Twenty-five-year-old tennis champion Justin Henin called it quits today, telling reporters at a news conference that she was burnt out and had lost that spark that keeps so many great players going.

“I always based everything on this motivation—this flame—that was in me. And once I lost that, I lost many, many things,” Henin said.

The Belgian pro has seven Grand Slam titles and has spent more than 100 weeks in the No. 1 spot. Although some may criticize Henin’s decision to retire from the sport just 1 1/2 weeks before the French Open (which she has won the last three times, four in total), she says it was a decision she had to inevitably accept.

“I decided to stop fooling myself and accept it,” she said.

Henin has 41 WTA singles titles to her credit and has collected more than U.S.$19 million in prize money over the course of her career. With the world No. 1 out of the running at this year’s French Open, Serena Williams is the 5/2 odds on favorite to win, with Maria Sharapova close behind at 5/1 odds to win the French Open.

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