LITTLE ROCK — Women's tennis has been a significantly less interesting complement to the men's game since Justine Henin shocked the sport by announcing her retirement in May 2008. She was still ranked No. 1, still the holder of two Grand Slam singles titles and still just 25.
Now, with Kim Clijsters roaring back to win the U.S. Open and with Henin announcing Tuesday that she is returning to competition, perhaps as soon as the Australian Open, the women's game is back to possessing a blend of established and aspiring stars that is rich.
There are the Williams sisters: Serena and Venus, who is showing the first hints of decline at 29.
There are Clijsters and Henin. There is No. 1, Dinara Safina, a leader without a major title, and a surplus of former leaders, including Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Amelie Mauresmo and Maria Sharapova, who just came back from injury.
There are other Russian veterans with big victories in their past, including the reigning French Open champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and the reigning Olympic champion, Elena Dementieva. And there are the rising youngsters: the U.S.Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
It all makes for a surplus of potentially attractive matchups. Henin can renew her well-established, frequently spicy rivalries with Serena Williams, Sharapova, Clijsters, Kuznetsova and, if she does not retire, maybe even Mauresmo. Henin could also face the American teenager Melanie Oudin, who broke through this summer and who has cited Henin as her role model (both players stand small amid the towering women populating the elite).
What is also reassuring is that with the 26-year-old Clijsters and the 27-year-old Henin back in the mix, this generation of women's players - damaged by burnout, injuries and scandal - is nearly back to full strength.
There are still a few major casualties: Anastasia Myskina, the smooth Russian counterpuncher who won the 2004 French Open, remains retired at 28. The first Swiss tennis superstar, Martina Hingis, who will be 29 on Sept. 30, remains suspended from the game after testing positive for cocaine in 2007 and has yet to announce plans to return once her suspension ends.
But the main draws will be a fairer reflection of what this era really has to offer, although it is not clear - or even very likely - that Henin will produce the same results to which she had grown accustomed.
She should still be in her physical prime and possessed of that gorgeous one-handed backhand, a powerful forehand, excellent footwork and technically sound serve. It is quite a varied, eye-catching package, but the physical challenges that required so much of her energy and focus before her first retirement are only growing more daunting.
Clijsters is a more powerful athlete than the petite Henin, who had to work hard to counter the superior leverage of her opponents and was bashed around in the final months of her first career, although her heart was presumably no longer in it then.
"Perhaps subconsciously Kim's comeback influenced me," Henin said. "I have lots of admiration for what she did. To come back so quickly to that level, that earns your admiration, and it's certainly an inspiration. But that was not a determining factor. The victory of Roger Federer at the French Open this year spoke to me much more.That stirred emotions in me. I sensed something missing."
One reason Henin gave for leaving the game abruptly was that she wanted to start a family. Meanwhile, Clijsters has returned triumphantly to the circuit with her husband, Brian Lynch, and their 18-month-old daughter, Jada, in tow.
One suspects, however, that playing Henin will be the big test of Clijsters's newfound mental strength. Henin has won all three of their previous Grand Slam singlesfinals and holds seven major singles titles to Clijsters' two.
Henin, with a fresh mind and fresh legs, should remain a formidable opponent. She has made a habit of winning big matches and maximizing her abilities with the help of coach Carlos Rodriguez.
Rodriguez said that he, too, would be back to help Henin with the primary goal of succeeding first by winning Wimbledon, the only major title she lacks, and later by playing in the 2012 Olympics in London, where the tennis will be played on the same historic grass courts.
It will be intriguing to watch as Rodriguez and Henin analyze the game and decide which elements of Henin's arsenal to emphasize.She is that rare contemporary women's player who is comfortable in all zones of the court, and she can vary the pace, the spin and the trajectory of the ball. She also has the volleying ability to justify more trips to the net: a tactic helped by her crisply sliced approach shots with her one-handed backhand.
Perhaps the way forward is the way back. There was something odd and unsatisfying about Henin's initial retreat. Now she says she has recharged her batteries and concluded, like many a modern tennis prodigy, that nothing is quite as satisfying as hitting a yellow ball across a net with adrenaline and Grand Slam trophies as the reward.
Sports, Pages 24 on 09/25/2009