Henin Announces Comeback

On May 14, 2008, just weeks before she would have gone for a fourth straight French Open title, Justine Henin dropped a bombshell on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour: she was done. For the first time, a reigning world No.1 retired from the sport. On Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - 16 months and one week later - the Belgian announced her comeback.
"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."
"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," said Tour CEO Stacey Allaster. "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."
Despite her small frame Henin was one of the most dangerous players ever in the women's game. During the first phase of her Tour career she compiled quite the list of milestones - the following are just a few of them:- Won 41 singles titles and two doubles titles on the Tour.- Won seven Grand Slam titles: one Australian Open (2004), four French Opens (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007) and two US Opens (2003, 2007).- Won two season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships (2006, 2007), one Olympic gold (2004) and leading Belgium to its first Fed Cup title (2001).- Finished three seasons ranked No.1 in the world (2003, 2006, 2007).- Spent 117 non-consecutive weeks at No.1, sixth all-time (after Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles).- Became first female athlete to pass $5 million in single season prize money (2007 - $5,429,586).