WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Justine Henin often hinted at retirement, but the surprise Wednesday was the timing — effective immediately at age 25, less than two weeks before her signature event, the French Open.
Henin became the first women’s tennis player to retire at No. 1, an arresting goodbye for a champion who won seven Grand Slam titles and finished at the top of the annual rankings more often than any other woman since 2003.
“I gave the sport all I could and took everything it could give me,” Henin said in a news conference in Limelette, Belgium. “I take this decision without the least bit of regrets. It is my life as a woman that starts now.”
Her announcement came a day after golfer Annika Sorenstam, winner of 10 majors, said she will retire at the end of the season. But Sorenstam is 37 and will take something of a farewell tour.
Henin said there will be no curtain calls for her.
“It’s shocking,” said former player Mary Joe Fernandez, an ESPN analyst. “It’s something you just don’t expect. She’s dealt with a lot of illnesses and injuries, but she has been such a complete player this last decade.”
Henin said little about her immediate plans. Her success came despite a catalog of personal woes. She missed the 2007 Australian Open to tend to the breakup of her marriage to Pierre-Yves Hardenne. A viral illness sidelined her for much of 2004. This year, she has struggled with a knee injury and fatigue, losing in the third round of the German Open and pulling out of this week’s Italian Open.
Henin, who will turn 26 on June 1, had pondered retirement for months.
“I was at the end of the road,” she said. “I leave with my head held high.”
Her retirement removes a huge obstacle for the Williams sisters. Serena Williams lost three straight Grand Slam quarterfinals to Henin last year before routing her rival on the way to the title at the Sony Ericsson Open in March. Henin has won seven Grand Slam titles since 2003. The Williams sisters have won a combined five in that time.
“She was a great opponent,” Venus Williams said in Rome. “She always challenged herself to play her best tennis no matter what the circumstances. She was just a real fighter.”
