No. 1 Henin stuns tennis world by retiring
It was another abrupt retirement announcement by a noted tennis champion, the second time in about six months that the WTA Tour has been hit by stunning news.
But Justine Henin’s depar-ture from the sport — while she was still ranked No. 1 — was nothing like the shock of Martina Hingis’ announcement in November that she had tested positive for cocaine and had opted to leave professional tennis for the second time.
Unlike the struggling Hingis, Henin was a legitimate contender at every Grand Slam.
The tour said she is the first woman in professional tennis to retire from the sport while holding the top spot. She quits tennis having won seven Grand Slam singles titles, including four at the French Open.
“It is a new beginning for me,” Henin, 25, said Wednesday in her native Belgium. “I feel like I already lived three lives. I gave the sport all I could and took everything it could give me. I take this decision without the least bit of regrets. It is my life as a woman that starts now.”
Maria Sharapova will move to No. 1 when Henin asks the WTA Tour to remove her from the rankings.
With friends like these …
Since word of the Cubs’ interest in Jim Edmonds surfaced in a Tribune report Monday, a variety of fan Web sites and blogs have fiercely debated the possibility that the hated ex-Cardinal would soon be wearing Cubs pinstripes. But Edmonds simply joins a list of well-known agitators who wound up playing in Chicago after being cast as villains for years.
– Edmonds was right in the thick of the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry during its most heated moments in the summers of 2003 and 2004, when things got ugly between the teams managed by Dusty Baker and Tony La Russa.
– Dennis Rodman was a member of the Bad Boys Pistons that vexed the Bulls before Michael Jordan & Co. finally knocked them from their perch. Ironically, the enigmatic Rodman would earn his reputation as a “bad boy” with the championship Bulls teams of the mid-’90s.
– A.J. Pierzynski was a key member of Minnesota teams that tormented the Sox, and he came to the club in 2005 with a reputation as an abrasive bad boy.
AND FINALLY …
– Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) on Wednesday called for an independent investigation of the Patriots’ taping of opposing coaches’ signals.
– Less than one frantic hour of track time was all the frustrated teams at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway got Wednesday, yet another in a series of wet Indiana days so far this month. The Indianapolis 500 is May 25.
NBA PLAYOFFS
Celtics 96, Cavaliers 89
Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 16 rebounds. Boston leads series 3-2.
Utah at L.A. Lakers
Game 5 did not finish before press time.
NHL PLAYOFFS
Stars 3, Red Wings 1
Detroit lost for the first time since April 16; leads Western Conference finals 3-1.
