Tennis

Former world No 1 Henin quits tennis for 2nd time

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-01-27 11:10

Justine Henin Factbox

Justine Henin of Belgium hits a return to Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia during their match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne Jan 21, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

* Born on June 1, 1982 in Liege, Belgium.

* Turned professional in 1999 and won her first WTA title in Antwerp.

* The 1.67 metre tall Henin, gifted with a breath-taking single-handed backhand which John McEnroe rated as the best in tennis, captured 43 singles titles, including seven grand slams during her career.

* Henin became the first Belgian to reach a singles final at Wimbledon in 2001, where she was beaten by Venus Williams. She also went on to become the first Belgian to win a grand slam title when she overwhelmed compatriot Kim Clijsters to win the 2003 French Open.

Grand Slam wins

* Overcame Clijsters to win her second grand slam title at the US Open in 2003 and then again in the 2004 Australian Open final.

* Won a gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics despite being plagued by an energy-sapping viral illness.

* Won the French Open in 2005 and 2006, only the fifth woman to win back-to-back Roland Garros titles in the professional era.

* Reached the final of all four grand slam tournaments in 2006, becoming the first player to achieve such a feat and reach the final of the end-of-season Championships since Steffi Graf in 1993.

* Secured the 2006 year-end number one spot on her way to winning her first WTA Championships in Madrid.