Tennis Legends: Justine Henin - The seven-time Grand Slam winning Belgian with a backhand of immense beauty

Justine Henin is a 7-time Grand Slam singles champion who created a dynasty at the French Open in the 2000s. The elegant Belgian, bestowed with a backhand of immense beauty, was a player who countered the greater power many of her opponents displayed through outstanding technique and sublime creativity.

Born on 1st of June 1982, Henin was born in the city of Liege to Jose Henin and Francoise Rosiere. Her mom, a teacher of history and French, died when Justine was just 12. She left behind three further children - two sons and one other daughter. The family lived in close proximity to Rochefort Tennis Club, where Justine took her first tennis steps.

Her mom used to annually take Justine over the border to watch the French Open. Not long after her mom’s passing in 1995, Henin encountered her coach Carlos Rodriguez. He remained the only coach of the Belgian’s career. Henin turned professional at the outset of 1999. Later in the year, her first career title materialised on home soil at the Belgian Open played on her favoured claycourt surface.

She waited until 2001 for her second title, coming at the Brisbane International. Two more titles followed and in the summer, at Wimbledon, Henin reached a maiden Grand Slam final, losing to Venus Williams in three sets. The year finished with her positioned at eight in the world rankings. The start of seven consecutive years located inside the top ten at the season's climax.

The 2002 season was of similar level to the previous campaign. She went on to add title successes in Berlin (a first success in events now regarded as 1000 tournaments) and Linz. Henin also reached the semis at Wimbledon.

From 2003-2007, Henin won at least one Grand Slam each year and 33 of her 43 WTA singles titles came in a period where she was often the best player in the world. It's worth remembering Serena Williams spent a considerable chunk of this period absent from the tour, owing to a pulmonary embolism and dealing with the loss of her murdered sister Yetunde. Henin stepped into the vacuum and became the benchmark for the women's game, especially on clay.

Henin's 2003 campaign witnessed her Grand Slam breakthrough. At the tournament she went to as a child with her mom, Henin became French Open champion with a straight sets win over compatriot Kim Clijsters. It would represent the commencement of a Paris dynasty for the Belgian as this was the first of four French Open titles in five years. The US Open final, played in September, created a rematch between the two Belgians. Henin again prevailed, 7-5, 6-1. These majors were two of eight titles for Henin in a season which saw her first reach World Number One and finish atop the summit at the end of a stellar term.

The following season began with a third successive Grand Slam final win over Clijsters. This time she required three sets to beat her Fed Cup teammate in the Australian Open final. A triumph which meant Wimbledon was now the only major needed to complete a Career Grand Slam. Further titles in Dubai and Indian Wells reinforced her standing as the best player in the world. However, Henin experienced a shock second round exit at Roland Garros. While health issues kept her away from Wimbledon. The seasonal regression was punctuated by a glorious capture of gold at the Athens Olympics. Belgium’s finest toppled Frances's Amelie Mauresmo to deliver Belgium a first Olympic tennis gold.

Henin was rocked by a broken kneecap near the start of the 2005 season. It delayed her return to action. When she did return, Henin resumed her winning ways by securing titles on the clay at Charleston and Warsaw. Victory in the German Open made her clear favourite heading into Roland Garros. After surviving matchpoint against Svetlana Kuznetsova in round four, Henin maximised the opportunity this reprieve gave her by claiming a second French Open title with a ruthless thrashing of home favourite Mary Pierce in the final. It would be her last title of the year. Then followed a humbling first round exit at Wimbledon to Eleni Daniilidou. It was the first time a reigning French Open champion failed to win a match at Wimbledon. The rest of Henin's season was bedevilled by a hamstring injury.

