Spin Cycle

Good-bye Justine...

I have to admit, I was a bit bummed yesterday when Justine Henin retired from tennis. She's an amazing player, and has been a shining light of hope for those of us who are not Williams/Sharapova-sized 6-2 Amazons. Justine is a tiny, tiny girl, at 5-5 and probably 120 pounds. She overcame that disadvantage with perfect strokes (esp. her backhand - a text book shot), speed, and her determination/fitness. She was tough, every inch of her.

But she may not be emotionally tough enough anymore to keep taking the stress of life. She's only 25, but has already had her mom die, been married and divorced, nearly lost her brother in a car accident, and fought and reconciled with her father. Add on to that the constrant travel, training and stress of being a tennis player. That is a lot for one person to take for nearly 10 years.

Female players start young, and by the time they turn pro, they've played a ton of junior tennis. Then comes the grind of going around the world to play in enough tournaments to get ranking points and money. If you don't win, you don't get paid. Simple as that. Justine's won enough and made enough money to earn the right to say she's done.

Perhaps she will come back someday, after she's taken some time to be a normal person. Who knows? The main thing is, I hope she will take the time to be happy and find whatever she wants to do for the next 60 years of her life.