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Former world number one Justine Henin has been forced to retire from tennis for the second time because of a recurring elbow injury.
The 28-year-old Belgian announced the news on her website stating that her elbow had been "damaged" during the recent Australian Open.
"In these recent months I have rarely been spared of the pain," she said.
"The doctors told me my elbow is too fragile and therefore I cannot continue my profession at this high level."
Henin's final match was a third-round defeat by Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova in Melbourne last weekend.
The Belgian, who won seven Grand Slams during her career, first quit the sport in 2008 when she was ranked number one in the world before returning to the WTA Tour in January 2010.
She reached the Australian Open final that month but her comeback was curtailed when she fractured a ligament in her elbow at Wimbledon.
Henin began this season by leading Belgium to the final of the Hopman Cup, winning each of her matches.
And at the Australian Open, the 2010 finalist beat India's Sania Mirza and Britain's Elena Baltacha before falling to current world number 26 Kuznetsova.
"I suffered a lot the last week and every day gave me more and more pain, but I believed that my will would take the upper hand," she added in her open letter.
"I'm in shock, of course. After having considered the advice of doctors, it is now clear and accepted that my career finally ends."
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