Karin Knapp

Country	Italy
Residence	Luttach, Italy
Born	(1987-06-28) 28 June 1987 (age 24) Bruneck, Italy
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	72 kg (160 lb)
Turned pro	2002
Plays	Right-handed
Career prize money	US$454,692
Singles
Career record	161–106
Career titles	0 WTA, 1 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 35 (25 February 2008)
Current ranking	No. 94 (21 May 2012)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	2R (2009)
French Open	3R (2007, 2008)
Wimbledon	1R (2007)
US Open	2R (2007)
Doubles
Career record	25–39
Career titles	2 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 145 (23 July 2007)
Last updated on: 22 November 2010.

Karin Knapp (born 28 June 1987 in Bruneck, Italy) is an Italian female tennis player. She was ranked World No. 35 on 25 February 2008.

Career[link]

At the 2007 French Open, her first ever Grand Slam tournament, she reached the third round in the singles event, beating 22nd-seeded Alona Bondarenko. In the third round, she lost to 14th-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 4–6, 6–1, 7–5.

At the 2007 US Open, she defeated Chan Yung-jan to reach the second round where she lost to American wildcard Ahsha Rolle.

Knapp reached her first WTA Tour final at the 2008 Proximus Diamond Games. She lost there to World No. 1 and home favorite Justine Henin 6–3, 6–3.

At the 2008 French Open, she lost in the third round to top-ranked Maria Sharapova 7–6, 6–0.

WTA Career Finals[link]

Singles: 1 (0-1)[link]

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
Runner-up	1.	17 February 2008	Antwerp, Belgium	Hard (i)	Justine Henin	6–3, 6–3

Grans Slam singles performance timeline[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Karin Knapp

• Karin Knapp at the Women's Tennis Association

v t e Women's Tennis Association: Top ten Italian female singles tennis players as of 14 May 2012. Francesca Schiavone (14 3) Roberta Vinci (19 1) Flavia Pennetta (21 ) Sara Errani (24 ) Alberta Brianti (104 7) Karin Knapp (112 4) Camila Giorgi (145 16) Anna Floris (184 1) Nastassya Burnett (193 4) Maria Elena Camerin (209 2)

Look up knapp in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Knapp is a surname of German origin. It may refer to:

People[link]

• Anthony Knapp, mathematician
• Bliss Knapp, early Christian Scientist
• Brooke Knapp, American aviator and realtor
• Charles Knapp, American classical scholar
• Charles Boynton Knapp, President, University of Georgia
• Chauncey L. Knapp, Congressman, U.S House of Representatives
• Chris Knapp, American drummer
• Edward Knapp (disambiguation), the name of several notable persons
• Florence Knapp (disambiguation), multiple people
• Georg Friedrich Knapp, German economist
• George Knapp (disambiguation), multiple people
• Greg Knapp, American football offensive coordinator
• Harry Shepard Knapp, vice-admiral of the United States Navy
• Hermann Jakob Knapp, German-American ophthalmologist
• Jennifer Knapp, Christian folk-rock musician
• Joe Knapp, American musician
• Joseph P. Knapp, publisher and conservationist
• Karin Knapp, Italian tennis player
• Lubor Knapp, Czech footballer
• Lyman Enos Knapp, American politician
• Mark L. Knapp, American academic, author
• Martin Knapp, economist and policy analyst
• Phoebe Knapp, American composer of music for hymns
• Seaman A. Knapp, the second president of Iowa State University
• Steven Knapp, President of The George Washington University
• Steve Knapp, racing car driver
• Wesley M. Knapp, American botanist
• Whitman Knapp, a federal judge who was the chairman of the Knapp Commission, a far-reaching investigation into corruption in the NYPD from 1970 to 1972

Places[link]

• Knapp, California
• Knapp, Dunn County, Wisconsin
• Knapp, Jackson County, Wisconsin
• Knapp, Hampshire, England, a village in the parish of Ampfield
• Knapp, Perthshire, Scotland
• Knapp Creek, Pocahontas County, West Virginia
• Knapp's Castle, Santa Barbara County, California
• Knapp Street, a street in Brooklyn, New York

Companies[link]

• Bill Knapp's, a defunct restaurant chain in Michigan
• Knapp's, a defunct department store chain in Michigan

Other[link]

• Knapp Commission, a far-reaching investigation, named for its chairman Whitman Knapp, into corruption in the NYPD from 1970 to 1972
• USS Knapp (DD-653), United States Navy destroyer

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Justine Henin

Country	Belgium
Residence	Brussels, Belgium
Born	(1982-06-01) 1 June 1982 (age 30) Liège, Belgium
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	57 kg (130 lb; 9.0 st)
Turned pro	1 January 1999
Retired	14 May 2008 Return: 4 January 2010[1] Retirement: 26 January 2011[2]
Plays	Right–handed (one-handed backhand)
Career prize money	US$20,863,335 (7th in all-time rankings)
Singles
Career record	525–115 (82.03%)
Career titles	43 WTA (6th in overall rankings) 7 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 1 (20 October 2003)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	W (2004)
French Open	W (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007)
Wimbledon	F (2001, 2006)
US Open	W (2003, 2007)
Other tournaments
Championships	W (2006, 2007)
Olympic Games	Gold medal (2004)
Doubles
Career record	47–35
Career titles	2 WTA, 2 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 23 (14 January 2002)
Last updated on: 29 August 2011.

Justine Henin (French pronunciation: [ʒys.tin enɛ̃]; born 1 June 1982), known as Justine Henin-Hardenne between 2002 and 2007, is a retired professional Belgian tennis player and former World No. 1.

Henin won 43 WTA singles titles and seven Grand Slam singles titles, including four French Open titles, one Australian Open title, and two US Open titles. She has also won the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships twice and the singles gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Tennis experts cite her mental toughness, the completeness and variety of her game, her footspeed and footwork, and her one-handed backhand (which John McEnroe has described as the best single-handed backhand in the women's or men's game^[4]) as the principal reasons for her success.^[5][6]

Critics and all-time-great players have made testament to Henin's talent. Upon Henin's first retirement from the WTA in the early part of the 2008 season, Billie Jean King said that "pound for pound, Henin is the best tennis player of her generation",^[7] as well as that "Justine is the best women's athlete I've ever seen."^[8] Andre Agassi said of Henin, "Justine Henin is one of the most talented women ever to have played the game of tennis."^[8] In 2007, 18 time Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova said that "She is head and shoulders above everyone else right now."^[8] John McEnroe concurred, saying that Henin is "The player I most like to watch."^[8] Henin made a return to the WTA in early 2010, losing the final of the Australian Open in only her 2nd tournament back.^[9]

On 26 January 2011, she announced that she had been forced to retire from professional tennis once again because of an elbow injury.^[10]

In June 2011, she was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by Time.^[11]

Playing style[link]

At the 2007 French Open, Martina Navratilova said that "Henin's offense is just phenomenal ... it's sort of like we've got 'the female Federer', or maybe the guys have 'the male Justine Henin', because she is just head and shoulders above everyone else right now."^[12] Henin's footwork, balance, and court coverage—and she is adept at changing from a defensive style to an aggressive one.^[13]

Despite her relatively small size, Henin has a powerful serve, which has been measured at a top speed of 196 km/h (122 mph) at the 2005 Family Circle Cup.^[14] Henin's single-handed backhand is the most powerful and accurate in the game. She can hit her backhand 'flat', with heavy topspin, or slice [underspin]. Her backhand can also be used to surprise her opponents with dropshots, breaking up the pattern of a groundstroke rally. Her slice backhand is regarded as one of the best of all time.^{[citation needed]} However, Henin's forehand is generally regarded as her most dangerous weapon,^{[citation needed]} and the stroke that she normally uses to dictate the play of a match.

