Word: henins
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...Even three lifetimes would hardly suffice for Henin's record run in professional tennis. She won a total of seven Grand Slam titles, including four of the last five French Opens. 'Juju,' as she's called by her doting Belgian public, also won 41 WTA singles titles and earned more than $19 million in prize money during her eleven-year career. She headed the WTA rankings for the 117th time this week, and had been No. 1 almost solidly since November 2006. She took the women's singles gold medal at the 2004 Olympics and was Belgium's biggest medal...
...earlier this year, her game appeared to unravel. Despite winning her home tournament in Antwerp in February, Henin failed to go beyond the quarterfinals at any other event. At last week's German Open, she was upset by Dinara Safina in the third round. Although she was injury-free, Henin had pulled out of this week's Italian Open citing fatigue, and the WTA fined her $20,000 for late withdrawal...
...Monday, rumors had spread that she was 're-evaluating' her career. And today, speaking at the Justine Centre named after her in Limelette, just outside the Belgian capital, Henin confirmed that after two decades in the game she'd lost her passion for playing. "It's the end of a wonderful adventure but it's something I have been thinking about for a long time," she said. "I have experienced everything I could have. I have lived completely for tennis. I am relieved and proud of what I achieved...
...Henin has good reason to be proud. Born in Liège, in the run-down former industrial heart of Belgium, Henin has struggled with adversity throughout her career, and her life. If she seemed to display an earnest, almost haunted demeanor on court, it perhaps reflected her checkered childhood growing up in the pretty Ardennes village of Marloie. She lost her mother to cancer when she was just 12; her father, José, had to bring up his children on a postman's salary...
...When she first emerged on the circuit, Henin was seen as an anomaly, too petite to survive against the Amazonian might of the new power generation, epitomized by the Williams sisters. But though small, Henin worked exceptionally hard on strengthening her body, and her forehand and serve. She also had an extraordinary one-handed backhand that earned her the swooning admiration of legends like John McEnroe. A thoughtful player, she performed best on clay, a slower surface more suited to her guile. What she lacked in height and natural power, she made up for with speed and accuracy...