BRUSSELS(AP) A year after her surprising retirement, Justine Henin feels the pain of competitive tennis every day.
``I'm broken. If it is not the knee, it is the shoulder,'' she said.
On the other hand, every day offers the freedom to do what she wants, a release from the relentless pressure that ultimately drove her into retirement at 25 while still ranked No. 1.
Despite a flurry of players briefly holding No. 1 and the impending return of fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters, Henin is happy in retirement and has no plans of a comeback.
It is truly a page that has been turned,'' Henin said Wednesday on the eve of the first anniversary of her retirement.It was 20 years of my life. Now life is something different.''
The seven-time Grand Slam champion is now a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. She discussed the humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo with European Union commissioner Louis Michel in his headquarters in the Belgian capital on Wednesday.
She's also versatile. On Thursday, she will star in the ``12 works of Justine Henin'' on Belgian television, where she will train with favorite soccer team Anderlecht, strut the catwalk and display her cooking skills. Later, she will host a music show.
``I have been living in this bubble for all these years and then you fall back into real life,'' she said.
That struck home in her UNICEF role during a visit in January to eastern Congo, once a Belgian colony and one of the world's worst killing grounds over the past dozen years.
Women and children are often the main victims. For once, Henin was an unknown face among UNICEF officials on a fact-finding mission.
``They didn't know who I was, so it had no impact on the contacts I had. That was great, because that was always a given in my life. When you are a public figure, there is always something awkward,'' she said.
Henin plans to concentrate her UNICEF work on vaccination campaigns for children.
She may be little-known in Africa, but commissioner Michel knows Henin's face will draw more attention in the rest of the world.
Her contribution is a great antidote against selfishness,'' he said.When Justine Henin is a witness to all this, it is clear she has a much bigger impact on public opinion than I could have.''
Asked who will win the French Open, where she is four-time champion, Henin returns a blank stare.
``I haven't really followed tennis anymore,'' she said of the tournament that begins May 24.
Henin recently picked up a racket to hit some balls with longtime coach Carlos Rodriguez. But she didn't want it to be misconstrued as the start of a return to competitive tennis.
``I hasten to add, just to improve my condition and stay healthy,'' Henin said.