Personal life[link]

Justine Henin was born in Liège. Her father is José Henin; her mother, Françoise Rosière, was a French and history teacher who died when Justine was 12 years old. She has two brothers (David and Thomas) and a sister (Sarah).

When Justine was two, her family moved to a house in Rochefort, situated next to the local tennis club, where she played tennis for the first time.

Henin's mother routinely took the young Henin across the border to France to watch the French Open.^[15] Henin saw the 1992 final involving her idol Steffi Graf and Monica Seles. Although Graf lost, the experience impressed Henin.

In 1995, shortly after her mother's death, Henin met her coach Carlos Rodriguez who guided her career both before her retirement in 2008 and during her 2010 comeback. Following a conflict between Justine and her father^{[clarification needed]} over her tennis career and her relationship with Pierre-Yves Hardenne, Rodriguez soon became not only her trainer but in some ways a second father figure.^[16]

On 16 November 2002, Henin married Pierre-Yves in the Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne.^[17][18] On 4 January 2007, Henin withdrew from the upcoming tournaments in Australia, including the Australian Open, due to personal problems. and she also resumed her maiden name, Justine Henin, instead of Justine Henin-Hardenne.

Tennis career[link]

Early career[link]

Henin, known as "Juju" to many of her fans,^[3] was coached by Carlos Rodriguez of Argentina. In 1997, she won the junior girl's singles title at the French Open. Early in her senior career, she regularly reached the late rounds of international competitions and won five International Tennis Federation tournaments by the end of 1998.

She began her professional career on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour in May 1999 as a wild card entry in the Belgian Open clay tournament at Antwerp and became only the fifth player to win her debut WTA Tour event. She defeated three top 50 players on the road to the title.^{[citation needed]} She also won her hometown event, the Liege Challenger, in July 2000.

Henin established herself as a major competitor in 2001 when she reached the women's singles semifinals of the French Open and then upset the reigning Australian Open and French Open champion Jennifer Capriati in the semifinals of Wimbledon, losing to defending champion Venus Williams in three sets in the final. By the end of the year, Henin was ranked seventh in singles, with three titles to her name. Also that year, she reached the French Open women's doubles semifinals with Elena Tatarkova and helped Belgium win the 2001 Fed Cup.

In 2002, she reached four WTA finals, winning two of them, and finished the year ranked World No. 5. Her German Open victory, her first win at a Tier I tournament, was noteworthy as she beat Jennifer Capriati in a semifinal and Serena Williams in the final, the then number two and number five ranked players, respectively.

2003: Ascent to No. 1[link]

Justine Henin prepares to hit a backhand

Henin started the year as the fifth ranked player in the world but lost to Kim Clijsters in the semifinals of the Medibank International in Sydney. In the fourth round of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Henin defeated Lindsay Davenport 7–5, 5–7, 9–7. In a match lasting more than three hours, Henin overcame a 4–1 final set deficit, high temperatures, and muscle cramps to defeat Davenport for the first time in her career.^[19][20] Henin then lost to Venus Williams in the semifinals in straight sets.

Henin then lost to Clijsters in the semifinals of the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp. At the Dubai Tennis Championships one week later, Henin defeated former World No. 1 Monica Seles in the final 4–6, 7–6, 7–5 after Seles had a match point at 5–4 in the second set. It was Henin's first victory over Seles.

Henin's next tournament was the Tier I Miami Masters. She lost in the quarterfinals to World No. 10 Chanda Rubin 6–3, 6–2.

At the clay court Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, Henin defeated World No. 1 Serena Williams in the final. This was Williams' first loss of the year after 22 wins.

The following week, Henin reached the semifinals of the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida, losing to eventual winner Elena Dementieva 3–6, 6–4, 7–5. Henin then helped Belgium defeat Austria 5–0 in a first round tie of the Fed Cup.

In May, Henin successfully defended her Tier I title at the Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin. In the final, Henin saved three match points in the third set before defeating Clijsters.

At the French Open, Henin was the fourth seeded player. She defeated the defending champion, Serena Williams, in a semifinal 6–2, 4–6, 7–5 after Henin trailed 4–2 in the third set. In the final, Henin defeated Clijsters in straight sets. This was Henin's first Grand Slam title, and she was the first Belgian ever to win a Grand Slam singles title.

Henin then began her preparations for Wimbledon. At the grass court Ordina Open in Rosmalen, Henin lost in the final to Clijsters when Henin was forced to retire from the match after injuring her finger.

At Wimbledon, Henin was the third seeded player. She defeated Mary Pierce in the fourth round and Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals before losing to Serena Williams in a straight sets semifinal.

Henin's first competition after Wimbledon was the Fed Cup tie against Slovakia. Henin won both her singles matches to help Belgium win the tie 5–0.

Henin then played two tournaments during the North American summer hard court season before the US Open. At the Tier I Acura Classic in San Diego, the third-seeded Henin defeated the top-seeded Clijsters in the final. Two weeks later at the Tier I Rogers Cup in Toronto, Henin defeated Russia's Lina Krasnoroutskaya in the final.

Henin was the second-seeded player at the US Open. She won her first four matches against unseeded players before defeating seventh-seeded Anastasia Myskina in the quarterfinals. Henin then defeated sixth-seeded Jennifer Capriati in the semifinals 4–6, 7–5, 7–6(4) in a match that lasted more than three hours and stretched to midnight. Henin recovered from a 5–3 deficit in the second set and a 5–2 deficit in the final set and was just two points from defeat eleven times. She was treated for muscle cramps and dehydration overnight but returned to play in the final the next day.^[21] In the final, Henin defeated Clijsters in straight sets.^[22] The win raised Henin's ranking to World No. 2, just behind Clijsters.

Henin next played the indoor Sparkassen Cup in Leipzig, Germany where she lost to Myskina in the final. This ended Henin's 22-match winning streak. Two weeks later at the indoor Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Filderstadt, Germany, Henin lost in the final to Clijsters. Had Henin won this match, she would have immediately replaced Clijsters as the World No. 1.

At the Tier I Zurich Open the following week, Henin reached her sixth consecutive final where she defeated Serbia's Jelena Dokić. This win caused Henin to become the thirteenth World No. 1 on the Women's Tennis Association computer on 20 October 2003. Henin, however, held this ranking for only one week as she declined to defend her title at the Generali Ladies Linz tournament in Linz, Austria.

At the WTA Tour Championships in Los Angeles, Henin defeated Myskina and Capriati but lost to Japan's Ai Sugiyama in her round robin matches. In the semifinals, Henin lost to Amélie Mauresmo 7–6(2), 3–6, 6–3.

