I was a 11 year old when I first watched her play and ever since been one of her most ardent fans...I have

watched tennis before and really admired Graf sampras and Agassi...I never thought that a player of that grace

and finesse could ever come to Graf's level and I was right about it..I'm yet to see a player like Graf but more so I'm

yet to see a personality like Justine..she has been I can say proudly the main reason I got so interested in

tennis.Nothing about her seemed to be wrong...I never watched her first grand slam final..the first time I saw her

play was in 2003 when she defeated Serena in the tough contreversial 3 sets...I thought she would just be a flash in

the pan but I was wrong and rightly so. The girl went on to win the USO and the AO the coming months...a true

champion was born...many claim that her success was partly due to the Williamses' dominance diminishing..but

then one just had to look at the years 2006 and 2007 wherein she produced the finest spectacle in women's tennis

which is overpopulated with eternal ball-bashers...what really amazed me was the power she could generate with

that body of hers...it was a breath of fresh air to see the kind of tennis she played along with Mauresmo's

tennis...an absolute delight...'falcon backhand' always reminded me of 'fraulein forehand'...despite the

controversies that surrounded her during the RG 03 and AO 06...I was such a big fan of hers that I see absolutely

no wrong...am I being extremely prejudiced or am I just an ardent fan? I've never ever seen her play live...which i'll

regret the most...for I always thought that if this was the tennis she played on screen how good was it live?
She'll never be counted by tennis 'pundits' as a contender for the 'GOAT' because her predecessors heve set

such high standards in the game with players winning more than 18 slams during their career! -Graf,

Court,Navratilova, BJK... but how often do these know-it -alls look into the personal lives of players while rating

them in ranks? I'm quite sure that if you look into all these aspects one would certainly place her high...how many

players are separated from parents at such a tender age? How often are they so personally traumatised? How

often have they had to prove themselves to their own people?
Coming back from so many problems time and again is a true mark of a champion which beyond doubt she

is....frankly i never expected her to win beyond three slams...but here she is with 7 GS's, Yec's and an olympic gold

medal...what else could a fan ask for?
I'll not watch the women's tennis which such passion any more....its just too difficult to find replacements for first

loves...perhaps the men's tennis will be my domain henceforth...I don't want a replacement either...she was

special....
Her decision to retire has come as a shock to many...but not to me..I had been quitely expecting this because she

had been lately talking about retiring more often....
In a way it is a bad thing that she had to go out so young (is 25 an age in sport?) but on the other hand I feel happy

that she is retiring in her prime though she can go on to win more...many players in the past have retired in their

prime... Bjorn Borg, Michael Schumacher, Don Bradman...even Zidane could still create magic...it leaves a sense

of satisfaction knowing that she went out with her head held high up rather that limping her way out...
I respect her decision and wish her all the best for her future endeavours...especially fulfilling her beloved mum's

dreams of seeing her educated....and also the wonderful organisation she has for kids with cancer....these things

put tennis in a shadow...there is life beyond tennis for sure and that's the road she has taken....
Adieu ma chere Justine...tu est toujour dans mon coeur....

Fantastic tribute :bow: I was just thinkign that it was odd there was no tribute on here and then I found this and was very glad that someoen had made the effort. I am a fan of Justine too, you put it very well. :)

nice :)

and cheers to Justine :clap: :clap: :bow: :bow: :clap: :clap:

Godspeed Justine-you sweet little thing.

Thank you guys...i was feeling really low all these days...so did not come in here.... :hug:
I'll always remember though...the sport is above the player....

Amazing how tennis works like that,one favourite goes and all of a sudden they have been replaced by another.
We always get over it eventually.

Naah..Justine will always remain my favorite player. Its just that we have to find someone to help us go on with the sport we love so much...no one in teh WTA as of now.... :(
On to the ATP ;)

Oh well I suppose Ana can help me get over the loss of Justine :wub:

Good tribute but I think in her later years Henin was much more of a power player than people made out. This was even more impressive given her diminutive frame. Especially last fall she didn't even have to use variety to win most of the time but I think this physical style was one reason for her fatigue.

Justine Henin: A Look Back


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.

http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/newsr...?ContentID=2256

I'm completely devastated ..... still.

Wonderfully said Lalitha

No one will EVER replace her

My passion for tennis has gone ... she was the reason I was so passionate about tennis.

:hug:

On Saturday 24th May @ 11 am for Eurosport viewers (I think British ES) there is a "Justine Henin Special". The description says "A look back on the career of World No. 1 and Belgian Tennis Star Justine Henin, who last week announced her retirement. Henin won over seven Grand Slams during her impressive career"



This has not really happened
This has not really happened
This has not really happened
This has not really happened
This has not really happened

It's just driving me

Awww QJ :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:

I'm so sorry for you especially as one of her biggest fans. Must have left a gaping hole for you. Even thouhg I still like tennis I have never felt the same abotu the womens since Nav went, and then Steffi :( But fo rme mainyl Nav, but I was lucky as she carrie don playing for so long. It's worse knowing Justine was at the top of her game. :( And bad for tnnis as we are nto left with a lot really and she was a unique and classy player. Big hole in the game now.

Is she the only player ever to have retired while holding more than one slam i wonder? I can't think of another

Me neither :shrug:

All I can rember is Sampras holding the USo and Graf I think held the FO.

She's the only player EVER to have retired as the no. 1 and def champ of 2 GS's, 8 tourneys, YEC and Olympics gold !

:blub: :blub: :blub: :blub: :blub:

I think I want to :cry: :cry: :cry: too! When I see some fo the crap left I just wonder ..... :rolleyes:

:( WHY is she doing this ? :cry: :cry:

Who- me OR Justine? ;)

:hug: to QJ. I'm sad too. Seems like we've got a bunch of "glamour pusses" on the tour who are more concerned about marketing their image rather than their tennis.