Henin quits tennis in shock announcement
6:24 AEST Thu May 15 2008

Women's world No.1 Justine Henin has rocked the tennis world by announcing her immediate retirement from competitive tennis.

"I have decided to put an end to my tennis-playing career," she told a press conference in her native Belgium, confirming reports in the Belgian press that she was quitting the sport while still enjoying a firm lead at the top of the world rankings.

Henin, who will celebrate her 26th birthday on June 1, headed the official WTA rankings released Monday for the 117th consecutive week, but pulled out of the Rome Masters this week blaming tiredness.

"It's a big day in my life," she said on Wednesday.

"I know that it's a shock and a surprise for a lot of people but it's a decision I have been thinking about for some time.

"It's the end of a great adventure, the end of something I had dreamed of since I was five."

Henin, who has seven Grand Slam titles to her name and almost $US20 million ($A21.26 million) in career earnings since she joined the WTA Tour in 1999, has been struggling this year to reach the level of form that has earned her the last three titles at Roland Garros.

She admitted last week she was lacking confidence just two weeks prior to her French Open defence.

Henin has been beaten four times in four months in 2008 including a 6-2 6-0 hammering by Serena Williams in Miami last month.

Her latest defeat and last appearance on court came at last week's German Open where she made a shock exit when coming off second best in a two and a half hour third round marathon against Russia's Dinara Safina.

She will be remembered as one of the finest women tennis players ever, overcoming her small stature and a troubled family life to rise to the summit of her sport.

Regarded as the best all-around player in women's tennis since Chris Evert, Henin was especially renowned for her magnificent single-handed backhand, one of the finest ever seen in the game.

This, allied to the sheer grit and determination she showed in the face of the odds allowed her to first match the big power-hitters like the Williams sisters, Lindsay Davenport and Maria Sharapova and then march past them.

Larry Scott, chief executive officer of the WTA Tour, said Henin would be remembered as "one of the all-time great champions in women's tennis, and a woman who made up for her lack of size with a will to win and fighting spirit that was second to none".

"It is rare that an athlete leaves at the very top of her game in this day and age, but Justine has always played by her own rules, in the very best sense of those words.

The Belgium Olympic Committee expressed its disappointment that Henin would not make the Beijing Games.

"Less than three months before the Olympic Games in Beijing, the committee cannot hide its disappointment," it said, adding however that it respected her decision.

"We were convinced that Justine could have been a huge motivating factor for the whole of the Belgian Olympic team.

Henin's retirement comes one year after that of her great rival Kim Clijsters, another Belgian former world No.1 who emerged at the same time as Henin and hailed from the Dutch-speaking Flanders region of Belgium.

The former US Open champion retired at just 23 blaming constant injuries and burnout from competing at the top level.