Henin was named the International Tennis Federation's women's singles World Champion for 2003. She ended the year as the World No. 1.

2004[link]

Henin started 2004 by winning a warm-up tournament in Sydney. She then won the Australian Open in Melbourne, defeating Kim Clijsters in three sets.

By the end of the 2004 spring hard court season, Henin had built a 25-match Tier I winning streak and a 22–1 win-loss record (winning her first 16 matches).

At the start of the 2004 spring clay court season, Henin's health was adversely affected by infection with a strain of cytomegalovirus and an immune system problem. She often slept up to 18 hours a day and barely had the strength to brush her teeth, let alone play competitive tennis.

Although she decided to defend her French Open title and was seeded first in the tournament, she lost her second round match to a much lower-ranked player, Tathiana Garbin of Italy. At the time, the loss marked only the second time in 15 Grand Slam events that she'd lost before the fourth round.

After months of layoff because of a virus, Henin returned to competition in August and won the women's singles gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, defeating Amélie Mauresmo of France in the final 6–3, 6–3. Henin reached the gold medal match by defeating reigning French Open champion Anastasia Myskina in a semifinal 7–5, 5–7, 8–6 after having trailed 1–5 in the final set.^[23][24] Her medal ceremony was attended by fellow countryman and IOC president Jacques Rogge.

In September, she was unsuccessful in her defence of her US Open title, losing to Nadia Petrova in the fourth round. This defeat caused her to lose the World No. 1 ranking, which she had held for 45 non-consecutive weeks. She then withdrew from the 10 remaining tournaments of the year in an effort to recover her health and improve her fitness.

2005[link]

Her plan to rejoin the tour at the beginning of 2005 was delayed when she fractured her kneecap in a December 2004 training session.

On 25 March, after more than six months away from competition, Henin returned to the Women's Tennis Association tour at the Miami Masters. She lost to second ranked Maria Sharapova in a quarterfinal. She rebounded at her next tournament, winning the clay court Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina. She won two more clay court titles before the start of the 2005 French Open. Her victories over top ranked Lindsay Davenport, Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Petrova made her a top contender for the title there.

Henin was seeded tenth at the French Open and defeated the French player Mary Pierce in the final in straight sets to take her second title at Roland Garros. The win marked Henin's 24th consecutive clay court win and her tenth consecutive final win, a streak dating back to Zurich in October 2003. In capturing the title, she defeated Kuznetsova in the fourth round, Sharapova in a quarterfinal, and Petrova in a semifinal. Henin saved two match points to defeat Kuznetsova in the fourth round 7–6(6), 4–6, 7–5 and thus became only the second woman to win the French Open after saving a match point.^[25]

With her French Open victory, Henin moved from World No. 12 to World No. 7 in the women's singles rankings. Henin was a perfect 24–0 on clay this year and joined Monica Seles as the only two currently active (in 2005) players on the WTA Tour to have won the French Open at least twice.

At Wimbledon 2005, Henin's win streak of 24 matches was snapped in the first round by Greek Eleni Daniilidou 7–6, 2–6, 7–5. It was the first time that a reigning French Open champion failed to win a match at Wimbledon.^[26][27] A hamstring injury sustained earlier in the year eventually limited her to playing only 11 more matches for 2005.

Henin next played the Rogers Cup in Toronto, where she reached the final after beating Mauresmo in a semifinal before losing to Clijsters in straight sets.

She lost in the fourth round of the US Open to eventual finalist Mary Pierce 6–3, 6–2.

Following this, she played in Filderstadt, but after losing her first round match to Flavia Pennetta, she decided not to play for the rest of 2005.

In 2005, TENNIS Magazine placed her in 31st place on its list of the 40 Greatest Players for the period 1965 through 2005.

In November, at the 2005 WTA Tour Championships, she was named the inaugural winner of the Whirlpool 6TH SENSE Player of the Year, which honors the player who has demonstrated the most sixth sense intuition, that is to say "heightened intelligence, unbeatable performance and pinpoint precision".

2006[link]

Justine Henin at the 2006 Medibank International in Sydney, Australia.

In January, Henin returned to competitive tennis at the tournament in Sydney, a tune-up for the Australian Open. She was seeded fifth and played former World No. 1 (and newly returned to competitive tennis) Martina Hingis in a much hyped first round match. Henin won 6–3, 6–3. She then defeated former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in a semifinal before defeating Francesca Schiavone in the final.

At the Australian Open, Henin defeated top ranked Lindsay Davenport and fourth ranked Maria Sharapova in three-set matches to set up a final against third ranked Amélie Mauresmo. While trailing 6–1, 2–0, Henin retired from the match, citing intense stomach pain caused by over-use of anti-inflammatories for a persistent shoulder injury. Henin stated afterwards that she feared possible injury had she continued to play. Henin was criticized by the press^[28][29] because she had stated after her semifinal win against Sharapova that she was at the "peak of her fitness" and was playing the "best tennis of her life". This was only the fourth Grand Slam women's singles final to end by retirement since 1900 and the first in the open era.

Henin captured her second title of the year at a Tier II event in Dubai, defeating Sharapova 7–5, 6–2. This was her third Dubai title, having won previously in 2003 and 2004. At the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, Henin lost in the semifinals to fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva 2–6, 7–5, 7–5 after leading 6–2, 5–2 and serving for the match twice. Henin also lost in the second round of the Tier I Miami Masters to Meghann Shaughnessy 7–5, 6–4.

On clay, Henin failed to retain her title at the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, losing in the semifinals to third-seeded Patty Schnyder 2–6, 6–3, 6–2. It was her first career defeat at this tournament and the end of her 27-match winning streak on clay. Henin then helped Belgium defeat defending champion Russia in a Fed Cup quarterfinal. She beat fifth ranked Nadia Petrova 6–7, 6–4, 6–3, and ninth ranked Elena Dementieva 6–2, 6–0. Petrova had come into the tie with two consecutive clay court tournament victories and a 10-match clay court winning streak, while Dementieva had defeated Henin in their last meeting in Indian Wells and defeated second ranked Belgian compatriot Kim Clijsters on the first day of the tie. Three weeks later, Henin played the Tier I Qatar Telecom German Open, defeating Mauresmo in a semifinal 6–1, 6–2 before losing to Petrova in a three-set final.

At the French Open, Henin defeated second seeded Clijsters in the semifinals 6–3, 6–2. She then defeated Kuznetsova in the final to win her third French Open singles title in four years. Henin captured the title without losing a set and became the first French Open champion to defend her title successfully since Steffi Graf in 1996.

At the Eastbourne grass court tournament just before Wimbledon, Henin defeated Anastasia Myskina in the final in three sets.

Henin was the third seed going into Wimbledon and advanced to her third consecutive Grand Slam final without losing a set. She defeated Clijsters (who was seeded second) in a semifinal 6–4, 7–6(4) but lost the final to Mauresmo. The final featured two finesse players who used their all-court games, a break from recent years that featured a succession of power baseliners claiming the title. At almost every point throughout the match, both players approached the net to volley. Tipped as the tournament favorite, Henin won the first set. But Mauresmo recovered to win the next two sets and her second Grand Slam singles title and deny the Belgian a career Grand Slam.^[30][31] This was the only Wimbledon final of the decade that did not involve Venus Williams and/or Serena Williams.

