If we rewind by a few years in the women’s tennis world, we’ll arrive at a time where Justine Henin was the world’s best female tennis player. Not only was she the best, but she was rather dominant.

Suddenly, Henin decided to call it a career during the summer of 2008. Many were shocked by this revelation, as there was simply no reason for her to retire. After all, it’s not as if she was slowing down.

Her retirement had everything to do with the fact that she simply grew tired of the lifestyle that comes with that of a professional athlete. The training and the grueling schedule had taken their toll on this champion.

If you’re an avid tennis player, perhaps you’ve enjoyed the privilege of playing on red clay courts. This is an old surface with a deep rooted history of tradition that dates back to the origins of the sport in parts of Europe like Spain and France.

While these courts are common in other parts of the world, they’re far more rare in America. Still, they do exist, and you should consider yourself lucky if you have the opportunity to play a match on this surface.

If you look at the state of tennis today as compared to 30 years ago, a lot has changed. Most of this change took place in the’80s, as both the racquets and playing styles underwent major transformations.

I’d like to take a trip down memory lane by writing about my favorite five’80s tennis players. These all come down to my personal preferences and they’re not based on merit. Nonetheless, I’ll be curious to see how these compare with yours.

While there have been many great tennis players over the course of the last few decades, such as Agassi, Sampras, McEnroe, and others, I believe that women have been just as great.

There are so many competitive matches and truly respectable players, and the last three decades have been characterized by some legends. I’m going to go through some of the best women’s players during this span, in order.

Coming in at number seven on my list is Venus Williams. In her late 20s now, she’s been in pro tennis for 15 years and she’s simply been phenomenal. With many grand slam wins and a firm grip on Wimbledon, she’s one of the best women to ever play the sport.

August 12th, 2009 was a bright, sunny Wednesday morning in Canada. Since I was working at the Rogers Cup, I had admission to the grounds and had specifically asked for the day off so I would be able to go check out all the professionals’ warmups. It was really a loaded schedule with the finest ten competing during the day.

At 11 that morning, a friend and I headed over to Court 4 where the world’s top ranked player, Roger Federer, was due to get there at within 30 minutes. Already filled with about several hundred people, there was very little room to move.

Past world No. 1 Rafael Nadal will face Fernando Gonzalez during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open later today.

After a diversity of issues that he might not be fully recovered from a knee wound that kept him sidelined for the majority of of the summer, he has proven critics mistaken with some great play during the first four rounds of the tournament.

Nadal’s knee injury required him to miss Wimbledon in July, a tournament that he won in 2008. Unable to defend his finals and having missed some other events, Nadal lost his world’s #1 status to Roger Federer, who took advantage of Nadal’s hiatus with a win at Wimbledon.

Seriously, why are things this way?

When Steffi Graf dominated the tennis world tennis lovers did not enjoy it. When the Williams sisters had been squashing anyone on her path to the championship, fans did not enjoy it. And currently when titles are up for grabs? Supporters do not appreciate this.

The majority admit that the Williams duo tower over the competition the majority of the time. Although injuries and diminished non-Slam tournament schedules spell they currently play against one another before the title match. Although again allow us to bear in mind that just a year or 2 ago the above-mentioned gripes about this frequent battle in the championship and their governance over the rest of the athletes.

The Russian Anna in tennis who gets the most attention is Anna Kournikova, but there is another Anna from Russia whose tennis is on the same level, whose looks are more than pleasant, and whose story is more inspiring. Anna Chakvetadze has been a strong presence on the tennis season these past few years, and worked through much adversity during her childhood to make the pro circuit.

After a few years of struggling to make her mark at the professional level, Anna adjusted to the professional life and game in 2006. She capped the year off with titles in Moscow and Guangzhou (China). To keep herself grounded and maintain her strong family ties, she spends a lot of time with her family.

Sometimes called ‘Rafa,’ Rafael Nadal is a local of Spain who has made a massive impact in the world of tennis.

Born June three, 1986 in Manacor, Mallorca, Rafael Nadal is the son of Sebastian and Ana Maria Nadal. His sister, Maria Isabel, is five years younger than Rafael and is his only sibling.

Standing 6′1′ and weighing 178 lbs, Rafael Nadal changed into a professional tennis player in 2001 after having played since four years old. Fans shouldn’t let this young age trick them as Rafael Nadal nabbed his first championship at only 8 years old.

The Russian Anna in tennis who gets the most attention is Anna Kournikova, but there is another Anna from Russia whose tennis is on the same level, whose looks are more than pleasant, and whose story is more inspiring. Anna Chakvetadze has been a strong presence on the tennis season these past few years, and worked through much adversity during her childhood to make the pro circuit.

After a few years of struggling to make her mark at the professional level, Anna adjusted to the professional life and game in 2006. She capped the year off with titles in Moscow and Guangzhou (China). To keep herself grounded and maintain her strong family ties, she spends a lot of time with her family.