World #1 Tennis Player Announces Immediate Retirement

Justine Henin shocked the tennis world today by announcing her immediate retirement from tennis, less than two weeks before the start of the French Open which she has won the last three year in a row. Henin, a 26-year-old French-speaking Belgian won a record 10 tournaments and over $5 million in 2007. She is currently ranked #1 in the World and has held that spot almost continuously (except for a 7 week streak last year by Maria Sharapova) since November 13, 2006.

Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim discussed his reaction to the announcement:

Q: What do you make of today's announcement?

JW: It is, at once, stunning and not all that surprising. Any time the top-ranked player -- who's 25 years old and the three-time defending champion of the next Grand Slam -- abruptly retires, it's obviously a bombshell announcement. At the same time, Henin has really struggled this year. She's shown very little resemblance to the player who dominated the second half of 2007. She's never been motivated by the trappings of celebrity. I think in her mind, if she's not winning or playing to her expectations, there's little incentive to continue on.

Q: What's happened to her this year?

JW: You know, something just seems to have gone out of her. For as much as people rave, rightfully so, about her one-handed slingshot backhand or her well-rounded game, I always thought her biggest asset was her guts. She was just such a courageous player. Yet this year, she wasn't just losing but she was playing with a noticeable absence of fire and confidence. Most recently I saw her get blown off the court by Serena Williams in Key Biscayne. The score was 6-2, 6-0 and it wasn't that close. In the postmatch interview, Henin owned up to a lack of courage. I thought this was a stunning admission from her. Particularly given the opponent.

Interestingly, Henin retires almost exactly a year after her compatriot and fellow former #1 Kim Clijsters retired at age 23. Clijsters has subsequently gotten married and given birth to a baby. In the last year legendary players Martina Hingis and Monica Seles have also announced their retirements, while Lindsay Davenport has returned from semi-retirement following a year long hiatus from the WTA Tour to have a child.

In 2008, in addition to losing to Serena, Henin has lost to Sharapova, Francesco Schiavone and last week what turned out to be her last professional match was a loss to Dinara Safina at the Qatar German Open.