Henin withdrew from Tier I events in San Diego and Montreal because of injury but played the tournament in New Haven, Connecticut. There, she defeated Kuznetsova and Davenport en route to the title. It was her 28th WTA tour title. She returned to the World No. 2 ranking and crossed over US$12 million in career prize money.

At the US Open, Sharapova defeated Henin in the final after Henin had defeated Davenport in the quarterfinals and Jelena Janković in the semifinals 4–6, 6–4, 6–0. Henin became the first woman since Hingis in 1997 to reach the finals of all four Grand Slam singles tournaments in a calendar year.

Henin won both of her singles matches during the Fed Cup final against Italy in Charleroi, Belgium. However, Henin retired from the deciding doubles match because of a knee injury while she and her partner Kirsten Flipkens were trailing 3–6, 6–2, 2–0, giving Italy the championship.

Henin guaranteed her year-end World No. 1 ranking by reaching the final of the Sony Ericsson Championships, defeating Sharapova in the semifinals 6–2, 7–6(5). Henin then defeated Mauresmo and won the tournament for the first time in her career.

Henin was the first player since Hingis in 2000 to win the WTA Tour Championships and end the year as the top ranked player. Henin was the first woman to win at least one Grand Slam singles title in four consecutive years since Graf from 1993 through 1996. Her prize money earnings for the year totaled $4,204,810.^[32]

2007: Dominance[link]

Justine Henin during the 2007 Miami Masters.

On 4 January 2007, Henin withdrew from the Australian Open and the warm-up tournament in Sydney to deal with the break-up of her marriage. Not playing those tournaments caused Henin to lose the World No. 1 ranking to Maria Sharapova.

In Henin's first tournament of the year, she lost in the semifinals of the Open Gaz de France in Paris to Czech Lucie Šafářová 7–6(5), 6–4. She then won two hardcourt tournaments in the Middle East, the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open (for the fourth time in five years) over Amélie Mauresmo and her first Qatar Total Open title in Doha, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. She also reached US$14 million in career prize money and on 19 March, regained the World No. 1 ranking.

At the Miami Masters, Henin reached the final for the first time in her career, where she lost to Serena Williams 0–6, 7–5, 6–3 after holding two match points at 6–0, 5–4. Her next tournament was the J&S Cup in Warsaw, Poland, which she won, beating Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine in the final, 6–1, 6–3. Later, at the Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin, Henin won her quarterfinal against Jelena Janković 3–6, 6–4, 6–4 after being behind 4–0 in the third set, only to lose her semifinal against Kuznetsova 6–4, 5–7, 6–4. The loss was only her second to Kuznetsova in 16 career meetings.

At the French Open, Henin was the two-time defending champion and top seed. In a highly-anticipated quarterfinal match against Serena Williams, Henin won 6–4, 6–3. She then defeated Janković in the semifinals 6–2, 6–2. In the final, Henin defeated Ana Ivanović in straight sets, 6–1, 6–2 to claim her third consecutive French Open title, equalling Seles's open era record. She also surpassed US$15 million in career prize money earnings. Henin won the tournament without dropping a set and had not lost a set at this tournament since the 2005 French Open quarterfinals. She had not lost a match at the French Open since 2004.

The International Women's Open in Eastbourne was Henin's first grass court tournament of the year. She and Mauresmo reached the final, which was the first time in nearly 30 years that the Eastbourne final included both finalists from Wimbledon the previous year. Henin recovered from a breakdown in the final set to win in a third-set tiebreak for the second consecutive year.

At Wimbledon, Henin lost to Marion Bartoli in the semifinals 1–6, 7–5, 6–1, one day after Henin defeated Serena Williams in the quarterfinals. It was Henin's first win over the American on a surface other than clay. In the semifinal, Henin was up a break at 1–0 and 4–3 in the second set, but could not hold the lead.^[33]

In August, Henin won the Tier I Rogers Cup in Toronto, defeating Janković in the final. The tournament championship was Henin's 35th on the WTA tour, moving her past Clijsters who retired with 34 tournament championships.

At the US Open, Henin defeated her first four opponents in straight sets, with a 6–0 set in each match. Henin then faced Serena Williams in the quarterfinals for the third consecutive time in a Grand Slam tournament, and for the third time, Henin won, 7–6(3), 6–1. In the semifinals against Venus Williams, Henin was up a break in the first set but could not hold it. She finally won the set in a tiebreak. In the second set, Henin was ahead 3–0 before Williams leveled the set at 3–3. Williams then had three break points on Henin's service but could not convert and lost the game. Henin then broke Williams's serve and held her own serve to go up 5–3. Williams then broke Henin to pull within 5–4 but Henin broke Williams again in the last game to win the match 7–6(2), 6–4. Henin became only the second player to defeat both Williams sisters in the same Grand Slam tournament (after Martina Hingis at the 2001 Australian Open).^[34] In the final, Henin won her second US Open singles title, defeating Kuznetsova in straight sets, 6–1, 6–3. Henin won the tournament without dropping a set.

Henin won her next tournament, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, defeating Tatiana Golovin in the final. Two weeks later, Henin won the Zurich Open, her ninth title of the year, by again defeating Golovin in the final.

At the WTA Tour Championships, Henin won all three of her round robin matches, defeating Anna Chakvetadze, Janković, and Bartoli. Going into the match against Bartoli, Henin had won 22 consecutive matches since Bartoli defeated her in the 2007 Wimbledon semifinals. Although Henin had already clinched a spot in the semifinals, both Henin and Bartoli did not know Bartoli had to replace Serena Williams until several hours before the match and lost 6–0, 6–0.^[35] In the semifinals, Henin defeated Ivanović 6–4, 6–4. In the final, Henin overcame Sharapova in three sets^[36] in a match that lasted 3 hours, 24 minutes. Sharapova won the first set on her eighth set point in the 12-minute last game. Henin won the match on her fifth match point in the final game of the match. This was Henin's longest ever match, the longest final in tournament history, and the twelfth longest women's match ever.^[37]

This victory extended Henin's winning streak to 25 matches. She only lost three sets after Wimbledon. This victory made her the sixth player to successfully defend her title at the WTA's season-ending championship and the first player to claim at least 10 tour titles in a year since Hingis won 12 in 1997. She also became the first woman to break the US$5 million barrier in prize money in a year, and by crossing US$19 million, Henin is now ranked fifth on the all time prize money list.

Henin ended the year ranked World No. 1 for the third time in her career, having done so previously in 2003 and 2006. She was the first player since Martina Hingis to end the year ranked World No. 1 consecutively for two years (Hingis was ranked year-end World No. 1 in 1999–2000). She also ended the year with a 63–4 record, having lost to only four players: Lucie Šafářová, Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Marion Bartoli. She had the best win percentage record in 15 years, since Steffi Graf in 1995.

2008: Retirement[link]

Henin started the year as the World No. 1. 14 January marked Henin's 100th career week as World No. 1, and on 10 March, Henin became only the seventh female player to be ranked World No. 1 for 12 consecutive months.

