05/15/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Tennis Betting) - One of tennis' greatest champions abruptly called it a career this week, as Justine Henin decided she'd had enough of the tennis lifestyle at only 25 years of age.
Much like Bjorn Borg in the early 1980s, perhaps the Belgian star was burned out. She certainly battled a bevy of physical problems, not to mention a fair share of mental anguish, during her great run, which included seven Grand Slam singles titles, a Fed Cup championship (2001) and an Olympic gold medal (2004).
Henin was often plagued by fatigue issues, and was slowed mightily a few years back by a strain of cytomegalovirus, an energy-sapping immune system problem that often forced her to sleep up to 18 hours a day and left her with barely enough strength to even brush her teeth.
But at no point did we think she'd retire before the midway point of this 2008 campaign.
The former JH-H was 16-4 with a pair of titles this year. Not too bad, right? But instead of continuing her assault on the record books, the diminutive star held a mid-week news conference in her homeland to let everybody know that she was leaving the game for good...with no regrets.
In doing so, "Juju" became the first-ever standing women's No. 1 to retire, and the second Belgian great within the last year to hang 'em up, as former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters quit the sport last year in order to start a family (which she has since done).
"The decision is final, I stop immediately with tennis," said Henin, who was flanked by her long-time coach, Argentine Carlos Rodriguez, at the news conference. "I stop without regret. I've given everything."
She added that she is "not sad, but relieved and proud" of her decision.
Henin, who will turn 26 on June 1, suffered a third-round defeat at the hands of Russian Dinara Safina in Berlin last week and then pulled out of this week's event in Rome, citing (what else?) fatigue.
The four-time French Open champion, who took the last three championships at Roland Garros, opted against gearing up for a shot at a fifth overall and fourth straight title at the only clay-court major, which starts in less than two weeks. The reigning queen of clay ends her career with a 21-match winning streak at RG.
All told, Henin tallied 41 titles on the WTA Tour and more than $19.4 million in prize money. She led the circuit with a whopping 10 titles last year, a year in which she pocketed over $5 million and captured both French and U.S. Open crowns.
The diminutive star first reached No. 1 in October 2003 and this week marked her 61st consecutive one at the top of the rankings, and 117th overall, which is good enough for sixth place on that all-time list.
The 5-foot-5 Henin was best known for that spectacular one-handed backhand, her tremendous athleticism and foot speed, mental strength and an unrivaled work ethic. She was able to combine power and finesse, which enabled her to excel on any surface.
Her outstanding footwork, balance and court coverage were top shelf, and she always demonstrated exceptional volleying skills. Henin also boasted an underrated serve, which topped out at 124 miles per hour back in 2005.
"Pound for pound Justine is the greatest player of her generation," said WTA Tour founder and legend Billie Jean King.
The steady Henin captured every major tennis event, with the exception of Wimbledon; helped tiny Belgium win its first and only Fed Cup title; and was a two-time winner of the prestigious year-end Tour Championships.
"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," said WTA Tour chairman and CEO Larry Scott. "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. History will remember Justine for not only her seven Grand Slam titles and three years finishing as the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's No.1, but for one of the most graceful backhands the sport has ever seen and an ability to overcome any and all obstacles placed in her way on and off the court."
The three-time year-end No. 1 had some great rivalries, with her countrywoman Clijsters, and Serena Williams. She went 12-10 lifetime versus Kimmy, including a win in the first-ever all-Belgian Grand Slam final at the 2003 French Open. Henin also topped Clijsters in the '03 U.S. Open final and the 2004 Aussie Open finale. Against her arch-rival Serena, Henin was 6-7 and won three straight Grand Slam quarterfinal bouts against the sturdy American last season. Oddly enough, Henin and the former top-ranked Serena never squared off in a major final.
FYI, the two-time U.S. Open champion and 2004 Aussie Open titlist Henin was 6-3 lifetime against Maria Sharapova and 2-7 versus Venus Williams, if you want to compare her against some of her other contemporaries.
Henin, who spent the last eight years inside the world's top eight, was also well known for having a troubled personal life. Her mother died in 1995 when she was only 12 years old, she went eight years without speaking to her estranged father Jose, and she divorced her husband, Pierre-Yves Hardenne, in 2007.
One thing I know for sure is that Henin's retirement is bad news for the world of tennis. Tennis, like all sports, is only as great as its greatest champions and its mouth-watering rivalries. And with Henin's exit, you lose not only the compelling rivalry with Serena, but also one of the game's top players of all- time.
And for the record, I can't think of anyone I enjoyed watching more than the determined Belgian.
Is Henin truly gone for good? My gut feeling says yes. But don't forget that Borg attempted that ill-fated comeback in the early '90s, with his trademark headband and wooden racquet in tow.
Farewell, Queen Justine!!!
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My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
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