After 15 months of absence, I am pleased to announce to you that I’ve decided to begin my second tennis career. I don’t want to describe it as a comeback. It’s a new life that opens for me.
I left tired, exhausted and lived a deep need to prove that I can live differently than only through tennis. I wanted to be like everyone - to live as an adult, not a child, but as a grown woman.
These past 15 months were difficult at times, but it was very rewarding. I learned new things, and discovered more things about myself. These moments gave me an opportunity to focus only on myself, and it helped me realize that I still had many things yet to achieve. I need to push the limits higher, and explore new challenges.
The challenge today is not about understanding size limitations, but of raising dimensions. And I plan to do exactly that, I am ready to do things differently, I can give and share. What I keep in memory is the human adventure, the bond with you; my fans. I want to give anticipation and emotions.
You probably wonder why I waited so long to make my announcement. I want to make a point and say that it’s not easy for me to keep a fabulous secret, especially to you; my fans.
I am ready today. My team is also ready. And You? Kim and Yanina at the US Open deserved all of your attention for their extraordinary exploits. I respect and owe you all these enjoyable moments too.
I thank you for your confidence and patience. I’m certain that we can leave all together for another great adventure.
BRUSSELS (AP)—Just 16 months away from tennis was enough for Justine Henin.
She’ll return in January ahead of the Australian Open, complete with a new serve in her quest for a Wimbledon title. It’s the only Grand Slam she didn’t win in a 10-year career that produced nearly $20 million in earnings.
Henin’s goal is to achieve 70-percent success on her first serves. That improvement, along with her daunting whip backhand, will have opponents scrambling.
“We said that perhaps, one day, we will get there,” Henin said Wednesday at a news conference, a day after announcing her comeback. “I am not (tall), so technically it has to be perfect.”
At 5 feet, 6 inches, accuracy and consistency on her first serve had been a problem. With more than three months before her first competitive match, she has time to retool her serve.
“Justine is convinced we can reconstruct her serve,” coach Carlos Rodriguez said. “We have time.”
A powerful serve is especially essential to dominate on the grass of Wimbledon, and it will complement the rest of her solid game.
“The balance between things is what makes Justine what she is—power, explosiveness, endurance, coordination, intuitiveness,” Rodriguez said.
That balance also applies to her personal life. Henin said the yearlong break has given her more confidence to become a leader and provided a broader outlook on life after serving as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
On the comeback trail, the former No. 1 player will clash again with fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters, who won the U.S. Open this month just three tournaments into her comeback after more than two years away.
“It is a source of inspiration and motivation,” Henin said. “I have come to realize that I would not have been this strong if she had not been there at the time.”
Henin defeated Clijsters to win three of her first four Grand Slam titles in 2003-2004.
“Justine’s comeback is extremely good news for women’s tennis, but even better for Belgium in general,” Clijsters said in a statement.
Henin wants to play at least until the 2012 London Olympics. By then, she hopes to have won Wimbledon—the only Grand Slam title missing on her resume of four French Open titles, two U.S. Opens and one Australian Open championship.
She won singles gold at the 2004 Athens Games.
Henin expects to play exhibition tournaments in Charleroi, Belgium, and Dubai to hone her skills ahead of a competitive return at the Australian Open.
Sydney tournament organizers are hoping Henin will play there before the season-opening Grand Slam. Her announced return to Melbourne Park was warmly greeted by Australian Open officials.
“Any time you can welcome a past champion on a comeback trail it’s an opportunity you would never want to miss,” tournament director Craig Tiley said. “We would love Justine to be a part of the Australian Open again.”
จริงๆแล้วเอแนงมีกำหนดประกาศตั้งแต่ยังไม่จบ US Open เลยด้วยซ้ำ แต่ก็เลื่อนมาเรื่อยๆเพราะไม่ต้องการแย่งความเด่นจากคิม จนมันมาถึงเส้นตายที่ต้องประกาศจึงต้องประกาศออกไป
Five Women Who Need to Worry about Justine Henin’s Return
After months of soul-searching, Justine Henin announced yesterday that she plans to return to tennis next season.
Now that Henin is back in the picture, at least five women need to think about what Henin’s imminent return could mean to their futures at the top of the sport.
