belgian suffered a shock defeat by Russia's Dinara Safina in the third round of the German Open last week.

Henin, who has won the last three French Opens, was playing only her second match after a month off with a knee injury and lost 5-7 6-3 6-1.

She has also pulled out of this week's Italian Open citing fatigue, with the WTA fining her £10,000 ($20,000) for late withdrawal.

The women's tour launched a multi-million dollar "Superhero" marketing campaign in Rome on Tuesday featuring all the top players - except Henin.

"It cost a fortune and surely the sponsors would want the world number one involved if she was still intending to play," said BBC Radio Five Live tennis correspondent Jonathan Overend.

Speaking in Berlin just before the German Open, Henin revealed that she had been looking beyond her career in professional tennis.

"I'm young in life, but starting to get old on the tour," she said. "I'm growing up and I need different things.

"Even physically I don't recover as well as I did when I was 20. That's normal.

"Now I've been playing tennis for 20 years and it's been my whole life but as a woman, as you get older, you need to think about the future."

Henin has been beaten four times in four months in 2008 including a comprehensive 6-2, 6-0 defeat by Serena Williams in Miami last month.

The news conference at Henin's club at Limelette is set for 1500 BST.

It's certainly sad as she was in my view the most untertaining player. The "David versus the Goliath(s)". Yet I understand her so much as it is a very demanding sport with hell too much travelling.

This is actually quite a shocking revelation and most bizarre :blink: Justine tired and to retire just isnt a good thing and so unlikely to be be in the same sentence yet it is.Im gutted.Despite my intense dislike for her,I loved her tennis.She is a tennis joy on the eye.I just hope that she is making the right decision and if she is to go then so be it. :(

I hope it is not true. Can't really think that she would give in for fatigue. Remember her match against Capriati and she nearly died, yet came out firing the next day to defeat Kim to lift the trophy.

Something personal has to do with it. I truly hope she won't retire. The young guns are not upto scratch to carry the game forward. Without Amelie, Lindsay, Justine, and may be Venus might also disappear soon.. .. Game needs stars.. Other than these we only have Maria and Serena. Ana/Jelena/Sveta yet to become stars in my opinion.

:yikes: :yikes: :yikes:
:dohh: :dohh: :dohh:
:nope: :nope: :nope:

I hope this is a wind up!

Totally agree. It's bad enough Amelie being on the decline and looking like it is over without th eonyl other top player with variety and finesse going too. And at a stage that seems to be her prime. And with the baseline bashers beign all that we'll have left, I think a few fans will be lost, although form what i can gather it does seem to biggest fanatics of the women's game are often more swayed by glamour and looks than talent and variety.

I do hope it's nto a rash decision, and it's the righ tone if it is what she is doing. I can fully understand it if her health is finding it too much and let's nto forget she has had helaht problems that would have forced many a less determined player to retire.

:o :o :o Sad to hear that she may be retiring.

She'll be retiring at a similar age to Borg. Will she be remembered in the same vein?

Nervous morning for GS2 and Queen Justine. They're the ones I am worried about.

Does look like QJ was spot on with her analysis of Justine's mental state at the mo..

Nope!

Why so quick to say no? A few GS wins short maybe, but retiring young after being so dominant last year and being pretty dominant at RG. There are a few similarities.

I'm certainly not a fan but even I know it's better for tennis if she doesn't retire.

Still it's her choice if she isn't enjoying it anymore and not their fully mentally.

There are only a handful of 'all-timers' playing tennis at the moment:

Men: Federer and Nadal

Women: Williams sisters and Henin

It is going to be sad if one of them goes.

Henin is particularly important in my view because she is the one remaining player who holds out against the players who dominate the women's game with power.

Whatever you think about her personality, she will be very sorely missed IMHO.

And Gav, a great player, there's no doubt, but not the same iconic status as Borg. I am pretty clear of that.

I should have said "similar" vein rather than "same" vein really so my mistake. I really meant the main similarity was retiring so young when still reasonably successful (and dominant at RG), not the iconic status or such like.

People remember Borg as a "would have won more had he carried on" and I feel considering her success last year she will be remembered in a similar vein.

Yes but I don't think the general public will remember her as they did Borg. Borg was more ahea dof his time and different, and a bit of an enigma in many ways. Plus he had more slams and won clay and grass almost equal. And he was more dominant in hsi day, and she is female and less folks follow WTA. Sorry but that's my view and it's not derogatory to Henin cos I am a huge fan.

anyone ever retired when they were No1? I guess Steffi was no 3 when she retired.
( Seles was forced to quit when she was at the top by a villan)

Please don't go Justine.. I am not really a fan of her, but I gracefully accept her talent and she will be missed..

it would be a big blow for the women's game. and Henin has given so much. but, there is (and has) to be life beyond tennis. maybe that's what she's into now.

Sound slike it, and we have to respect that. But it will still be a very huge hole left in the womens game if she goes. :(

Apparently she is retiring, according to BBC flash news.. It is confirmed..