Justine Henin

Justine Henin
Country (sports) Belgium
ResidenceBrussels, Belgium
Born (1982-06-01) 1 June 1982 (age 42)
Liège, Belgium
Height1.67 m (5 ft 5+12 in)
Turned pro1 January 1999
Retired26 January 2011
PlaysRight-handed
(one-handed backhand)
CoachCarlos Rodríguez (1995–2008; 2010–2011)
Prize moneyUS$ 20,863,335[1][2]
Int. Tennis HoF2016 (member page)
Singles
Career record525–115
Career titles43
Highest rankingNo. 1 (20 October 2003)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (2004)
French OpenW (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007)
WimbledonF (2001, 2006)
US OpenW (2003, 2007)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsW (2006, 2007)
Olympic GamesW (2004)
Doubles
Career record47–35
Career titles2
Highest rankingNo. 23 (14 January 2002)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open3R (2003)
French OpenSF (2001)
Wimbledon3R (2001)
US Open2R (2001, 2002)
Team competitions
Fed CupW (2001)
Hopman CupF (2011)

Justine Henin CMW (French pronunciation: [ʒystin ɛnɛ̃];[3] born 1 June 1982) is a Belgian former world No. 1 tennis player. She spent a total of 117 weeks as the world No. 1 and was the year-end No. 1 in 2003, 2006 and 2007. Henin, coming from a country with limited success in tennis, helped establish Belgium as a leading force in women's tennis alongside Kim Clijsters, and led the country to its first Fed Cup crown in 2001. She was known for her all-court style of play and for being one of the few female players to use a single-handed backhand.

Henin won seven Grand Slam singles titles: the French Open in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007, the US Open in 2003 and 2007, and the Australian Open in 2004. At Wimbledon, she was the runner-up in 2001 and 2006. She also won a gold medal in the women's singles at the 2004 Olympic Games and won the year-ending WTA Tour Championships in 2006 and 2007. In total, she won 43 WTA singles titles.

Tennis experts cite her mental toughness, the completeness and variety of her game, her footspeed and footwork, and her one-handed backhand (which John McEnroe described as "the best single-handed backhand in both the women's or men's game")[4] as the principal reasons for her success.[5][6] She retired from professional tennis on 26 January 2011, due to a chronic elbow injury.[7] In June 2011, she was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by Time.[8] She is widely considered one of the greatest female tennis players of all time.[9][10] In 2016, she became the first Belgian tennis player inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame[11][12] and in 2023, the International Tennis Federation awarded Justine Henin its highest honor, the Philippe Chatrier Award.[13]

  1. ^ "Career Prize Money Leaders" (PDF). WTA Tennis. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b "News – WTA Tennis English". Women's Tennis Association. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  3. ^ Harman, Neil (20 January 2003). "Henin finds strength to overcome adversity". The Times. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Henin bows out at the top". BBC Sport. 14 May 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2008.
  5. ^ "Resilient Henin takes U.S. Open title". The Hindu. India. 7 September 2003. Archived from the original on 6 December 2003. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  6. ^ McClure, Geoff (29 January 2004). "Sporting Life". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  7. ^ "Justine Henin quits tennis because of injury", BBC News, 26 January 2011.
  8. ^ William Lee Adams (22 June 2011). "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future – Justine Henin". TIME. Archived from the original on 25 June 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  9. ^ Jason Le Miere (28 August 2015). "Top 10 Women's Tennis Players of All-Time: Where Does Serena Williams Rank on List of Greatest Ever?". International Business Times. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  10. ^ Jeff Williams (28 August 2015). "10 best women's tennis players of all time". Newsday. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  11. ^ Marat Safin, Justine Henin inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame. Associated Press (17 July 2016)
  12. ^ Justine Henin. International Tennis Hall of Fame
  13. ^ "JUSTINE HENIN PRESENTED WITH ITF PHILIPPE CHATRIER AWARD". International Tennis Federation. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.