How four-time French Open champion became Roland-Garros royalty

With the French Open in full swing, it’s worth remembering the great Justine Henin –– perhaps the most naturally talented female tennis star to ever grace a clay court. 

Henin won seven Grand Slam titles during her illustrious career and her four on clay puts her behind only Chris Evert and Steffi Graf in the Open Era. 

Renowned for her resilience and mental toughness, Henin was also famous for her one-handed backhand, which John McEnroe once described as the best he’d ever seen across both men’s and women’s tennis. 

Sadly, the Brussels born Belgian was forced to retire before the age of 30 due to a chronic elbow injury. Nonetheless, the 39-year-old is deservedly part of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. 

Here’s a look back at the career of the tennis icon, who is now considered Roland-Garros royalty. 

Henin’s four French Open titles came over the span of five years between 2003 and 2007. Indeed, the only anomaly during this period was a shock defeat to Italy’s Tathiana Garbin in the second round of the 2004 competition. 

Aside from that defeat, however, the Belgian was ruthlessly dominant at Roland-Garros –– defeating all who stood in her way.

In 2003, Henin beat Serena Williams in a controversial semi-final, before defeating compatriot Kim Clijsters in the final to become the first Belgian player to ever win a Grand Slam singles title. 

Two years later, Henin claimed her second French Open title. After being seeded 10th, the former world number one beat Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova on her way to the final, where she defeated France’s Mary Pierce in straight sets to claim her 24th consecutive victory on clay and her 10th consecutive final win.

The following year, the Beligan won in even more impressive