ITF

CHATRIER AWARD 28 Summer 2023 ITF World The Belgian superstar's versatile, all-court game was underlined by a mental and physical toughness that made her a formidable opponent at 5 feet 6 inches tall. She played with a peerless one- handed backhand, which she revealed her six-year-old son refuses to emulate (she also has a 10-year-old daughter). Henin is proud of what she achieved as one of the smaller women on tour. "I took that as a big motivation also to prove that what you see sometimes, it's not the end… I could use my strength, my qualities. "I'm happy I could be one of the players who could be really creative on the court, and I think that it helped me a lot also in the style of game that I developed during my career." Henin was only 25 when she first retired in 2008, but she came back in 2009 and reached another Grand Slam final (at the 2010 Australian Open, losing to Serena Williams) before hanging up her racket for good. She now runs the Justine Henin Foundation, born out of a charity she originally created in 2008 while still a player. The foundation provides sporting opportunities in Belgium for children living with illness and disability. "I'm so grateful for all the experience, for all the learning I got during my career,' Henin said. "I got much more than what I could expect. For me today, it's just natural and important to try to give back a little bit what I got from life, because I've been very lucky. I worked hard, that's for sure. But also I've been very lucky… to do something positive from every experience." Henin, now 41, won her seven Grand Slam titles in a five-year period. Following her memorable first Grand Slam victory at Roland Garros in 2003, where she fulfilled a promise made age 10 to her late mother that one day she would win there, she mastered the Parisian clay completely with three successive titles from 2005 to 2007. She also won the 2003 US Open, 2004 US Open and 2007 US Open. The woman from Liege captured 43 career titles and was ranked No. 1 for 117 weeks, finishing 2003, 2006 and 2007 in the top spot. She also represented her country with distinction, overcoming illness to capture Belgium's only gold medal of the 2004 Olympic Games when she triumphed in Athens. Henin, in tandem with fellow Belgian star Kim Clijsters, also helped Belgium win its first Billie Jean King Cup title in 2001, and took her country to the final of the women's World Cup of Tennis again in 2006. Henin is involved on a day-to- day basis with the Justine Henin Academy, which she runs with Carlos Rodriguez, her longtime coach and mentor who guided her career from the age of 14. "My philosophy was of course the high-performance programme with players that want to become professional. But also, I really paid more attention year after year to the kids who just come to play tennis to have fun to learn about themselves and tennis." "The academy is for everyone, and for me it's really important that it's a possibility to develop ourselves, no matter what your level, and no matter what is your goal – this is our biggest satisfaction. To see them growing up and being more responsible for themselves, it's really our goal." Barbora Krejcikova, Diede de Groot, Niels Vink and Shingo Kunieda were also present at the ITF World Champions Awards in London to receive their trophies as the best players of the 2022 season in their respective categories. Accepting the award she won with Katerina Siniakova as ITF World Champions in women's doubles, Krejcikova was delighted to be there in person this time, having been unable to attend twice previously due to illness – it was the Czech pair's third time receiving the award. De Groot wheelchair successive from wheelchair extending to 111 Newcomer the event and received quad The breakthrough in 2023 ceremony Garros at Wimbledon. And Kunieda, off from received Champion division following Returning memories of one victories title earlier Grand take singles Above from le : Henin won the Athens 2004 singles gold medal; with Nathalie Dechy at the ITF World Champions Awards The

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