Justine Henin: ‘Imperfect’ Journey of a 7-Time Grand Slam Champion

(Photo: The Quint/Kamran Akhter)

Video Editor: Prashant Chauhan
Camera: Sumit Badola

“Was everything perfect? Of course not. What is perfect in life? Nothing.”

Belgium tennis star Justine Henin won seven Grand Slams in a career that saw her take retirement twice, but if she was to look back at her ‘imperfect’ journey, the now 36-year-old says she only feels happy and proud.

And while she may call it imperfect, Henin’s journey on the court was nothing short of illustrious. Rewinding to the beginning, Henin first broke into the tennis scene in 1997 as she clinched the French Open’s Junior girl’s singles title.

“That moment when I won the junior tournament, it was something quite special. To be there not as a professional tennis player but a junior but to play on Court no 1 and to feel that atmosphere of a Grand Slam. It was something very special because it was at a time when I had just turned 15, so I was very, very young.”

“When I won the tournament, I said to myself that I want to feel the same kind of atmosphere and feelings but in the women’s draw,” said Henin.

Justine went on become one of the great Roland Garros players. Starting with a title in 2003, she won three on the trot in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Besides, she lifted two US Opens in 2003 and 2007, and won the Australian Open in 2004.

“If I had to choose one year in my career, it would be 2007 for sure.”

Justine Henin

“In 2006 I played the four finals (Grand Slams). And won, I wouldn’t say only Roland Garros, because it was good enough. And then in 2007, after some personal issues I came back on the tour with a lot of joy and then won the Roland Garros, US Open. I had a bad defeat in the semi-finals in Wimbledon and then I won the Championships also at the end of the year. I finished the year number 1.”

“It was the best tennis of my career that I played in Roland Garros that year, and in the US Open also beating Venus and Serena back-to-back, Serena and then Venus. I never felt as strong as I did that year,” she said.

And then in 2008, at the peak of her career, Justine stunned the world by announcing retirement while she was World no 1.

“The people that know me, know how much I can do things 300 percent. For 5 or 6 years, I had been in my bubble really away from any social life because I knew my focus had to be on my career. And when I stopped the first time it was because I was a little bit tired of that and needed to get a little out of that bubble, be with my family with a little bit less travelling, less pressure.”

Then I came back to tennis because I was really in love with tennis. I had a lot of success but then my injury came and then it was another story. But I really expected to come back to my career differently with another kind of experience, with another way to live it. But I have no regrets about the fact that I was really someone who was 300 percent for many reasons.

I needed to save my energy, I needed to stay healthy. Physically I’m not so solid, so I really needed to take care of myself. That included some sacrifices of course, but you don’t live this kind of career if you don’t make certain sacrifices and if you don’t make a choice. And when I stopped my career I was still very young to be able to live a completely different life.”

As Roger Federer as an inspiration, Henin returned to professional tennis in 2010. She then reached the Australian Open final, fourth round of the French Open and the Wimbledon before being forced to take retirement again due to injury.

“I am not the kind of person who looks back and says ‘I have regrets’ or ‘what happened?’ I can just be grateful for the career I had. I can look back and only be positive, because was everything perfect? Of course not. And what is perfect in life? Nothing.”

“So I can really look back and feel not relieved, but happy and proud because I did much more than I could expect. I could have won the Wimbledon, I could play longer I could do different kind of things but in another I always did the best I could, and there is no regret I can have,” said Henin.