Justine Henin Retires

On May 14, 2008 the woman's world's number one player, Justine Henin retired from professional tennis. Henin is 25 years old. She retires having won seven grand slam titles, four from the French Open, two Australian Open titles, and two U.S. Open titles. In 2004, she would also win an Olympic Gold Medal. The only Grand Slam Title that Henin was unable to win in her career was Wimbledon.With Henin's retirement the women's world number one ranking now falls to Maria Sharapova. The news of the retirement is especially shocking since the announcement comes just weeks before the French Open, an event that Henin traditionally does well at.

• "I decided, to stop fooling myself and accept it."

• "I always based everything on this motivation...this flame...that was in me. And once I lost that, I lost many, many things,"

• "Everything became harder, I felt deep inside, something was getting out of my grasp."

• "I had reached my limits, and I feel strong and relieved that I could take this decision. There are plenty of things that I can do. There are no regrets. I did everything I had to do in tennis."

• "She always challenged herself to play her best tennis no matter what the circumstances. She was just a real fighter, so I think that was really what made her best." — Venus Williams

• "Justine Henin will be remembered as one of the all-time great champions in women's tennis, and a woman who made up for her lack of size with a will to win and fighting spirit that was second to none. It is rare that an athlete leaves at the very top of her game in this day and age, but Justine has always played by her own rules, in the very best sense of those words." — WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott

• "She was a great champion and she gave me a world of trouble.Gosh, what can you say about such a champion? I don't think we have enough time." — Serena Williams

• "Pound for pound, Justine is the greatest player of her generation. She is an extraordinary player, a special person and a true champion in both tennis and in life." — Billie Jean King

• "A shock for the whole tennis world...she must have her reasons but it is a surprise, given that it is before the French Open." — Roger Federer