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- ABC News - AUDIO: Interview: Justine Henin (Nov. 03, 2026)
Justine Henin
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Who is Justine Henin?
Justine Henin, born in Liège, Belgium, on June 1, 1982, is celebrated for her powerful one-handed backhand and strong serve. A former junior champion, she turned professional in 1999 and quickly rose through the ranks, finishing among the top 50 players by 2000. Henin captured her first Grand Slam title at the French Open in 2003, defeating fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters. She was the top-ranked player in the world that year. Henin's career included multiple Grand Slam victories and an Olympic gold medal in 2004. After retiring in May 2008, she made a comeback in 2010 but retired again in January 2011 due to an elbow injury. In 2016, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
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Which country did Justine Henin represent in tennis?
Justine Henin, born in Liège, Belgium, on June 1, 1982, is a Belgian tennis player. Her strong serve and powerful one-handed backhand elevated her to the top of womenâs tennis in the first decade of the 21st century. Henin turned professional on January 1, 1999, at age 16. During her career, she captured two major championships, ousting fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters in the finals of both the French Open and the U.S. Open in 2003.
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What are some major tournaments that Justine Henin won?
Justine Henin, a Belgian tennis player, achieved significant success in major tournaments. In 2003, she won both the French Open and the U.S. Open, marking her first Grand Slam title. The following year, she won the Australian Open and the gold medal at the Athens Olympics. Henin reestablished her dominance at the French Open with championships in 2005 and 2006, and she won her second U.S. Open title in 2007.
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What style of play was Justine Henin known for on the tennis court?
Justine Henin, a Belgian tennis player, was known for her strong serve and powerful one-handed backhand, which propelled her to the top of women's tennis in the 2000s. Henin's consistency and determination helped her end the 2003 season as the top-ranked player. She won the 2004 Australian Open, and despite a virus impacting her performance at the French Open, she secured a gold medal at the Athens Olympics. Henin stunned the tennis world by retiring in May 2008, but she returned to the sport in January 2010, reaching the Australian Open final before a lingering elbow injury forced her to retire again in January 2011.
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How did Justine Henin impact Belgian sports history?
Justine Henin significantly impacted Belgian sports history through her achievements in tennis. Her powerful one-handed backhand helped her rise to the top of womenâs tennis in the 21st century. Henin's victories in major championships, including the French Open and the U.S. Open, along with her Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games, brought international recognition to Belgium. Her remarkable consistency led her to finish as the top-ranked player in 2003. Henin was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2016.
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What has Justine Henin done after retiring from professional tennis?
After initially retiring in May 2008 while ranked number one, Justine Henin cited fatigue and poor play as reasons for her departure, just before defending her French Open title. However, she announced a comeback in September 2009, returning to competitive tennis in January 2010. In her second tournament after returning, Henin reached the Australian Open final but lost to Serena Williams. A lingering elbow injury forced her to retire again in January 2011. In 2016, Henin was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
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Justine Henin (born June 1, 1982, Liège, Belgium) is a Belgian tennis player, whose strong serve and powerful one-handed backhand elevated her to the top of the womenâs game in the first decade of the 21st century.
Henin set high standards as a junior competitor, taking the Junior Orange Bowl international tennis championship crown in Miami in 1996 and winning the French Open junior championships the following year. She turned professional on January 1, 1999, at age 16, and in 2000 she finished among the top 50 players in the world. She married Pierre-Yves Hardenne in 2002, and she competed as Justine Henin-Hardenne until her divorce in 2007.
During the 2003 season she captured two major championships, ousting fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters in the finals of both the French Open and the U.S. Open; her victory on the clay courts at Roland Garros in the French Open marked her first Grand Slam title. Moreover, she was victorious in 75 of 86 matches, winning 8 tournaments altogether and reaching the semifinals or better in 16 of the 20 events she entered. Her remarkable consistency and determination enabled her to finish the year as the top-ranked player in the womenâs game.
Heninâs run continued with a victory at the 2004 Australian Open, but a virus sidelined her in the weeks leading to the French Open. Her departure in the second round at Roland Garros made her the first top-seeded woman at the tournament to lose before the third round. She did not compete again until the Olympic Games in Athens. Remarkably, she rescued herself from 1â5 down in the final set of her semifinal against French Open victor Anastasiya Myskina of Russia and then took the gold medal over AmĂŠlie Mauresmo of France. At the U.S. Open two weeks later, however, Henin was ousted in the fourth roundâthe first time since 1980 that a number-one seed had been beaten before the semifinals in that tournament. Soon after, the Belgian champion announced that she would not compete for the remainder of the year.
The 2005 French Open saw a return to championship form for Henin, who entered the tournament as the 10th seed. She reestablished her dominance of the clay at Roland Garros with championships in 2005 and 2006, and she reached the finals of every other Grand Slam event in 2006. Henin did not compete at the 2007 Australian Open, in order to handle her divorce, but several months later she earned her third consecutive French Open victory, becoming only the second woman to accomplish that feat since 1937. She also set a French Open record by winning 35 consecutive sets. In 2007 Henin won her second U.S. Open title.
Henin stunned the tennis world in May 2008 when she announced her immediate retirement from the sport, despite being ranked the number one player at the time. She cited fatigue and a recent stretch of poor play as reasons for her retirement, and she left the game just two weeks before she was to defend her title at the French Open. However, she announced in September 2009 that she would return to competitive tennis the following January. In just the second tournament of her comeback, Henin reached the 2010 Australian Open final, which she lost to Serena Williams. However, a lingering elbow injury forced her to again retire from the sport in January 2011. Henin was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2016.