World number one women tennis player,Justine Henin is quitting professional tennis with immediate effect,she told a press conference in Belgium on Wednesday,hence confirming earlier reports in the Belgian press that she was bowing out while still at the top of the world rankings.
Henin,who is turning 26 next month,has headed the official WTA rankings for 117 consecutive weeks.She has won seven grand slams and was due to defend her French Open title later this month.But she withdrew from this week's big clay court tournament in Rome,citing fatigue,only a day after being upset by Russian Dinara Safina in the third round of the German Open.Her previous appearance on WTA Tour came in the first week of April when she was thrashed 6-2 6-0 by Serena Williams in the Miami quarterfinals.Henin was the dominant player in the women's game last year,winning 10 of 14 tournaments,including two grand grand slams and became the first player in history to win more than $5 million in a season.
Her retirement comes a year after her great Belgian rival Kim Clijsters quit competitive tennis to get married and become a mother.Here's an interesting fact that you might want to know about Henin.She has won all the grand slams except Wimbledon.She have won the French Open for four times,once for Australian Open and twice for the U.S. Open.The closest she came to winning Wimbledon was in 2001 and 2006 when she was the runner up.She said that winning the Wimbledon would not make her happier and that it was too much for her.Her shock retirement news has send shockwave through out the women tennis world.
I was kind of shocked as well when I heard about the news.I thought it was just rumours at first,but it turn out to be true.I don't know what is her reason for retiring,whether it is because of her poor performance this year or it is because of her personal problem,but I think it is the latter.I mean she is still number one,and a few shocking loss is normal,every top player or team will experience that once in a while,so she has no reason whatsoever to retire if it is because of her current performance.Plus,she is still 26 and there is a long way to go.Im not a big fan of Justine but I must say she is a great player.If she havn't retire,Im sure she will still be the world number one at the end of this year.It's kind of sad because she has retire without winning Wimbledon before.Its like Roger Federer retiring without winning the Roland Garros.But again,it's her decision to make.Her retirement means it will let others to shine on the big stage now.
The tennis world will surely miss a great player like Justine,I have a lot of respect for what she have done and everything that she have accomplished in her illustrious tennis career.I wish her all the best for her future but for now,let us all prepare for the upcoming grand slam which is the Roland Garros which will start in 2 weeks time.
*The report was taken from Associated Press
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