The 2006 season was one where Henin competed in all four Slam finals. In the first of those finals, Henin retired hurt when a set and break down against Mauresmo. It resulted in the first Grand Slam triumph for the Frenchwoman being marginally less impactful. Henin retained her French Open crown with a straight sets win over Kuznetsova. This was quickly followed by a first title on grass, coming at the Eastbourne International. Her grass court form extended into Wimbledon where she reached a second final at SW19. It was another clash with Mauresmo. Unlike in Melbourne, this showpiece went the distance and Mauresmo proved victorious without the caveats attached to the final Down Under. A US Open final defeat to Maria Sharapova meant a third defeat from the four majors finals in 2006. Those defeats didn't cloud the fact it was Henin's best season for three years. It culminated in securing her first WTA Finals trophy in Spain. She also ended the year at number one.

2007 would prove to be the zenith of Henin's career. A career high tally of ten titles was accumulated. This included two Grand Slams, a third successive French Open title and a second US Open crown. Her year concluded by defending the WTA Tour Finals title and ending as number one for a third time and second in a row. Henin's win percentage of 94% was the highest in a single campaign since Steffi Graf in 1995. She was also the first woman to accrue ten titles in a season since Martina Hingis claimed eleven trophies in 1997.

A 32 match winning streak was curtailed when Henin lost in the quarter-finals of the 2008 Australian Open, losing to Maria Sharapova. She picked up another title at home in February at the Diamond Games. This would be her last tournament win before a shock announcement, in May, when Henin declared she would retire with immediate effect and wanted to be removed from.the rankings, where she was still placed at number one. She cited fatigue issues and a loss of desire as reasons behind her decision. Her focus now switched to her charity and tennis school.

Inspired by watching Roger Federer, a fellow tennis artist, Henin reversed her retirement decision a couple of years later. Entering the Australian Open as a wildcard, Henin managed to reach the final of her first Grand Slam of her comeback. She went down in three sets to Serena Williams, their only major final contest. The rest of 2010 saw her win titles in Stuttgart on clay and the grass at Rosmalen. An injury suffered in a fourth round loss to Kim Clijsters at Wimbledon brought her season to a premature end. 

She made a return in 2011 but on January 26th, announced her retirement once again due to her elbow injury becoming further exacerbated. It left the Belgian with 43 titles from 61 finals. Her tally of seven Grand Slam singles titles places Henin just outside the all-time top 10. Henin spent more than 100 weeks at World Number One.

In addition to Olympic gold, Henin enjoyed success with her country in what was then the Fed Cup. Alongside Clijsters, Els Callens and Laurent Courtois, Belgium defeated Russia to win the Fed Cup for the first time and currently only instance.

Her playing style was underpinned by dextrous footwork and supreme technical ability. Henin's single handed backhand remains one of the most beautiful weapons in tennis history. In her pomp, John McEnroe considered it the best single hander of any man or woman. Martina Navratilova made comparisons with Roger Federer when discussing Henin's offensive ability and grace.

In November 2002, Henin married Pierre Yves-Hardenne. The marriage lasted just over four years before their split in 2007 which resulted in Henin missing the Australian Open that year. The marriage also caused a rupture in the relationship with her dad. Henin married for a second time when she tied the knot with Benoit Bertuzzo, a Belgian film director. They've had a daughter and son together.

Henin was garlanded with several awards in her career. The sporting Oscars - Laureus Sports Awards - bestowed Sportswoman of the Year upon her in 2008. She's a four time winner, in a five year period, of Belgian Sportswoman of the Year, and a two-time recipient of WTA Player of the Year. Induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame came in 2016. Seven years later, Henin received the ITF Philippe Chatrier Award in recognition of her French Open dynasty.

Justine Henin goes down as one of the most attractive players we've seen in terms of her beautiful shotmaking and balletic movement. On a clay court, Henin had no equal in her generation. It was the one surface where even the GOAT Serena Williams's best wouldn't necessarily defeat Henin. The Liege native competed in an era where female players were getting bigger and more powerful. Standing at a relatively diminutive 5ft 6in, Henin more than punched her weight.