The Medibank International in Sydney was Henin's first tournament of the year. She defeated Ana Ivanović in the semifinals 6–2, 2–6, 6–4. She then defeated World No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova 4–6, 6–2, 6–4, overcoming an 0–3 deficit in the final set.

At the Australian Open in Melbourne, Henin won her 32nd consecutive match in the fourth round, defeating Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan 6–2, 6–2. The winning streak ended in the quarterfinals when Sharapova, the eventual winner, defeated Henin 6–4, 6–0. This was Henin's first 6–0 loss since the 2002 French Open and the first time since the 2005 US Open that Henin had been defeated in a Grand Slam singles tournament before the semifinals.

At the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, Henin defeated Karin Knapp in the final. This was Henin's second singles title in her native Belgium. Two weeks later at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, Henin was the defending champion but lost for the first time in eight meetings to Francesca Schiavone in the quarterfinals 7–6(3), 7–6(4). Henin had struggled for three hours in her first match against Katarina Srebotnik, eventually winning 7–5, 6–7, 6–3.

After taking a four week break, Henin's next tournament was the Tier I Miami Masters. She lost in the quarterfinals to Serena Williams 6–2, 6–0. Henin then withdrew from the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina because of an injury to her right knee.

At the Tier I, clay court Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin, Henin lost in the third round to Dinara Safina 5–7, 6–3, 6–1, in what turned out to be her last match before retirement. In their five previous career matches, Henin had never lost a set to Safina. The day after her defeat, Henin withdrew from the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, citing fatigue.

Henin announced her immediate retirement from professional tennis on 14 May 2008, and requested the Women's Tennis Association to remove her name from the rankings immediately. Her announcement was a surprise because Henin was still ranked World No. 1 and was considered the favorite for the 2008 French Open, where she would have been the 3-time defending champion.^[38] She said she felt no sadness about her retirement because she believed it was a release from a game she had focused on for twenty years. She also said that in the future, she will be concentrating on charity and her tennis school.

2010: Comeback[link]

Belgian newspaper, Vers l'Avenir, reported on Tuesday 22 September 2009 that Henin would formally announce her return to competitive tennis after 16 months of retirement. Later that day, Justine Henin confirmed her return to competition.^[39] Henin mentioned seeing Roger Federer finally complete the grand slam of titles by winning the French Open in 2009 had been an inspiration,^[40] as had Kim Clijsters return to the tour and her victory at the US Open.^[41]

Henin made her return to tennis at the 2010 Brisbane International where she was given a wildcard. She defeated No. 2 seed Nadia Petrova, Sesil Karatantcheva, No. 7 seed Melinda Czink and No. 3 seed Ana Ivanović to make it to the final. She then lost to her Belgian compatriot Kim Clijsters in the final, 6–3, 4–6, 7–6(6) in a 2 hour, 23 minute match.

At the 2010 Australian Open, Henin was given a wildcard as an unranked player.^[1][42] Henin started off with a straight sets victory over Belgian Kirsten Flipkens. She set up the most highly anticipated second round match of the tournament with No. 5 seed Elena Dementieva, whom she defeated 7–5, 7–6(5). Lasting two hours and fifty minutes, commentators felt this match was worthy of a final. Henin approached the net forty-three times, winning thirty-five of those points. In the third round, she defeated No. 28 seed Alisa Kleybanova from Russia; where she made a comeback to win 3–6, 6–4, 6–2.^[43] In the fourth round she faced World No. 16 and fellow Belgian, Yanina Wickmayer, defeating her in 3 sets 7–6, 1–6, 6–3. She then defeated No. 19 seed Nadia Petrova from Russia in the quarter-finals. Henin won 7–6, 7–5 after having been down 0–3 in the second set. She then went on to defeat Zheng Jie from China in the semi-finals in convincing fashion 6–1, 6–0, setting up a clash with World No. 1 Serena Williams in the 2010 Australian Open ladies final. This was the first time in their long rivalry that Henin and Serena Williams met in a Grand Slam Final. Henin would eventually fall to Serena Williams in 3 sets 6–4, 3–6, 6–2.

Justine Henin winning the 2010 Stuttgart Porsche Cup

A wildcard was granted for Henin to compete at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, a Premier Mandatory tournament. In the first round, Henin defeated Magdaléna Rybáriková 6–2, 6–2 in a little over an hour. Henin then lost to Gisela Dulko, 2–6, 6–1, 4–6, in a 2 hour match. The result gave her a new rank of World No. 33 as of 22 March 2010. She defeated Jill Craybas of USA 6–2,6–2 in the first round of Sony Ericsson Open. In the second round, Henin defeated World No. 6 Elena Dementieva 6–3, 6–2 in 90 minutes. In the third round, Henin defeated Dominika Cibulková in 93 minutes, 6–4, 6–4 advancing to the quarterfinals where Henin thrashed Vera Zvonareva 6–1, 6–4 to set up a meeting in the quarterfinals with World No.2 Caroline Wozniacki. After defeating World No. 2 Wozniacki in a three-set match, she fell to compatriot Kim Clijsters in a semifinal battle, 2–6, 7–6 (3), 6–7 (6). Following her Sony Ericsson Open performance, Henin moved into the top 25 for the first time since her comeback.

Henin's next tournament was the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Henin played through this tournament injured, having previously broken her left pinkie during Fed Cup practice. In the first round, Henin saw off German qualifier Julia Görges 7–6 (3), 6–1. In her second round, she defeated World No. 12 and fellow Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, defeating her for the 2nd consecutive time, 6–3, 7–5. In the quarterfinals, she defeated fourth seed and World No. 7 Jelena Janković 3–6, 7–6 (4), 6–3 for the tenth time in her career. She defeated World No. 20 Shahar Pe'er in the semifinals, 6–3, 6–2, and reached her third final in five tournaments this year. She faced World No. 10 Samantha Stosur. Henin won the final 6–4, 2–6, 6–1 in 100 minutes, to procure her first title in 2010 (in her 3rd final). Winning this tournament also sent Henin into the Top 20 for the first time since her comeback.

At the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open she was defeated in the first round by eventual champion Aravane Rezaï 4–6, 7–5, 6–0. As a result of this shock loss, Henin dropped out of the Top 20 to No.23. Henin then participated at the 2010 French Open, seeded 22nd, the second grand slam of the year where she has won four previous titles. In the 1st round, she defeated Tsvetana Pironkova in 89 minutes, 6–4, 6–3. In the 2nd round, Henin faced Klára Zakopalová and defeated her 6–3, 6–3. In the third round, facing former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova, Henin ended her streak of consecutive sets at 40, losing the 2nd set to Sharapova but going on to win 6–2, 3–6, 6–3. She had then tied the number of consecutive sets won at the French Open with Helen Wills Moody. She lost to World No. 7 Samantha Stosur 2–6, 6–1, 6–4 in the fourth round, her first defeat at Roland Garros since 2004.

Henin began the grass court season at the 2010 UNICEF Open, where she was the top seed for the first time since her return. In the first three rounds she defeated Angelique Kerber, Roberta Vinci, and Kristina Barrois in straight sets. She then demolished No. 5 seed Alexandra Dulgheru in the semifinals, 6–2, 6–2. In the final, she defeated No. 7 seed Andrea Petkovic to win her 43rd career title and second of the year.