Serena Williams While some may think Serena Williams is invincible enough to avoid worrying about Justine Henin, the cold facts say something different. The petite Belgian was a major source of irritation in Serena’s side. Were it not for Justine, it is easy to say that the eleven-time major champion’s Grand Slam haul might have been significantly larger by now.
During Henin’s 2007 season, she personally derailed the S-train during the quarterfinals at three of the four majors. Can Henin regain her old form that allowed her to play her game, regardless of the power coming off the Williams racquet? I would venture that it is highly probable. Serena’s game has not changed since Henin left, and after all, sixteen months is not long enough for Henin to have lost her signature style, especially that lethal one-handed backhand.
Kim Clijsters I would love to know what it is going through the mind of Kim Clijsters right now. Of course, if I were Clijsters, I would take that new US Open trophy off the mantel, give it a big kiss, and thank God that I had a chance to win at least another major before Henin returned.
No woman in tennis gave Clijsters more grief than her compatriot, and I doubt she is relishing the prospect of playing Henin again on a regular basis. On the plus side, if the two can set aside their former differences, Belgium could once again be a major force in Fed Cup next season.
Dinara Safina Henin might have cited her official comeback reason being that her competitive fire was reignited, but we all know that the current open state of the WTA Tour played a significant part in her decision. There is no way that a wily competitor like Henin would have returned if she thought that she could not compete toe-to-toe with the best players in the world.
Henin was never shy about saying how much the number one ranking meant to her, which means that now Dinara Safina has an even broader target on her back. Serena Williams might talk big about being the real number one, but she is never willing to put in the extra calendar weeks to make it actually happen. Do not look for Henin to make a partial return—she sounds serious (she plans to play through the 2012 Olympics) and I think we will see her contending at most of the big tournaments, not just the majors.
Jelena Jankovic The Serbian drama queen will be more than excused if she decides go out and drown her sorrows in one of her favorite foods, a big juicy steak. Jankovic never made it a secret about how much she wanted to avoid Henin in a draw, even attributing one title win in 2007 to the fact that Justine was absent.
With a ridiculous 0-9 losing record against Henin, Jankovic’s one hope is to meet up with Justine in Australia before she gets too confident. If so, Jelena might finally notch that long-awaited win over her biggest nemesis.
Maria Sharapova Unlike JJ or Clijsters, Henin did not do as much to fluster Sharapova’s game. She even outfoxed Henin in the final of the US Open in 2006, which was not an easy feat. However, the Sharapova then is not the Sharapova we see now.
There is no use denying it—Maria Sharapova’s career is in trouble. Her shoulder injury was a far bigger deal than first admitted, and during the US Open, she went out to Melanie Oudin after hitting a record-setting twenty-one double faults. For Sharapova, Henin’s return only helps to reinforce the fact that unless something changes quickly, the game is swiftly going to pass her by.
หมด Thailand Open แล้ว ก็ได้เวลากลับมา Update เรื่องราวเอแนงต่อนะครับ
วันนี้มีบทความมาเพิ่ม แต่โดยเนื้อแล้วก็ยังเป็นเรื่องเดิมๆอยู่ แต่อันนี้มีบทวิเคราะห์ถึงการกลับมาของเอแนงว่าจะเป็นผลดีต่อวงการเทนนิสหญิง เพราะปัจจุบันเทนนิสหญิงอยู่ในสภาวะที่เรียกว่า crisis แล้วยังบอกด้วยว่า วางงินเดิมพันเอแนงใน AO ปีหน้าได้เลย
Is Henin the stimulus that women tennis needs
By Chwukuma Nwokoh
September 29, 2009 11:29PMT
Then President Olusegun Obasanjo once asked if there was something that former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, forgot at the seat of power that was prompting him to vie for the presidency of Nigeria. It turned out that it was not only Gowon that left things behind during his stewardship.
Mr. Obasanjo also forgot items which he retrieved during his comeback between 1999 and 2007. There have been comebacks in all spheres of life - from politics to business and sports.
As it's well known, truth is a hard commodity with sports persons. The motivation for come-backs is usually not the sulphurous talk about rekindled hunger, unfinished business and a desire to leave a legacy.
But rekindled hunger is behind the return of Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. Few tennis fans would be alarmed (as is the case in the boxing world with returnee boxers) with last week's return of Justine to tennis.
