postheadericon Henin Is Playing As Good As Ever Before


by Jenny Pinter


If we rewind by a few years in the women's tennis world, we'll arrive at a time where Justine Henin was the world's best female tennis player. Not only was she the best, but she was rather dominant.

Having sat atop the world rankings for a couple of years, Henin surprised many tennis fans when she retired at the very young age of just 25 years old in 2008. Many wondered why she would call it quits when she was at the top of her game.

Her retirement had everything to do with the fact that she simply grew tired of the lifestyle that comes with that of a professional athlete. The training and the grueling schedule had taken their toll on this champion.

This would allow her to focus on both her charity work and her tennis school, as she took pride in training the many talented young kids who came to her school.

There was definitely a void in the world of women's tennis. The number ones of the world weren't truly the best in the minds of some fans, because they wondered if Henin would still be at the top of the ranks. Out of nowhere, some wishes were granted a few months ago when she said she'd return to the sport.

Many wondered if Henin would be able to compete at the level she previously played at. After all, nearly two years away from the sport could leave her rusty and a bit older. Will she be able to return to the world's number one ranking that she firmly occupied before she called it quits?

Boy, were they wrong. Justine Henin looked as if she never took a day off after easily beating Nadia Petrova in straight sets at Brisbane. The competitive fire still burns in this warrior. In fact, some people claimed that she looked as if she never even took a day off.

After seeing Kim Clijsters' triumphant return to the sport after her US Open win last year, nothing should be considered unrealistic for Justine Henin.




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