Former world No. 1 Justine Henin has decided to return to professional tennis after retiring in May 2008, she announced in a live television broadcast on Belgium’s RTL-TVI network on Tuesday.
Henin is the only female player to retire from tennis while holding the No. 1 ranking. She cited a lack passion for the game accompanied by persistent injuries, the stress that came with constant training, and the pursuit of top titles.
She hopes to return to the WTA circuit in January, with her first shot at a major win coming with the 2010 Australian Open. Until then, she will have a lot of training to do to get her game back to the pro level.
She plans on playing in exhibition tournaments in Charleroi, Belgium and Dubai in November and December before Melbourne Park.
“The fire within burns again. I want to come back in January,” Henin said on Tuesday.
Following Clijsters
The timing of Henin’s decision is indeed uncanny. Her Belgian compatriot Kim Clijsters returned to tennis this season after 2 1/2 years of retirement to start a family.
Clijsters—not having even played in enough matches this year to hold a ranking going into the U.S. Open—shocked the tennis world with her defeat of world No. 2 and defending champion Serena Williams in the semifinal before beating Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in the final.
“Returning at that level so fast is something I respect enormously,” said Henin of Clijsters.
But she contends that Clijsters’s storybook comeback is not the main reason for her return to the pro circuit.
“Subconsciously, [Kim Clijsters winning the US Open] might have had an impact, but it certainly was not the most important reason,” she said.
That most important reason is undoubtedly Henin’s pursuit of an elusive Wimbledon title. With seven grand slam titles under her belt—theAustralian Open (2004), four French Opens (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007), and two U.S. Opens (2003, 2007)—Wimbledon has proved the only nut the 25-year-old didn’t crack when she left tennis in May 2008.
Henin’s last appearance at Wimbledon was in the 2007 semifinal where she lost to France’s Marion Bartoli. It was a loss that remained with her ever since.
“It is a dream of mine,” Henin said Tuesday in regards to Wimbledon.
“A flame I thought was extinguished forever suddenly lit up again.”
Like most professional athletes, Henin is driven by her love of sport and her desire to compete, even if it means personal sacrifice in other parts of her life.
“Adrenaline is part of my life, my existence. It is in my character,” she said.
“Justine is that rare athlete who decided to step away from the game at the height of her powers, and no doubt she will be a force to be reckoned with from the get go,” WTA Tour chairman Stacey Allaster said in a statement.
Henin won 41 singles titles after turning pro in 1999 and spent 117 non-consecutive weeks at the No. 1 spot, ranking sixth-all time.
In 2007 she became the first female athlete to pass the $5 million mark in prize money in a single season.
She said she plans to play until the 2012 Olympic games in London when she will be 30. She won an Olympic gold in Athens in 2004.