Not with Kim winning the 2009 US Open - barely two years after stepping away from the game - which was her third tournament after coming out of retirement.
Crisis in female tennis
If truth be told, female tennis is in crisis. And it needs a stimulus. Let's hope that the come-back of Kim and Justine would do that.
Nothing is more emblematic of the worrying state of women tennis than the fact that Diana Safina and Jelena Jankovic have been ranked by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) as number one players in the world, yet they have been unable to win Grand Slam titles.
But for the brief period of February 2, 2009 and February 19, 2009 when Serena Williams was world number one, women tennis has been led by the two ladies in the past one year.
Serena Williams has griped about Diana's number one status but she cannot have it both ways. As Andy Murray puts it, tennis is an 11-month sport and not prone to cherry-picking.
Serena cannot have other interests and appear in Grand Slam events and a few other tournaments in the women tour and expect to be number one, even though she won the 2009 Australian Open and Wimbledon tournaments.
Justine retired in May 2008 when she was at the top of her game, claiming she was burning out - the first retiree while at number one.
She went in search of other pursuits - as a soap-opera actress. Though the Williams sisters have been criticised for having outside interests, it appears to have served them well as it is largely the reason they are playing tennis as they approach their 30s.
The tennis world has welcomed the return of both players but that of Justine has been generating more enthusiasm.
According to Patrick McEnroe, a tennis commentator, "I'm not surprised at all, when you consider the state of women's tennis the past few years.
Think of all the titles she could have racked up over the last 16 months, with all the mental meltdowns that have become a regular part of women's tennis. She needed a break, got it, tried acting, realised that's harder than she thought, and decided, ‘Hey, why not go back and do what I do best?' It's great for tennis. "
Why is Justine returning?
So, what made the lady described by John McEnroe as "one of the greatest players ever seen on a tennis court" and "the Roger Federer of the women's game" to return? Was it Kim's success at the US Open which was three months after she returned to the women tour?
Said Justine: "Sub-consciously, it might have had an impact, but it certainly was not the most important reason. The fire within burns again - adrenaline is part of my life, my existence. It is in my character." For her, it was Roger's breaking of the duck at Roland Garros last June.
The French Open was the one major title the Swiss had not won, and it made Justine believe that if she resumed her tennis career, she could add the Wimbledon title (which she has not won) to her résumé.
During the 2009 US Open early this month, Mary Fernandez, a former tennis player and a tennis commentator, had asked John McEnroe if Kim would have returned if Justine was still playing, to which the latter answered in the negative.
The two Belgians who are former Number Ones have met on three occasions in the final of a grand slam - at the 2003 French Open, at the 2003 US Open and at the 2004 Australian Open - and it was the uncharismatic Henin who won the tournaments. Nonetheless, Kim won the US Open in 2005.
What would tennis become if Kim has done it, then her nemesis can do it? To Ian Chadband of Telegraph of London, that's likely.
"She is rested, re-ignited, rejuvenated and still only 27, a leopard re-entering a field populated by far too many lambs. Of course, she will be a success again; put your money on her for the Australian Open now," he remarked.
"It is not that Clijsters and Henin were natural-born, charismatic superstar materials. They never were, probably never will be.
Indeed, there was much more wailing last year when Maria Sharapova disappeared from the scene for months through injury than when Henin retired. But that in itself told you much about the women's game; it is still perceived to be as much about glamour as real achievement.
It is why, outside the game, Henin's excellence - she has won seven grand slams to Sharapova's three - was perhaps never appreciated enough. Well, now it really could be," Chadband added.
Tennis comebacks
Tennis has witnessed the lows and highs of comebacks. Monica Seles won a grand slam on return while Jennifer Capriati won three grand slams and became world number one - she had never reached a grand slam final previous to her comeback.
But Hingis, Monica Navratilova and Bjorn Borg were not successful as the sporting deities were not restored fully.
A serial Grand Slam champion, the tennis world is expectant that Henin's return for the 2010 season in January would give the women's game a needed boost.
