• What The Deuce

Henin's rivals must be quaking in their tennis shoes

Justine Henin prepares to make her comeback to the women's tour © Getty Images

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As Michael Schumacher annouced he had signed for Mercedes to mark his comeback to Formula One after months of rumour and speculation, Justine Henin's return to tennis was somewhat more understated, quietly announcing that she will be returning to the tour in 2010.

A modest comeback after a shock departure. Henin stunned the tennis world in May 2008 when she announced her retirement, the reigning world number one claiming she had fallen out of love with the sport. She became the first woman to retire at the top of the rankings, having occupied the spot for over 100 weeks in her career, and just two months previously had become just the seventh woman to be ranked number one for a full 12 months.

By 25 she had already won almost everything there was to win: seven Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold, but just weeks ahead of her defence of the French Open, she announced she would be retiring with immediate effect and asked the WTA to remove her name from the rankings. At the time Maria Sharapova admitted she could understand Henin's decision, saying if she had won that many titles she would retire too. But something was missing.

Perhaps inspired by Roger Federer's career grand slam, after winning the French Open at Roland Garros at the tenth attempt, the Venus Rosewater Dish has tempted her out of retirement. Twice a beaten finalist at Wimbledon, Henin has admitted that the thought of completing the set is a big draw, that elusive Wimbledon title, the only jewel missing in her already impressive crown, is too big a temptation.

Following in the footsteps of compatriot and rival Kim Clijsters, who marked her comeback with victory at the US Open in September, Henin has played down her chances of a Grand Slam victory, but few would write her off completely.

In a time when female tennis was becoming more like the men's game and the players were becoming bigger, stronger and more aggressive, the diminutive Henin was able to maintain her status at the top of the world rankings. Graceful on court, her speed and agility gave her the edge over more powerful rivals, but although tiny herself she was capable of a mighty serve. Her single-handed backhand was labelled the best in the world, and it is easy to see why she was dubbed the 'female Federer'.

Justine Henin won seven Grand Slams before she retired in May 2008 © Getty Images

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In the same vein that Federer has dominated men's tennis for so long, Henin was at the top of her game and nearly as invincible. While critics argue that the return of the likes of Clijsters and Henin show that female tennis has not progressed in the last five years, few will argue that Lance Armstrong's comeback was a negative reflection for the sport or the Tour de France.

Her return will be fantastic for the women's game. While the men's game has currently got a real sense of rivalry with Federer re-establishing himself at the top after being knocked off his throne by a dominant Rafael Nadal in 2008, with Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, and now Juan Martin del Potro are breathing down their necks, the top ten in the women's game is far more erratic. Unpredictable yes, but not in a good way. While del Potro's rise to number five has come after an impressive year, which saw him win three titles including the US Open, the fluctuations in the women's rankings has been as a result of inconsistency. Del Potro failed to make the quarter-finals on just three occasions all season, while Serena Williams, who ends 2009 as number one for the second time in her career, was knocked out of the quarter-finals or earlier in half of the tournaments she has played in this year.

No current female player seems to be able to consistently perform like Henin did - in 2007 she lost just four matches all year. Since Henin's retirement the world number one has changed hands 11 times between four players. Dinara Safina has occupied the number one spot for much of 2009, but her failure to a Grand Slam tournament means she will never be considered one of the real greats. Likewise, Jelena Jankovic ended 2008 ranked number one, but she has never won a Grand Slam, prompting calls for the points system to be weighed more heavily in favour of the major tournaments.

But Henin's record at major tournaments was impressive. She won at least one Grand Slam tournament every year between 2003 and 2007 -making her the most dominant female tennis player since Steffi Graf in the early 1990s.

Still just 27, Henin's comeback is not just an emotional swansong. As number one, Henin had a reputation for her steely determination and a clinical attitude, and that won't have gone away. The reality is that no matter how much she is enjoying playing again Henin would not be making a comeback if she didn't genuinely believe she can win things.

For someone who quit the sport at number one, she is unlikely to settle for second best. She has already played down her chances of winning a Grand Slam, but I don't write off her chances of 'doing a Kim' just yet.

Jo Carter is assistant editor of ESPN.co.uk

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