Justine Henin Retires from Professional Tennis Because of Elbow Injury
At the age of twenty-eight, a few days after losing in the 2011 Australian Open to Svetlana Kuznetsova (and while the Australian Open was still going on…) Justine Henin has announced her retirement from tennis for the second time due to lingering pain from
an elbow injury she sustained during a mid-match fall at Wimbledon last year. Henin won 43 titles and more than $20 million during her two-part career. She was ranked Number One in the world and won seven Grand Slam singles titles, i.e. four times at Roland Garros, twice at the U.S. Open and once at the Australian Open.
In her “second career”, Henin had hoped to win Wimbledon, the one Slam that had eluded her and also play in the 2012 Olympics which are scheduled to be played at the All England Club next summer. Justine was also more “open” toward the public and her fans after returning to the Tour and it’s something that she mentioned in her retirement “letter” that she wished she had done earlier in her (first) career. Henin showed flashes of her former self during her comeback, but she never maintained that form for long periods and it was unclear if she would have ever won another major. Nonetheless, given the upheaval at the top of women’s tennis, it’s a shame that Henin wasn’t able to stay healthy long enough to truly challenge for Grand Slam titles again. Her beautiful one-handed backhand and versatile style of play, despite her short stature, will be missed in a game dominated by power-hitting baseliners.
Henin is involved with tennis academies and has explored music and other outlets during her time away from the game. Regardless, it can’t be an easy way to end a career when the decision is “made for you”, but one hopes that Henin will find new challenges and happiness in her life after tennis. Bon voyage Justine!
In her “second career”, Henin had hoped to win Wimbledon, the one Slam that had eluded her and also play in the 2012 Olympics which are scheduled to be played at the All England Club next summer. Justine was also more “open” toward the public and her fans after returning to the Tour and it’s something that she mentioned in her retirement “letter” that she wished she had done earlier in her (first) career. Henin showed flashes of her former self during her comeback, but she never maintained that form for long periods and it was unclear if she would have ever won another major. Nonetheless, given the upheaval at the top of women’s tennis, it’s a shame that Henin wasn’t able to stay healthy long enough to truly challenge for Grand Slam titles again. Her beautiful one-handed backhand and versatile style of play, despite her short stature, will be missed in a game dominated by power-hitting baseliners.
Henin is involved with tennis academies and has explored music and other outlets during her time away from the game. Regardless, it can’t be an easy way to end a career when the decision is “made for you”, but one hopes that Henin will find new challenges and happiness in her life after tennis. Bon voyage Justine!
|