At the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, Henin was the No. 17 seed. In the third round, she had a convincing victory over Nadia Petrova, winning 6–1, 6–4. Justine was eventually defeated in the fourth round by Kim Clijsters 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, after claiming a convincing first set win. Midway through the first set, Henin slipped on the court, injuring her right elbow. Further examinations revealed a partial ligament fracture in her elbow, causing her to end her 2010 season prematurely.

2011: Second retirement[link]

Henin started her season at the 2011 Hopman Cup. She did not lose any sets in the competition earning comfortable victories over Alicia Molik from Australia, Sesil Karatantcheva from Kazakhstan, Ana Ivanović of Serbia and Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the USA in the final.

Henin was the 11th seed and a defending finalist at the 2011 Australian Open. Henin defeated Sania Mirza from India in the first round 5–7, 6–3, 6–1 and Elena Baltacha in the second round, 6–1, 6–3. She then fell to 23rd seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round 4–6, 6–7(8).

On 25 January 2011, Henin announced her definitive retirement from professional tennis, due to an exacerbation of the elbow injury she sustained the previous year at Wimbledon.^[10]

Public life and endorsements[link]

In May 2007, Henin and her coach Carlos Rodriguez started the Academy 6th Sense.^[44] At the 2009 US Open – Girls' Doubles the Ukrainian tennis player Maryna Zanevska became the first "6th Sense player" to win a Grand Slam title.^[45]

On 30 November 2007, Henin opened her own tennis academy Club Justine N1^[46] (in French, "N1" is pronounced almost exactly the same as "Henin").

On 14 May 2008, Henin announced her immediate retirement from professional tennis. She was 25 years old and ranked World No. 1 at the time.^[38][47] She announced her return to competitive tennis on 22 September 2009.^[39]

After retiring, Henin became involved in two Belgian reality shows in 2009. In May, she starred in De Twaalf Werken van Justine Henin – Les 12 travaux de Justine Henin (The 12 Labors of Justine Henin). The show followed Henin as she completed 12 personal challenges. In June 2009, she hosted a musical TV show that revolved around Belgian-Italian singer Lara Fabian.^[48]

Career statistics[link]

Records[link]

• These records were attained in the open era of tennis.

• Open era record for most consecutive sets won at the French Open: 40 (2005–2010)^{[citation needed]}. Also tied with Helen Wills Moody for the all-time record for the number of consecutive sets won at the French Open.
• Only female player in decade of 2000 to 2009 to reach title match of all four grand slams at least twice.

Awards and honors[link]

See also[link]

Tennis portal

• List of female tennis players
• List of Grand Slam Women's Singles champions
• Belgium at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• Henin – S. Williams rivalry
• Clijsters–Henin rivalry

References[link]

Notes

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Justine Henin

• Official website
• Justine Henin at the Women's Tennis Association
• Justine Henin at the International Tennis Federation
• Justine Henin at the International Tennis Federation Junior Profile
• Justine Henin at the Fed Cup
• Justine Henin at the Internet Movie Database

