Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Justine Henin have more in common than simply playing tennis.

According to Forbes, these four women are the top earning female athletes in the world.

Maria Sharapova leads the list of the highest earning female sports figures with an endorsement portfolio that includes big names such as Pepsi, Colgate-Palmolive, Nike, Canon and Motorola. Her total earnings are now estimated at $26 million per year.

Before Sharapova became a teenage sensation in 2004, Serena Williams held the distinction of being the richest female athlete. Now, eight years later, she is second behind Sharapova, but still brings home $14 million.

2008 Wimbledon champion Venus Williams is just behind her younger sister Serena with $13 million. Part of her earnings can be attributed to her successful EleVen line, although this could be threatened by Steve & Barry’s recent filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Coming in at fourth place on the top earning list is the newly-retired Justine Henin. Forbes estimates Henin’s yearly worth at $12.5 million—$5 million of which she earned by winning titles in 2007.

Rising star and current world number one Ana Ivanovic made the list at No. 9 with $6.5 million dollars.

Justine Henin’s retirement from professional tennis in May shocked the tennis world as the Belgian star left the sport at the top of her game.

The former world No. 1 quit on her own terms, but has now conceded that she still has one regret after ending her stellar career which included seven major titles.

Speaking with the Laureus World Sports Academy, Justine admitted that not winning Wimbledon was the biggest disappointment of her career.

“It has been the big disappointment of my career,” Henin said. “But my game wasn’t quite good enough and I probably wasn’t confident enough to win on the grass.”

She came devastatingly close on two occasions, but lost the final in 2001 to Venus Williams and again to Amelie Mauresmo in 2006. Her biggest shock at Wimbledon was her semifinal upset last year by Marion Bartoli—Henin’s last defeat for the rest of the 2007 season.

Although she has no immediate plans to return for another shot at the elusive career slam, Henin has not completely closed the door on making a comeback to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

“I can never say for sure that I’ll never be back because I hate to say never,” Henin said. “But when I do something, I do it 200%, and when I decide it’s over, it’s over.”

Her own tennis career may be over, but Henin is staying involved with the sport. She has been working with her long-time coach Carlos Rodriguez at their new academy, where she will play a crucial role in helping motivate the next generation of tennis players.

In the meanwhile, she still follows the happenings on the professional tour and has tapped Venus Williams as the favorite for the 2008 Wimbledon title.

“I keep thinking that Venus is the best player on grass,” said Henin about the woman she lost to seven times. “She’s big and tall so, for me, she’s the favourite.”

Justine made the surprising announcement that she was retiring on Wednesday, May 14.

“It’s a great day in my life, I believe that you can call it that. I’m here today to announce to you that I am putting a definitive end to my tennis career.

I know that it is a shock for many people and a surprise, but for me it’s decision I’ve thought about for sometime now. It is not a decision which I made because of a simple defeat in Berlin. I’ve thought about it in my head for sometime, for a few months already, since the latter month of 2007.

It’s an end to a beautiful adventure.

Perhaps, people will think that I am still young, but there are no rules. I invested enormously in my sport, since the age of five. I always lived for tennis, and it’s without regret because I lived emotions which I will never forget. Images engraved in my heart and my memory, and I am sure it’s in the heart and the memory of many of you too. Today a page has turned.

I don’t feel sadness, but rather a delivery, a relief, a glance towards the future. I always seek to build and change, and not only by tennis. I believe that tennis gave me many beautiful things, but I want to do it by returning to the essentials. I based my life on the relationships, the love and all that I could give to tennis.

But I couldn’t manage to express it anymore these past months. I thought about it alot. I made this decision by myself in my little corner, with the support of my family, off course. But I wanted to make the decision for me. I am very, very proud. You need courage to arrive at this conclusion.

I felt that six months or even one year later I would have a harsh bitter taste if I continued, and that things won’t get better than what happened these last few months.

But today, I can speak about my sport, all that I lived with a smile, very beautiful things happened and they are in my heart. I have a desire to create new things. The future for me is to live with my decision, and to realize my new goals. To assume it and breathe again.

