Tennis has been transformed over the last five decades by TV, money, technology, equipment, fashion and politics. But through all of that, the players have remained at the heart of the game. As part of our golden anniversary celebration of the Open era, Tennis.com presents its list of 50 best players—the Top 25 men and the Top 25 women—of the last 50 years. You'll be able to view the entire list in the March/April issue of TENNIS Magazine.
(Note: Only singles results were considered; any player who won a major title during the Open era had his or her entire career evaluated; all statistics are through the 2018 Australian Open.)
Years played: 1999–2011
*Titles: 43
Major titles: 7*
“It’s sort of like we’ve got the ‘female Roger Federer,’” Martina Navratilova said as she watched Henin win her third straight French Open in 2007, “or maybe the guys have the ‘male Justine Henin,’ because she is just head and shoulders above everyone else right now.”
Those were heady words, but at the time Navratilova said them, they weren’t far-fetched. In the years since the Belgian’s final retirement in 2011—years that have been thoroughly dominated by her former rival Serena Williams—it has been easy to forget just how good Henin was a decade ago. A lean 5’6”, this whirling tennis dervish was, pound for pound, one of the finest and most dynamic players the sport has produced.
Henin made up for her lack of size by playing with a Federer-esque sense of first-strike urgency—she knew she had to gain the upper hand in a rally as early as possible. She was quick enough to attack any short ball, as well as defend the baseline. She could roll her topspin forehand to either corner for winners, and her one-handed backhand allowed her to approach the net and play it with more decisiveness, and competence, than most of her peers. Henin’s exquisite timing and gloriously extended follow-through on her one-hander gave that shot a blend of effectiveness and aesthetic appeal that was matched by few, if any, other modern-day backhands on either tour.
Henin lost her first Grand Slam final, to Venus Williams, at Wimbledon in 2001, but she won her next four, three of which came at the expense of her fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters. Henin would finish with seven major titles in 12 finals, and would spend 117 weeks at No. 1, seventh best in WTA history. In 2006, Henin reached all four major finals, and in 2007 she won the French Open and US Open without dropping a set.
Henin retired due to burnout in 2008, and again because of an elbow injury in 2011. Looking back, her ability to challenge Serena Williams may be the most impressive accomplishment of her career—no one else since has managed to establish a legitimate rivalry with the American. Henin won six of their 14 meetings, including three straight Grand Slam quarterfinal victories in 2007. She also won their controversial semifinal at the 2003 French Open, but Serena got the better of her in their final Slam match, in the 2010 Australian Open final. Henin may not have been the female Roger Federer, but she punched well above her weight class.