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.
Suddenly, Henin decided to call it a career during the summer of 2008. Many were shocked by this revelation, as there was simply no reason for her to retire. After all, it’s not as if she was slowing down.
While all appeared to be going well on the outside, Henin was mentally exhausted. She was sick of the two decades that she had devoted entirely tennis, and needed to get away from the sport.
There were personal initiatives that she preferred to focus on, including a camp for children where she’d teach them how to play tennis.
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.
Before her first match, fans of the sport had doubted her abilities, thinking that either age or rust would have gotten the best of her by now. This would be a natural expectations, as most athletes initially stumble on the comeback trail.
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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