Justine Henin has announced that she will miss the rest of the 2010 season as she recovers from an elbow injury.
The No. 14th ranked player from Belgium injured her elbow at Wimbledon in July, and said on her website she will not be able to practice again until October.
Henin, a seven-rime Grand Slam winner, returned to tennis at the beginning of this season after 18 months in retirement. She reached the final in her first two tournaments, including the Australian Open, and won titles in Stuttgart and Den Bosch.
However, facing Belgian rival Kim Clijsters in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, Henin fell heavily during the first set. Although she completed the match, losing in three sets, she was subsequently diagnosed with damaged elbow ligaments.
“I took several medical examinations and it is going in the right direction,” she said. “But it is still a slow recovery, so I need to be patient again until the end of 2010. For my preparation for the competition in 2011, I cannot take any risks, so I hope to go back to practice in October. I’ll work hard to get ready for this new season!”
That means Henin will miss this year’s U.S. Open, the tournament which she won the last time she played in 2007. She was also a finalist in 2006, and won in 2003. It is unfortunate that one of the tournaments top contenders will not be able to play.
Henin’s first scheduled tournament of 2011 is the Hopman Cup mixed team event, starting Jan. 1.
