Justine Henin's Comeback

The Rumors Are True - Justine Is Back!

Speculation has been going on ever since Justine Henin (the former world number one)'s retirement in May 2008 following her loss in the 2007 Wimbledon semifinal against Marion Bartoli. At the time she was stacking up Grand Slam title after Grand Slam title, had already reached seven at the young age of 25, and looked to be on the path to many more.

In the past she denied speculation that she would ever return to the tour. A shame for the tennis world to lose such talent at such a young age. Not to mention the fact that she was the first number one player in history to retire at the top.

What Did Justine Do during Her Time off?

Justine Henin became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador while focusing on helping children in her home country of Belgium, as well as Cambodia and the Congo. She says she's had time to recharge your batteries and she's no longer able to suppress the adrenaline spurred energy that has been building during her retirement.

The One-Handed Backhand Is Back

Justine is one of the smallest players on the tour coming in at only 5'5" and 126 pounds. Nevertheless, she is considered by many to be the Roger Federer of WTA tour. Her one-handed backhand is an explosive, artful, and impeccably timed missile that is considered to be one of the best backhands of all time.

The Tour Needs You Justine

At a time where the WTA tour is suffering from injuries, withdrawals, and inconsistent performance in the top 10 (in other words, a lack of a Federer versus Nadal kind of rivalry that has increased viewership on the ATP tour), Justine Henin's comeback couldn't have arrived at a better time.

She now trains to rejoin the tour (to build her "foundation" as she calls it) following the comeback of another early retiree, Kim Clijsters, former number one who made a return from a couple years off as a mom this past summer, and followed it up instantly with her second Grand Slam title in Flushing Meadows at the U.S. Open.

Let's face it, while we are still fans of her, and we're tired of the media's focus on Serena's constant insistence that she is the real number one (over Dinara Safina, who despite holding the number one spot for some time now has yet to secure a Grand Slam title). The Serena vs. Dinara rivalry is one that has been ducked out on paper.

Meanwhile, the return of the Williams sisters' two most prominent rivals of the past decade, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, will give the women's game a much-needed boost, and a real rivalry - one that's played out on the court, not in the rankings (because we're guessing Serena won't be able to compete unless she enters more tournaments outside of the four majors (Grand Slams)). Here's to returning the focus to intense on court rivalries, and hopefully a more sustainable competition at the top. It won't just be funner to watch, it will be much better for the women's game in the long run.