There are no bad things ahead for me. I feel that I have the qualities, and capacities, to communicate and raise many new projects. I’m sure I will see things much more clearIy when the time comes.

The first is my Foundation. It’s really very important for me to be able to continue to help these children, to live precious moments with them. To continue to give them a chance to dream. We’re here at my home. Right in my tennis academy. This is something which I will continue to support, off course with Carlos. He’ll be stronger and valuable here. I have confidence in other future projects. There are peak performance workshops and seminars with Carlos and Nexum/Nexp in the area of human resources.

Off course, there are gratitudes to give. The first of which is to Carlos - I say thank. You are once more at my side. It’s 12 years together that we lived , and you held me up. 12 years to believe in me. You never abandoned me. He was always very discrete and standing in the shadows when I won because he didn’t want to intrude on my family and friends. But at other times, the difficult moments he made his presence known.

He always respected me, and I must say since last week Thursday he still impresses me. The calm and patience he gave me. The incredible amount of support. I know he will always be strong and at my side. I am really very proud of this because tennis is a solo sport. It is undoubtedly my more exquisite thing of pride - the human adventure that I lived with him.

And I believe that if Carlos had said to me one day, “Ju for family reasons or some other reason. Please don’t feel obligated. You can let me go”. It was obvious to me that we would still continue as a team even if my tennis career stopped. We’re powerful together, and this is why it worked so well.

Our relationship was much bigger than coach and a player. We passed all the tests, but from now on it will be different, it will be more beautiful. I’m grateful to his family - his wife and children who will get more of their father. And the thought of this makes me smile today. It’s also a relief to know there won’t be these difficult moments, these separations. They really have a big place in my heart.

I would like to, off course, thank my family - my parents, Dad, Mom, because I’m here today only because of you. Everything is fine thanks to you. My brothers and sister too. I have to admit that my role as older sister makes me very happy. There are great things which await us. My friends here today. It was great spending time with you and I’m sure there’s more ahead for us, bigger things, more honest and stronger.

My Godmother is here. Gene, thank you for your role in my life it was very important. My staff obviously. You can only build something large with a faithful team. And they were always available and believed in me. Thank you for being there. It wasn’t an individual sport, but a team sport.

Thank You to all my sponsors, the current ones and those from the very beginning because without people who believe - you cannot get there. Thank You to the AFT, the WTA, the COIB and all the people who counted on me.

Thank You to all my fans. I’m happy to have had the opportunity to give them excitement. I hope I brought a little sunshine in their lives. We spent such great moments together. I hope that everyone can understand and that everyone will support me in the beginning of this new life…

Thank you very much.”

How will you remember Justine? Which of her Grand Slam titles do you consider the most memorable? Is there a specific match that stood out to you as a classic moment in Henin’s career?

To start things off, here is the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s list of Henin’s accolades:

- Finished three seasons as the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour World No.1 (2003, 2006, 2007);

- Won her seventh and final grand slam singles title at the 2007 US open, beating both Serena and Venus Williams sisters en route, the only player ever to beat both Williams sisters in winning a major title;

- In 2007, she had her most successful season ever, winning 10 titles (including two majors) and became the first female athlete to pass the $5-million mark in a season;
- One of the most successful players of all-time on clay, winning Roland Garros four times in five years (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007);

- Won every major title except Wimbledon, taking the Australian, French and US Opens at least once, along with two season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships (2006, 2007) and an Olympic gold medal (singles) in Athens in 2004; she also led Belgium to its first Fed Cup title in 2001.

Everyone, thank you for participating! Have a great weekend!

Maria Sharapova will take over the No. 1 singles ranking next Monday, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour announced on Thursday.

Justine Henin’s retirement on Wednesday propelled Sharapova back to the top spot for the first time since she lost the ranking to Henin in March 2007.

With 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 Rankings.