Articles and topics related to Justine Henin   Justine Henin (Achievement precedessor & successor) Sporting positions Preceded by Kim Clijsters Kim Clijsters Amélie Mauresmo Maria Sharapova World No. 1 20 October 2003 – 26 October 2003 10 November 2003 – 12 September 2004 13 November 2006 – 22 January 2007 19 March 2007 – 19 May 2008 Succeeded by Kim Clijsters Amélie Mauresmo Maria Sharapova Maria Sharapova Awards and achievements Preceded by Elena Dementieva WTA Most Improved Player 2001 Succeeded by Daniela Hantuchová Preceded by Serena Williams Amélie Mauresmo WTA Player of the Year 2003 2007 Succeeded by Maria Sharapova Serena Williams Preceded by Serena Williams Kim Clijsters ITF World Champion 2003 2006-2007 Succeeded by Anastasia Myskina Jelena Jankovic Preceded by Sven Nys Belgian Sports Personality of the Year 2007 Succeeded by Tia Hellebaut Preceded by Yelena Isinbayeva World Sportswoman of the Year 2008 Succeeded by Yelena Isinbayeva v t e Belgian Sportsperson of the Year Men 1967 Ferdinand Bracke 1968 Serge Reding 1969–1974 Eddy Merckx 1975 Bruno Brokken 1976 Ivo Van Damme 1977 Michel Pollentier 1978 Raymond Ceulemans 1979–1980 Robert Van de Walle 1981 Freddy Maertens 1982 Jacky Ickx 1983 Eddy Annys 1984 Claude Criquielion 1985 Gaston Rahier & Vincent Rousseau 1986 William Van Dijck 1987 Georges Jobé 1988 Eric Geboers 1989 Thierry Boutsen 1990 Rudy Dhaenens 1991 Jean-Michel Saive 1992 Georges Jobé 1993 Vincent Rousseau 1994 Jean-Michel Saive 1995–1996 Fred Deburghgraeve 1997 Luc Van Lierde 1998 Fred Deburghgraeve 1999 Luc Van Lierde 2000 Joël Smets 2001–2004 Stefan Everts 2005 Tom Boonen 2006 Stefan Everts 2007 Tom Boonen 2008 Sven Nys 2009–2011 Philippe Gilbert Women 1975 Carine Verbauwen 1976–1977 Anne-Marie Pira 1978–1979 Carine Verbauwen 1980 Ingrid Berghmans 1981 Annie Lambrechts 1982–1986 Ingrid Berghmans 1987 Ingrid Lempereur 1988–1989 Ingrid Berghmans 1990–1991 Sabine Appelmans 1992 Annelies Bredael 1993 Gella Vandecaveye 1994–1995 Brigitte Becue 1996 Ulla Werbrouck 1997 Gella Vandecaveye 1998 Dominique Monami 1999–2002 Kim Clijsters 2003–2004 Justine Henin-Hardenne 2005 Kim Clijsters 2006–2007 Justine Henin-Hardenne 2008 Tia Hellebaut 2009–2011 Kim Clijsters Team 1997 Noliko Maaseik 1998 Belgian Motorcross team 1999 Davis Cup team 2000 Anderlecht 2001 Fed Cup team 2002 La Villette 2003 Belgian Motorcross team 2004 Women's 4×100 metres relay 2005 Under-21 football team 2006 Fed Cup team 2007–2008 Women's 4×100 metres relay 2009–2011 Men's 4×400 metres relay Talent 1998 Kim Clijsters 1999 Bart Wellens 2000 Bart Aernouts 2001 Jurgen Van Den Broeck 2002 Thomas Buffel 2003 Kirsten Flipkens 2004 Aagje Vanwalleghem 2005 Niels Albert 2006 Yoris Grandjean 2007 Dominique Cornu 2008 Elise Matthysen 2009 Romelu Lukaku 2010 Luca Brecel 2011 Thomas van der Plaetsen Paralimpic 2010 Sven Decaesstecker 2011 Wim Decleir Coach 2011 Jacques Borlée   Justine Henin in the Grand Slam Tournaments v t e Women’s tennis players who won two or more Grand Slam singles titles in one calendar year   Four wins 1953: Maureen Connolly Brinker (AO&FO&WI&US) 1970: Margaret Court (AO&FO&WI&US) 1988: Steffi Graf (AO&FO&WI&US)   Three wins 1928: Helen Wills Moody (FO&WI&US) 1929: Helen Wills Moody (FO&WI&US) 1962: Margaret Court (AO&FO&US) 1965: Margaret Court (AO&WI&US) 1969: Margaret Court (AO&FO&US) 1972: Billie Jean King (FO&WI&US) 1973: Margaret Court (AO&FO&US) 1983: Martina Navratilova (AO&WI&US) 1984: Martina Navratilova (FO&WI&US) 1989: Steffi Graf (AO&WI&US) 1991: Monica Seles (AO&FO&US) 1992: Monica Seles (AO&FO&US) 1993: Steffi Graf (FO&WI&US) 1995: Steffi Graf (FO&WI&US) 1996: Steffi Graf (FO&WI&US) 1997: Martina Hingis (AO&WI&US) 2002: Serena Williams (FO&WI&US)   Two wins 1925: Suzanne Lenglen (FO&WI) 1927: Helen Wills Moody (WI&US) 1930: Helen Wills Moody (FO&WI) 1931: Cilly Aussem (FO&WI) 1932: Helen Wills Moody (FO&WI) 1939: Alice Marble (WI&US) 1946: Pauline Betz Addie (WI&US) 1949: Margaret Osborne duPont (FO&US) 1950: Louise Bough Clapp (AO&WI) 1952: Maureen Connolly Brinker (WI&US) 1954: Maureen Connolly Brinker (FO&WI) 1956: Shirley Fry Irvin (WI&US) 1957: Althea Gibson (WI&US) 1958: Althea Gibson (WI&US) 1959: Maria Bueno (WI&US) 1960: Darlene Hard (FO&US) 1963: Margaret Court (AO&WI) 1964: Margaret Court (AO&FO) 1964: Maria Bueno (WI&US) 1967: Billie Jean King (WI&US) 1968: Billie Jean King (AO&WI) 1971: Evonne Goolagong Cawley (FO&WI) 1974: Chris Evert (FO&WI) 1975: Chris Evert (FO&US) 1976: Chris Evert (WI&US) 1980: Chris Evert (FO&US) 1982: Martina Navratilova (FO&WI) 1982: Chris Evert (AO&US) 1985: Martina Navratilova (AO&WI) 1986: Martina Navratilova (WI&US) 1987: Martina Navratilova (WI&US) 1994: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (FO&US) 2000: Venus Williams (WI&US) 2001: Jennifer Capriati (AO&FO) 2001: Venus Williams (WI&US) 2003: Serena Williams (AO&WI) 2003: Justine Henin (FO&US) 2006: Amélie Mauresmo (AO&WI) 2007: Justine Henin (FO&US) 2009: Serena Williams (AO&WI) 2010: Serena Williams (AO&WI) AO=Australian Open, FO=French Open, WI=Wimbledon, US=US Open v t e French Open girls’ singles champions 1968 Lesley Hunt 1969 Kazuko Sawamatsu 1970 Veronica Burton 1971 Elena Granatourova 1972 Renáta Tomanová 1973 Mima Jaušovec 1974 Mariana Simionescu 1975 Regina Maršíková 1976 Michele Tyler 1977 Anne Smith 1978 Hana Mandlíková 1979 Lena Sandin 1980 Kathy Horvath 1981 Bonnie Gadusek 1982 Manuela Maleeva 1983 Pascale Paradis 1984 Gabriela Sabatini 1985 Laura Garrone 1986 Patricia Tarabini 1987 Natalia Zvereva 1988 Julie Halard 1989 Jennifer Capriati 1990 Magdalena Maleeva 1991 Anna Smashnova 1992 Rossana de los Ríos 1993 Martina Hingis 1994 Martina Hingis 1995 Amélie Cocheteux 1996 Amélie Mauresmo 1997 Justine Henin 1998 Nadia Petrova 1999 Lourdes Domínguez 2000 Virginie Razzano 2001 Kaia Kanepi 2002 Angelique Widjaja 2003 Anna-Lena Grönefeld 2004 Sesil Karatantcheva 2005 Ágnes Szávay 2006 Agnieszka Radwańska 2007 Alizé Cornet 2008 Simona Halep 2009 Kristina Mladenovic 2010 Elina Svitolina 2011 Ons Jabeur v t e Australian Open women's singles champions (1969) Margaret Court (1970) Margaret Court (1971) Margaret Court (1972) Virginia Wade (1973) Margaret Court (1974) Evonne Goolagong (1975) Evonne Goolagong (1976) Evonne Goolagong (1977 (Jan)) Kerry Reid (1977 (Dec)) Evonne Goolagong (1978) Chris O'Neil (1979) Barbara Jordan (1980) Hana Mandlíková (1981) Martina Navrátilová (1982) Chris Evert (1983) Martina Navrátilová (1984) Chris Evert (1985) Martina Navrátilová (1987) Hana Mandlíková (1988) Steffi Graf (1989) Steffi Graf (1990) Steffi Graf (1991) Monica Seles (1992) Monica Seles (1993) Monica Seles (1994) Steffi Graf (1995) Mary Pierce (1996) Monica Seles (1997) Martina Hingis (1998) Martina Hingis (1999) Martina Hingis (2000) Lindsay Davenport (2001) Jennifer Capriati (2002) Jennifer Capriati (2003) Serena Williams (2004) Justine Henin (2005) Serena Williams (2006) Amélie Mauresmo (2007) Serena Williams (2008) Maria Sharapova (2009) Serena Williams (2010) Serena Williams (2011) Kim Clijsters (2012) Victoria Azarenka v t e French Open women's singles champions (1968) Nancy Richey (1969) Margaret Court (1970) Margaret Court (1971) Evonne Goolagong (1972) Billie Jean King (1973) Margaret Court (1974) Chris Evert (1975) Chris Evert (1976) Sue Barker (1977) Mima Jaušovec (1978) Virginia Ruzici (1979) Chris Evert (1980) Chris Evert (1981) Hana Mandlíková (1982) Martina Navrátilová (1983) Chris Evert (1984) Martina Navrátilová (1985) Chris Evert (1986) Chris Evert (1987) Steffi Graf (1988) Steffi Graf (1989) Arantxa Sánchez (1990) Monica Seles (1991) Monica Seles (1992) Monica Seles (1993) Steffi Graf (1994) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (1995) Steffi Graf (1996) Steffi Graf (1997) Iva Majoli (1998) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (1999) Steffi Graf (2000) Mary Pierce (2001) Jennifer Capriati (2002) Serena Williams (2003) Justine Henin (2004) Anastasia Myskina (2005) Justine Henin (2006) Justine Henin (2007) Justine Henin (2008) Ana Ivanovic (2009) Svetlana Kuznetsova (2010) Francesca Schiavone (2011) Li Na v t e US Open women's singles champions (1968) Virginia Wade (1969) Margaret Court (1970) Margaret Court (1971) Billie Jean King (1972) Billie Jean King (1973) Margaret Court (1974) Billie Jean King (1975) Chris Evert (1976) Chris Evert (1977) Chris Evert (1978) Chris Evert (1979) Tracy Austin (1980) Chris Evert (1981) Tracy Austin (1982) Chris Evert (1983) Martina Navrátilová (1984) Martina Navrátilová (1985) Hana Mandlíková (1986) Martina Navrátilová (1987) Martina Navrátilová (1988) Steffi Graf (1989) Steffi Graf (1990) Gabriela Sabatini (1991) Monica Seles (1992) Monica Seles (1993) Steffi Graf (1994) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (1995) Steffi Graf (1996) Steffi Graf (1997) Martina Hingis (1998) Lindsay Davenport (1999) Serena Williams (2000) Venus Williams (2001) Venus Williams (2002) Serena Williams (2003) Justine Henin (2004) Svetlana Kuznetsova (2005) Kim Clijsters (2006) Maria Sharapova (2007) Justine Henin (2008) Serena Williams (2009) Kim Clijsters (2010) Kim Clijsters (2011) Samantha Stosur   Justine Henin Achievements v t e Women's Tennis Association (WTA) World No. 1 singles players   Chris Evert (1975/1985 – 260 w)   Evonne Goolagong Cawley (1976 – 2 w)   Martina Navratilova (1978/1987 – 331 w)   Tracy Austin (1980 – 22 w)   Steffi Graf (1987/1997 – 377 w)  // Monica Seles (1991/1996 – 178 w)   Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (1995 – 12 w)   Martina Hingis (1997/2001 – 209 w)   Lindsay Davenport (1998/2006 – 98 w)   Jennifer Capriati (2001/2002 – 17 w)   Venus Williams (2002 – 11 w)   Serena Williams (2002/2010 – 123 w)   Kim Clijsters (2003/2011 – 20 w)   Justine Henin (2003/2008 – 117 w)   Amélie Mauresmo (2004/2006 – 39 w)   Maria Sharapova (2005/2008 – 17 w)   Ana Ivanovic (2008 – 12 w)   Jelena Janković (2008/2009 – 18 w)   Dinara Safina (2009 – 26 w)   Caroline Wozniacki (2010/2012 – 67 w)   Victoria Azarenka (2012 – 18 w) WTA rankings began on November 3, 1975 (year first held/year last held – number of weeks (w)) current No. 1 in bold, as of week of May 28, 2012 v t e Tennis at the Summer Olympics • Olympic Champions in women's singles 1900: Charlotte Cooper 1908: Dorothea Chambers, Gwendoline Eastlake-Smith (indoors) 1912: Marguerite Broquedis, Edith Hannam (indoors) 1920: Suzanne Lenglen 1924: Helen Wills 1988: Steffi Graf 1992: Jennifer Capriati 1996: Lindsay Davenport 2000: Venus Williams 2004: Justine Henin-Hardenne 2008: Elena Dementieva v t e WTA Year-end championships winners singles (1971) Billie Jean King (1972) Chris Evert (1973) Chris Evert (1974) Evonne Goolagong (1975) Chris Evert (1976) Evonne Goolagong (1977) Chris Evert (1978) Martina Navrátilová (1979) Martina Navrátilová (1980) Tracy Austin (1981) Martina Navrátilová (1982) Sylvia Hanika (1983) Martina Navrátilová (1984) Martina Navrátilová (1985) Martina Navrátilová (1986-1) Martina Navrátilová (1986-2) Martina Navrátilová (1987) Steffi Graf (1988) Gabriela Sabatini (1989) Steffi Graf (1990) Monica Seles (1991) Monica Seles (1992) Monica Seles (1993) Steffi Graf (1994) Gabriela Sabatini (1995) Steffi Graf (1996) Steffi Graf (1997) Jana Novotná (1998) Martina Hingis (1999) Lindsay Davenport (2000) Martina Hingis (2001) Serena Williams (2002) Kim Clijsters (2003) Kim Clijsters (2004) Maria Sharapova (2005) Amélie Mauresmo (2006) Justine Henin (2007) Justine Henin (2008) Venus Williams (2009) Serena Williams (2010) Kim Clijsters (2011) Petra Kvitová v t e Winners of the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year 2000: Marion Jones* · 2001: Cathy Freeman · 2002: Jennifer Capriati · 2003: Serena Williams · 2004: Annika Sörenstam · 2005: Kelly Holmes · 2006: Janica Kostelić · 2007: Yelena Isinbayeva · 2008: Justine Henin · 2009: Yelena Isinbayeva · 2010: Serena Williams · 2011: Lindsey Vonn · 2012: Vivian Cheruiyot Since this award, Jones has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. Her award is in doubt.

