Henin-Less Belgians No Longer Runaway Favorites

Mattek-Sands, Oudin, King, Huber to Represent U.S. In Antwerp

When U.S. captain Mary Joe Fernandez announced her four starters for the Feb. 5-6 Fed Cup quarterfinal in Belgium, the second-year U.S. captain was in the unenviable position of having to face both Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, not to mention Yanina Wickmayer, in the hostile indoor hard-court environs of the Sportpaleis Antwerp. With not [...]

Gone Again: Henin Retires For Second Time

Injury Prompts Belgian to Call It Quits Once More

There were questions.  Lots of ‘em.  Perhaps too many for a seven-time Slam champ and former No. 1.  Heading into the ’11 Aussie Open, just 12 months after Justine Henin had reached the final in Melbourne, the second career Belgian let her guard down and revealed, whether it was intentional or not, that maybe, just [...]

10 Burning Questions For Tennis In 2011

1 Can new boss-of-the-bench Jim Courier continue to curry fraternal favor with Roddick & Co. the way outgoing U.S. Davis Cup captain/pledge master Patrick McEnroe did for the past decade? Aside from returning the Cup to American soil in ’07 after a dozen-year absence, PMac’s tenure will be best remembered for its esprit de corps. [...]

Twice Is Nice: Clijsters Named POY

Sharapova Recognized For Humanitarian Efforts; Henin Comeback Player of the Year

Kim Clijsters was voted the 2010 Player of the Year for the second time in her career on Wednesday, as the WTA revealed the winners of its annual Player Awards. Clijsters, 27, who also earned the accolade in 2005, won her third U.S. Open title in September and climbed to No. 3 in the world.  [...]

Henin-Williams: A Soap Opera Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

The Justine-Serena Feud Is On Hold

PARIS — There’s nothing  in tennis quite like a fierce battle, especially when there is a feisty back story and ample bad blood. Virtually all the press room was buzzing over the probable reprise of the rather splendid Serena Williams vs. Justine Henin feud.

Notebook: Lennon, Jagger and…

NUMBERS GAME: Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin will play an exo on July 8 in Brussels, where they’ll attempt to snap a 37-year-old attendance record of 30,492 that assembled for the Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs Battle of the Sexes at the Astrodome in ’73.  The event will be held at the 40,000-seat King [...]

‘Glue On My Sneakers’: Sony Ericsson Open Notebook

GAZUNTITE!: David Hyde described Venus Williams‘ screech as a “high-pitched grunt that sounds like a violent sneeze.” CLIFF’S TOUGHEST MATCH: Former U.S. No. 1 Cliff Richey admits in a new book — “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” — that during his battle with clinical depression he sometimes hung black trash bags over the [...]

Rafa Is Rafa: Sony Ericsson Open Notebook

ANNIVER-SORRY: Regarding his first wedding anniversary (April 18), Andy Roddick quipped, “She [SI swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker] said we don’t need to exchange gifts.  But I don’t know if that’s code for, ‘You’d better get me a gift!’” ITALIAN OPEN HAS A NEW HOME: The Italian Olympic Committee recently unveiled a new $38.4 million, 10,500-seat [...]

‘I Didn’t Know Who I Was Anymore’

Safina’s Struggles…Steffi the Photographer...Quotebook

PICTURE THIS: Steffi Graf‘s photographs depicting the slum-life in Eritrea were featured in the German-language edition of National Geographic, accompanying an article entitled “The Children of Asmara.” TO A COURT OF A DIFFERENT KIND: Just two days after a Belgian court ruled against the one-year bans they had incurred for violating anti-doping rules, the ITF [...]

Justine’s Back

Remembering What Made Henin So Great

Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in a world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary.