Justine Henin to retire

I wonder if she has been drug-tested lately?

The timing of this just strikes me as so strange and sudden, that I can't help but ask.

She's 25, it's the middle of the season, and it just seems as if there has to be more of a reason behind this than just the fact that she's a little tired. Maybe not, but it seems like the question should be broached.

Henin sometimes was the subject of rumors as a result of her very apparent athleticism and muscle definition. And the Martina Hingis drug test/retirement, also at a young age, makes this seem a possibly legitimate question.

Also, I know that when Clijsters retired, she'd said it was in order to start a family. I remember thinking to myself that she'd probably already started one, that she was probably pregnant already, and I wondered if anyone had asked her that, directly, because it didn't seem like it.

But almost exactly nine months later, she'd had a baby.

I've seen Henin play, love her style, and I think I'm actually more of a fan of her than many. In interviews, I found her to be surprisingly open, intelligent and articulate, when shown just a little kindness and given just a bit of gentle prodding.

She seemed to realize that she wasn't especially popular, despite her obvious talent and interesting game. My feeling is, it bothered -- even hurt -- her a little more than she let on. I saw her respond well sometimes to a softer, encouraging approach, but people rarely gave her the benefit of that. As a result, I don't think fans or the media ever really got to know her.

And I always thought that was kind of a shame.

 

I respectfully disagree. Other than injury or a body wearing down, I don't understand why a player who might have been ranked in the top five wouldn't continue to play if they were still among the top 25 or 35 players in the world.

Claws, I once read an article by former light-heavyweight champion and current boxing official Jose Torres talking about this sort of thing. He said some boxers continue because they really need money, but Torres said what they really want is their youth.

Think about this - if you were 28 and had enough money to live comfortably, what would you do. The natural thing would be to say just sit on your porch and drink your beverage of choice, but if you have been competing all of your life, you would need to do something. There would also be a need because if you have been given gifts and talents, there is almost an obligation to do something which would benefit society.

I don't think an observer can tell any athlete when to retire. They know it when they can compete, and they may try to deny it, but the results will make things clear to everybody. If somebody has had a lot of great years, they are entitled to have a bad year or two while they keep trying.

 

Mauresmo's fallen off the face of the earth.

Henin's quitting.

Is there anyone in the women's game remaining with a one-handed backhand? Schiavone? Anyone else?

 

It's probably about to become a lost art, BTE, unless maybe one of the Russians has one hidden in her bags of tricks.