Although Maria Sharapova is ready to take over the No. 1 ranking now that Justine Henin has retired, she is not 100% guaranteed a return to her former glory.
If Justine Henin fails to get her official paperwork completed swiftly, the Tour might have an inactive player in the top spot.
According to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rules, Henin must make her retirement official in writing and request that the Tour remove her from the rankings. If she does take care of it immediately, Sharapova will have enough of a lead over Ana Ivanovic to become No. 1.
However, if Henin takes her time signing on the dotted line, she could potentially remain in the top spot until another player overtakes her. Sharapova is currently No. 2, but is still 1709 points behind Henin.
Sharapova’s chances were boosted today after Ana Ivanovic was upset in the second round of the Tier I Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.
The Tour could very well head into Roland Garros with Justine Henin out of sight, yet still making her presence known on top of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings.
[...] the announcement of her immediate retirement from professional tennis, and at her request, World No.1 Justine Henin will be removed from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour [...]