Kaia Kanepi

Kanepi at the 2011 US Open
Full name	Kaia Kanepi
Country	Estonia
Residence	Haapsalu, Estonia
Born	(1985-06-10) 10 June 1985 (age 27) Haapsalu, Estonia
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Turned pro	2000
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money	$2,569,862
Singles
Career record	330–200
Career titles	3 WTA, 8 ITF
Highest ranking	16 (14 February 2011)
Current ranking	23 (28 May 2012)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	3R (2009)
French Open	QF (2008)
Wimbledon	QF (2010)
US Open	QF (2010)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games	3R (2008)
Doubles
Career record	39–55
Career titles	0 WTA, 2 ITF
Highest ranking	106 (6 June 2011)
Current ranking	144 (28 May 2012)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	2R (2011)
French Open	3R (2012)
Wimbledon	3R (2008)
US Open	1R (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010)
Other Doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	1R (2004, 2008)
Last updated on: 28 May 2012.

Kaia Kanepi (pronunciation: KY-ah KAH-nep-i; IPA: [ˈkɑiɑ ˈkɑnepi]; born 10 June 1985 in Haapsalu) is an Estonian professional tennis player. Her career-high ranking is world no. 16 reached on 14 February 2011.

Kanepi won her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title in Palermo in 2010, becoming the first Estonian female player to win a WTA title. She has also reached three Grand Slam quarterfinals, becoming the first Estonian to achieve this and was the first Estonian to be ranked in the top 20. She then won her second title at the Brisbane International in January 2012.

Career[link]

Her father, Jaak (a real estate broker) and mother Anne (a homemaker) played tennis. They also have daughters Kadri, who won a tennis scholarship to study in the U.S., and Karin, a dedicated horse rider. Kaia, who always watched her parents and sisters play, discovered her love for tennis at an early age. She started playing at the age of 8. Her family has always supported her desire to play professional tennis. She reached world no. 1 on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior rankings before turning professional in 2000. She has won eight ITF singles titles and is now the top-ranked Estonian female tennis player.

She currently lives in Haapsalu, Estonia. Until the autumn of 2007, Kaia was coached by Andrei Luzgin. After Luzgin, Fredrik Loven from Sweden became her coach, but their partnership ended in February 2008. Kaia's next coach (until September 2008) was Pablo Giacopelli. From November 2008, Kanepi was coached by Luca Appino. After November 2009, Kanepi was coached by fellow Estonia pro Mait Künnap. In February 2010, she broke up with her coach and agent. In April, she started to work with Silver Karjus, and her quality of game has risen again.

2004[link]

Kanepi represented Estonia in both the women's singles and women's doubles, partnering Maret Ani, at the 2004 Summer Olympics, losing in the first round in both events.