The 21st century
Belgium · born Liège, 1982 · right-handed, one-handed backhand · seven major titles, twice a Wimbledon finalist
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7
Major singles titles; Wimbledon was the one she never won
117
Weeks at world No. 1
2
Wimbledon finals, 2001 and 2006
30-8
Wimbledon singles record, with three further semi-finals
4
Grass-court titles: 's-Hertogenbosch 2001 and 2010, Eastbourne 2006 and 2007
Justine Henin was born in Liège in 1982 and first held a racquet at two. Her mother died when she was 12, and soon afterwards she began working with the Argentine coach Carlos RodrÃguez, who stayed with her through most of her career. She won the French Open junior title in 1997, made her professional debut in 1999 and was in the top 50 by the end of 2000.
She won seven major singles titles: the French Open four times (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007), the US Open twice (2003, 2007) and the Australian Open in 2004, when she also took Olympic gold in Athens. She held No. 1 for 117 weeks and finished three years at the top. In 2007 she won ten titles and 63 of 67 matches. She led Belgium to its first Fed Cup in 2001.
She retired suddenly in May 2008, aged 25, while ranked No. 1, then returned in 2010 and reached the Australian Open final. At Wimbledon that summer she hurt her right elbow in a fall during her fourth-round defeat by Kim Clijsters, and the injury ended her career in January 2011. She entered the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2016 and runs a tennis academy in Belgium.
| 's-Hertogenbosch | 2001: beat Kim Clijsters 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the final. 2003: lost the final to Clijsters, retiring at 6-7 (4-7), 0-3. 2010: on her comeback, beat Andrea Petkovic 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
|---|---|
| Eastbourne | 2006: beat Anastasia Myskina 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5). 2007: as world No. 1, beat Amélie Mauresmo 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-2), her fifth title of the season |
| Wimbledon finals | 2001: lost to Venus Williams 6-1, 3-6, 6-0, aged 19 and seeded eighth. 2006: lost to Amélie Mauresmo 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 after winning the first set, the defeat that cost her a career Grand Slam |
| Wimbledon semi-finals | 2002, 2003 and 2007. In 2007, as top seed, she won the first set 6-1 against Marion Bartoli and lost 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 |
| 's-Hertogenbosch (Rosmalen) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Women's singles Rosmalen Grass Court Championships | |
| 2010 | Women's singles Rosmalen Grass Court Championships | |
| Eastbourne | ||
| 2006 | Women's singles | |
| 2007 | Women's singles | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"the best single-handed backhand in the women's or men's game"
The person behind the player.
Liège, 1984
The Hall of Fame records that she first held a tennis racquet at the age of two. She won the Junior Orange Bowl in 1996 and the French Open junior title in 1997, and made her professional debut at 16.
Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame's-Hertogenbosch, June 2001
Her first grass title came against her compatriot Kim Clijsters, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Weeks later, aged 19, she reached the Wimbledon final, where Venus Williams won her second title, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0.
Source: Justine Henin career statistics, WikipediaEastbourne, June 2007
After beating Amélie Mauresmo in a final-set tie-break for her fifth title of 2007, the world No. 1 said: "I'm a little bit tired because of the wind, not because of the tough match." She added that Mauresmo was "one of the best players on grass and she proved it last year at Wimbledon."
Source: UPIWimbledon, July 2007
Henin won the first set of the semi-final 6-1 against Marion Bartoli, then lost 1-6, 7-5, 6-1. Bartoli said that seeing one of her favourite actors, Pierce Brosnan, cheering in the crowd had lifted her.
Source: WTAWimbledon, 2010
Early in her fourth-round match against Kim Clijsters she slipped and hurt her right elbow, and lost 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. She announced her final retirement in January 2011, aged 28, because of the elbow injury.
Source: WikipediaFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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