เอาบทความมาแปะเพิ่มครับ คราวนี้เป็นของกูรูเทนนิส Matt Cronin ที่พูดถึงการกลับมาของเอแนงว่าไม่น่าจะมีปัญหามาก เพราะสถานะเทนนิสหญิงตอนนี้มีช่องว่างระหว่างมือ top กับมือรองๆอยู่มาก
อีกทั้งคู่แข่งของเอแนงอย่างเซรีน่าก็ยังมีปัญหาอยู่มากมายจากผลของ US Open ที่ผ่านมา วีนัสก็อยู่ในช่วงขาลง ซาฟิน่าที่กำลังสติแตก หรือมาเรียที่การเสริฟไม่ได้ถึงระดับเดิมจนไม่น่าจะสร้างปัญหาให้เอแนงได้
หรือสาวๆรุ่นใหม่ที่คงยังทำอะไรเอแนงไม่ได้
อีกทั้งสำหรับเอแนงแล้ว ถ้าไม่นับเรื่องอาการบาดเจ็บบ่อยๆ เอแนงเป็นผู้เล่นที่สมบูรณ์ที่สุด แล้วยังได้รับการพักทั้งร่างกายและจิตใจ เตรียมพร้อมเต็มที่กับการกลับมา ดังนั้นไม่ต้องกลัวเลยว่าเอแนงจะเป็นตัวเต็.ตั้งแต่รายการแรกที่กลับมา เหมือนที่คิมบอกว่า "I don't think she will need months to find her groove," Clijsters said. "She'll produce great tennis again when she gets to Australia. Bring it on, I would say."
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin's recent announcement that she will return to the WTA tour in 2010 surprised only a few.
But what it did highlight is there are holes at the top level big enough to knife one of her wicked sliced backhands through, which is why the Belgian decided to give it another go.
Had former No. 1 Henin been incredibly impressed by the up-and-comers or sure her elite veteran rivals would continue to play at a top level, she may have decided to go on tour with a Belgian theater troupe, which she was originally scheduled to do this fall before she so radically changed her mind about the direction her life was headed.
She couldn't have been terribly impressed with the competition, not with the 2009 season about to end in a month and the WTA clearly lacking a dominant player.
Her great rival, Serena Williams, has no idea what the next year holds for her. She's facing a potential suspension of up to two Grand Slams (one could be the 2010 U.S. Open) because of her sorry, wrong-headed verbal assault against a bewildered lineswoman during her semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters in this year's U.S. Open, and now she has plenty of work to do to rehabilitate her tarnished image. More than many other players, Serena is very image-conscious and doesn't take criticism lightly, which might affect her on-court production.
Henin's next great rival, Venus Williams, 29, is clearly in decline overall, but just last week, she proclaimed she's planning on winning all the 2010 tournaments, even though she hasn't won more than three titles in a season since 2002. Venus hasn't captured a title in 2009 since late February and just suffered back-to-back losses to 18-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Tokyo and Beijing.
That trend has to hearten Henin, who is aiming to grab the one Slam title that has eluded her, Wimbledon. Meanwhile, it has been five-time champion Venus who has stood as her greatest obstacle on the lawns. Even though she was the most effective server ever for her small size (5 feet 5) before she left the WTA, the Belgian is planning to return to the tour with a reconstructed service motion in order to add more pop.
"It's a super challenge for her," said her coach, Carlos Rodriguez. "The desire to win Wimbledon is one of the main reasons she's come back, and I'll do everything to help her do it."
Henin was no doubt impressed by how her intense in-country rival, Clijsters, so successfully returned to the tour after taking a nearly two-year breather, winning the U.S. Open in just her third tournament back. Given she had owned Clijsters at the majors, winning their last five Grand Slam encounters, that must have been a very heartening development.
"Too bad she was often the better when it came to Grand Slams," Clijsters said.
Two women who gave Henin trouble before she retired in May 2008 are capable, yet questionable prime-time competitors.
The Slam-less Dinara Safina, who is about to lose her No. 1 ranking, is so down on herself that after taking losses to obscure wild cards in Tokyo and Beijing, she left the court in tears. Moreover, it sounds as if she wants to take off the rest of the year.
"So many matches that are very close, ones that I should win, having set points or match points every time," Safina said. "It's very disappointing. I would like to take a break now, and I'm very upset with myself."