As such, the next rankings – to be released on Monday, May 19 – will see the current No.2, Russian Maria Sharapova, assume the top spot for the fourth time in her career.

Henin, currently in her 117th non-consecutive week and fourth stint in the top spot, is the sixth longest reigning No.1 since the inception of computer singles rankings in November 1975. The 25-year-old announced her decision to retire at a press conference in her native Belgium on Wednesday.

This coming Monday will see Sharapova commence her 15th career week at No.1, having first ascended to the top ranking on August 22, 2005. After a one-week spell at No.1 she regained the position two weeks later from Lindsay Davenport, where she remained for six weeks. Sharapova was also No.1 for seven weeks from January to March 2007.

After an injury-plagued latter half of 2007, Sharapova made a major resurgence at last November’s Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid, Spain, where she made it all the way to the final before narrowly losing to Henin, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.

That form has continued into 2008, so far compiling an impressive 24-2 win-loss record, winning her third career Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open, defeating No.1 Henin 6-4, 6-0 in the quarterfinals, No.4 Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals and No.3 Ana Ivanovic 7-5, 6-3 in the final. She has also won titles at the Tier I Qatar Total Open in Doha and Tier II Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, SC.

Sharapova, age 21, is the first Russian and one of only 16 women to have held the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour World No.1 Singles Ranking.

Henin, a seven-time Grand Slam champion and current world number one, explained her decision on Wednesday at her tennis club in Belgium.

If you cannot view the video, please click here.

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.

As I’ve reflected today about Justine Henin and her legacy to tennis, I thought back to a story I wrote about her last fall after she won her seventh (and now final) Grand Slam title. Some of you have already read it, yet I feel it accurately sums up what the WTA Tour lost today.

Once upon a time, in the tiny country of Belgium a little girl dreamed of winning a Grand Slam tournament.

Twenty years later, she is the proud owner of seven major singles titles.

Justine Henin has come a long way from the child who dreamed of winning a big trophy, the adolescent who visited Roland Garros with her mother, or even the woman who first hoisted a US Open trophy in 2003.

As Justine admitted last night, she can testify to the difference four years can make in the life of an athlete. The old bones start feeling the wear-and-tear, the pressure to stay at the top takes its toll, and the competition only gets tougher as the years go by.

The biggest change has come in her soul.

“I’m a better player than four years ago,” agreed Henin. “I have four years of more experience. I’m more mature.”

That maturity and experience have been on display for the past two weeks as Justine barrelled past women who technically should have beaten her.

The heavyweight players should have made mincemeat of the Tour’s resident lightweight contender. Pound for pound, inch for inch, Venus and Serena Williams should have wiped her off the court.

But what Justine Henin possesses transcends height, weight, and now even surface. For years, she was regarded as little more than a clay court specialist.

No one doubted that she could succeed at Roland Garros on her native surface, but on hard courts, the Marias, Venuses, Serenas, and yes, even the Svetlanas should have put the little Belgian in her place.

What we have seen over the past fortnight from Flushing Meadows has been the lethal composition of a superplayer, a true renaissance woman masterfully proficient in her craft.

The calculating, tactical mind of Martina Hingis, the athletic prowess of Venus Williams, the fight of Maria Sharapova, and the raw power of Serena Williams have all been merged into the body of a woman who can’t even clear 5″9 while wearing stiletto heels.

Her aggression and power on court are at an all-time high, something that Henin is particulary proud of.

“But I’m really proud that not being that tall I can compete and be the best player in the world,” said Henin.

“Not a lot of people really thought I could do it, and that’s why I’m really proud of it because probably Carlos has been the only one that told me every day, ‘You can do it, you can be the No. 1 player in the world.’ Not a lot of people thought I could win this Open with the draw I had, and I did it.”

After her waxing of Venus and Serena Williams, no one believed that Henin would not win her second US Open crown.

When Henin returned to the Tour after her emotional off-season, I wondered if her personal demons would get in the way of her tennis. I could not have been more wrong.

