Henin wasn't the 'Justine of old' lately

Justine Henin's immediate retirement from tennis on Wednesday came as somewhat of a surprise. Yet, anyone who has followed her career has known for some time that everything wasn't just right.

She had to put too much into the game to perform at her highest level. Eventually as her physical energy waned, it was only a matter of time before her mental energy for the game started the same process.

Henin simply was no longer the "Justine of old." The latest indication came last week in Berlin when she lost to big-hitting but usually erratic Dinara Safina in the round of 16.

I realize that Safina is a rising star as she demonstrated last year in advancing to the Family Circle Cup final, but Safina just isn't supposed to defeat Henin.

Especially not on clay as Safina did in Berlin, even if Safina did continue on to win her first Tier I tournament.

Also, you'll remember that Henin won only four games against Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open quarterfinals and just two games against Serena Williams in Miami.

Both of those were on hard courts. Nevertheless, the results were very un-Henin. She even lost to unheralded Francesca Schiavone in the Dubai quarterfinals.

Justine Henin is too much of a competitor to take such defeats lightly. Yet, she wasn't ready or possibly physically able to properly prepare her body, mind and game to the point that would allow her to compete at her highest level.

Sharapova next No. 1?

Now that Henin has retired, Sharapova appears to be the likely candidate to take over the lead in women's tennis, with Serena Williams a close second.

According to the WTA Tour, it's now up to Henin if she wants to continue to be listed in the world rankings. Her decision could come as soon as a few days, according to WTA Tour communications director Amy Binder.

If Henin decides to drop off the listings, Sharapova should advance from second into the No. 1 ranking with the aid of Ana Ivanovic's loss Wednesday in Rome. Ivanovic currently is 64 points behind Sharapova.

One thing is certain. When Sharapova shows up for a tournament, she is totally focused on winning that event.

She had been in a dispute with the WTA Tour over being required to participate in a lengthy photo shoot of four or five hours prior to the start of this week's Italian Open. She said the WTA threatened to fine her in excess of $300,000 if she refused to partipate.

But a compromise with the tour reduced the photo shoot to 90 minutes, and everyone apparently was happy.

With Sharapova's type of focus, it's probably only a matter of time before she overtakes Henin as the top-ranked women's player in the game, even if Henin decides to remain in the world rankings until her huge 1,709-point lead fades away. Of course, there's always Serena Williams, the other player fully capable of taking charge of the women's game.

As for Henin's decision, you probably can expect her to drop out of the rankings while she's still on top, just as she became the first women's tennis player to retire while ranked No. 1.

Local notes

YOUNG BREAKTHROUGH: Charleston native Ryan Young made his first big breakthrough in professional tennis last week in Uzbekistan by winning seven straight matches to finish as runner-up in a $15,000 Futures tournament. Three of the wins came in qualifying. Young suffered a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Russia's Konstantin Kravchuk in Sunday's final.

But Young discovered two days later just how difficult it is to stay at or near the top of any level of pro tennis. The former Clemson star lost in the first round of another $15,000 event in Uzbekistan on Tuesday, winning only two games.

NEW 'BATTLE' COMING: Another "Battle of James Island" will be held May 24 pitting the Country Club of Charleston, Maybank Tennis Center and the James Island Yacht Club in team competition. The entry deadline is May 22. Lee Brockman, the Country Club's tennis director, can be contacted at ccctennis@comcast.net. The event starts with a continental breakfast, followed by men's, women's and mixed doubles, with a covered dish social finishing off the activities from 1-2 p.m.

Reach James Beck at 937-5540 or jdbeck@postandcourier.com.