Maria Sharapova, who thrashed Henin en route to the 2008 Australia Open crown, took a huge positive step in her comeback by winning her first title in 18 months in Tokyo. The Russian looks as if she's on track to be a major force in 2010, but no one in her camp, including Sharapova herself, is cocksure her surgically repaired shoulder will last for the long haul. Plus, she has yet to consistently serve at pre-surgery speeds. Against the speedier Henin, she'll need to begin dictating from the moment she tosses the ball high in the air.
Henin, 27, would presumably return healthy and certainly would be mentally refreshed, which would give her a leg up over the rest of an emotionally-drained, elite field, featuring a group of frustrated top-10 players who are still Slam-less, like veterans Elena Dementieva, Jelena Jankovic, Vera Zvonareva and Flavia Pennetta. Henin always had her way with reigning French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and can't possibly fear 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, who is so fried after a horrific year that she's taking the rest of the season off.
While it's entirely possible that one off the young guns will take a big leap next year, none of the current crop has shown the consistent power, on-court intelligence or high variety that would make Henin shake in her tennis shoes.
While Dane Caroline Wozniacki was impressive in reaching the U.S. Open final, she doesn't yet appear to have Henin's willpower. Despite obvious talent, none of the others in the young crop — Pavlyuchenkova, Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska, Dominica Cibulkova, Yanina Wickmayer, Sorana Cirstea and Melanie Oudin — has her overall weaponry.
Not only Henin does have one of the most admired one-handed backhands in tennis history, but during her most impressive stretch in 2006-2007, she also developed a nuclear forehand, a more aggressive and effective return and more confidence around the net cords. Despite a perfectionist streak and a body that was prone to illness, she was arguably the most complete player on tour.
That's why when she arrives in Melbourne in January, she'll be an immediate title threat.
"I don't think she will need months to find her groove," Clijsters said. "She'll produce great tennis again when she gets to Australia. Bring it on, I would say."
Justine Henin's coach says the former world No.1 will make her return from retirement in Brisbane in January.
Henin is to choose between Brisbane, starting on January 3, and the WTA event in Auckland, starting January 4, as the seven-time grand slam winner embarks on her second career.
"It is Justine who will decide. It will probably be Brisbane," the Belga news agency quoted coach Carlos Rodriguez as saying.
Henin, 27, could well cross the path of fellow Belgian and fellow ex-retiree Kim Clijsters in Australia.
Clijsters came back having had a baby amid a three-year sabbatical and promptly won the US Open last month.
According to Rodriguez, "Justine will head off at the end of October for Orlando [Florida] for a couple of weeks of tough physical training" as she bids to get back into top shape.
Despite her greater honours record, the Belgian media last month portrayed Henin unfavourably compared with the bubbly Clijsters owing to the former's cool, demeanour.
Henin lost her mother to cancer at a young age and broke off contact with her family for seven years, building a shell around herself during her career which she never managed to shake off during her retirement despite her work with sick children and frequent television appearances.
She won a total of 41 WTA Tour titles and held the world No.1 spot for 117 non-consecutive weeks, the ranking she had when she retired on May 14, 2008, citing a succession of injuries and a desire to live a life away from tennis.
ข่าวล่าสุด แต่ไม่ใช่ข่าวที่ไม่รู้ หุหุหุ WC ใบแรกของ Aussie Open ปีหน้า ประกาศออกมาว่าให้เอแนงอย่างเป็นทางการแล้วครับ
Henin granted Australian Open wildcard
Australian Open 2004 champion Justine Henin has been granted a wildcard into the 2010 tournament.
“I spoke to Justine’s team over the weekend and was happy to grant her request for a wildcard into the Australian Open,” Tournament Director Craig Tiley said.
“Justine is the ultimate competitor, the winner of seven Grand Slam titles, and we are looking forward to welcoming her back to the Australian Open.
“I know Justine will not have made the decision to come out of retirement lightly, and have no doubt she will be in great shape and prepared to compete against the world’s best.
“Watching Kim Clijsters’ amazing win at the US Open was inspirational – who knows, perhaps the two will meet again at the Australian Open – I’d certainly look forward to that match,” Tiley continued.
The Australian Open offers eight wildcards into both the men’s and women’s events as follows:
1. Reciprocal agreement with French Open
2. Reciprocal agreement with US Open
3. Top Asian players (male and female)
4. Australian Open Play Off winners (Australian players only)
A further four wildcards in both the men’s and women’s draw are allocated at the tournament’s discretion.
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