Tennis has always been a solace for her. When she is at her best, she feels at peace with those around her and her inner self. As I was listening to Henin’s post-match press conference, I was struck by how often she mentioned that she now feels she can be herself on the tennis courts and more important, with those closest to her.

“I think I look more open. I look myself. I can be a funny person.”

Henin won’t ever be known as tennis’ greatest comedienne, but take one look at her face when she hits her zone on court, and you won’t see a woman more at peace with herself on earth.

“I think that people have really started to know me a little bit better, and it’s been a big difference in my life the last few months. I’m just feeling healthy, happy, and I just can be myself.”

Has her newfound peace and assurance influenced her tennis? You had better believe it, although Justine is hesitant to admit that it does.

“I do prefer when it’s calm, when it’s normal,” said Henin, “and it is right now.”

“It’s much better in my life. So I can imagine there’s a little impact on my tennis. But I’ve been professional a lot, like always, and didn’t know really what to expect from this season when it started pretty badly for me. I just kept fighting and came back probably stronger.”

Where does her latest triumph fit on the scale of her previous six wins?

“It’s great. This one is maybe the most important one,” relished Henin.

“The quality I played in the last few matches is amazing. It’s just a great feeling because I had a tough draw and I had a lot of things to prove to myself? Not to anyone else, just to myself.

And I did it.”

Justine, I wish you the best. You will be missed.

“Justine Henin will be remembered as one of the all-time great champions in women’s tennis, and a woman who made up for her lack of size with a will to win and fighting spirit that was second to none. It is rare that an athlete leaves at the very top of her game in this day and age, but Justine has always played by her own rules, in the very best sense of those words.

History will remember Justine for not only her seven Grand Slam titles and three years finishing as the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s World No. 1, but for one of the most graceful backhands the sport has ever seen and an ability to overcome any and all obstacles placed in her way on the tennis court and off.

This is a sad day for our sport and for her millions of fans around the world, but I know that I speak for so many in wishing Justine the very best in her future endeavors and hope that she will stay connected to the sport to which she gave so much.”

World number one Justine Henin has decided to leave the game of tennis on her own terms.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion announced her retirement from professional tennis in a shocking press conference held on Wednesday.

News of her pending retirement was initially reported by the Belgian press, only to have Henin confirm the report in a press conference.

“It’s the end of a wonderful adventure but it’s something I have been thinking about for a long time,” Henin acknowledged.

“I started thinking about it late last year. I was at the end of the road. I leave with my head held high.”

The 25-year-old Belgian became the first woman in the history of professional tennis to retire from the sport while ranked No.1 in the world.

Henin, winner of 41 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles – including seven Grand Slam championships – is currently in her 117th week as the World No.1, sixth on the all-time list.

Her decision sent shock waves throughout the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Maria Sharapova, who just rebounded from No. 5 to No. 2 on Monday, is next in line to assume the world number one ranking, although she is closely followed on the Tour rankings by Ana Ivanovic.

Henin will be remembered as one of the greatest tennis players of this generation.

She ended three tennis seasons as the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour World No.1 in 2003, 2006, most recently, 2007. Last season was her most successful year ever, during which she won ten titles (including two Grand Slams) and became the first female athlete to pass the $5-million mark in one season.

Justine won every major title except Wimbledon, taking the Australian, French and US Opens at least once, along with two season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships (2006, 2007) and an Olympic gold medal (singles) in Athens in 2004; she also led Belgium to its first Fed Cup title in 2001.

She was recently given the 2007 Laureus World Sports Academy’s Sportswoman of the Year award by the Laureus Sports Foundation, the greatest honor in female sports.

Not unlike her countrywoman and long-time rival Kim Clijsters, Henin does not plan to attempt a comeback.

“This is the end of a child’s dream,” Henin said. “This is a definitive decision. Those who know me know it is serious.”

Today marked the end of her dream as a child of becoming a professional tennis player, one that she shared with the rest of the world.

In an era dominated by tall heavy hitters with powerful serves, Henin proved that agility, poise, and grace could triumph again in tennis.