By Mike McIntyre
Move over Kim Clijsters - there is another Belgian on the comeback trail.
A mere 16 months after she announced her retirement as the number-one ranked player in the world, Justine Henin has decided to return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Just as she followed fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters into retirement, she has jumped on the bandwagon and declared a comeback as well.
There have been rumors swirling since Clijsters returned that a similar announcement was in the works for Henin. It isn't really that surprising, and in fact is welcome news on the tour. After a summer of constant buzzing about the women's game, this adds yet another intriguing element to a tour on the rise. Despite the fact Henin seemingly maintained she was content in retirement, watching her compatriot Clijsters win the U.S. Open this summer must have had an effect.
All these comparisons to Clijsters, but when you look at their results throughout their careers you will realize that these are two very different caliber of players. No disrespect to the always cordial Clijsters, but Justine Henin is one of the greatest players to ever play the sport. Not up there with Graf, Navratilova and Evert, but still pretty amazing.
Henin captured seven Grand Slam titles before retiring and also an Olympic gold medal at the 2004 games in Athens. She finished the year ranked number one three times (04, 06, 07) and spent a total of 117 non-consecutive weeks at number one, a feat only surpassed by five other players (Graf, Navratilova, Evert, Seles and Hingis).
So just how much did Clijsters brilliant return contribute to Henin's decision?
"I've been able to recharge my batteries, emotionally as well," Henin said on Tuesday. "Subconsciously, [Kim Clijsters winning the US Open] might have had an impact, but it certainly was not the most important reason."
"The fire within burns again. I want to come back in January."
Henin plans on returning with some exhibition play in Charleroi, Belgium and Dubai before setting her sights on the Australian Open in January 2010 and beyond. The seven time Grand Slam champion (1 Aussie Open, 4 French Open's and 2 U.S. Open's) is most excited on claiming the one remaining major that is missing from her resume at Wimbledon.
“It is a dream of mine,” Henin said Tuesday. “I want to work to get it. I make it a priority.”
Speaking about her return, tour CEO Stacey Allaster said,
"Justine Henin is one of the great champions in the history of women's tennis, and we, along with millions of her fans around the globe, are thrilled with her announcement today. Justine was that rare athlete who decided to step away from the game at the height of her powers, and no doubt she will be a force to be reckoned with from the get-go. Her career was marked by so many amazing moments, and a new chapter begins today."
Henin left the tour in 2008 as injuries, the rigors of the tour as well as factors in her personal life began to take their toll. When she retired she claimed, "I'm young in life but starting to get old on tour. I'm growing up, and I need different things. Now I've been playing tennis for twenty years and it's been my whole life but...you need to think about the future."
At only 27 years of age, Henin still has the capacity to achieve great things in this sport. Can Henin win another slam? Will she be able to return to the number one ranking? Will she have as much success as Clijsters did so quickly and will she be welcomed back as warmly?
Whatever the results end up looking like, this is another great boost to the women's tour. Make room at the top, I don't think it will take long before we again have two Belgian's settling in there.
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