Source: CCTV.com

05-15-2008 09:57

Shocking news from the world of tennis. World number one Justine Henin says she will retire from the sport immediately at the age of 25.

World number one Justine Henin says she will retire from the sport  immediately at the age of 25.

The seven-time Grand Slam winner made the announcement just two weeks before the start of the French Open, where she was favored to retain her title and maintain her position as the top ladies' player in the world. The Belgian superstar won 41 WTA titles in her career. She won her first grand slam titles in 2003 at the French and US Open. She also claimed Olympic gold in Athens in 2004.

World NO.1 Justine Henin, said, "I am here today to announce to you that I have put a finite date on the end of my tennis career. I know that it's a shock for many people and it's also a surprise, but for me, it's a decision that I have been really thinking about for a long time now, it's not a decision that was taken just of the back of a simple defeat in Berlin, it's been a process that I have been thinking about for several months now, even as far back as the end of 2007."