Are you sure you retired at the right time? Absolutely, I have no regrets. None. I was proud to retire as the world’s No 1 player. I came to the realisation that there was a great life out there outside of playing top-flight tennis. It became clear in my head that I would be happier in another way.

Why has nobody managed to hold on to the top spot? To be the world No 1 and stay there you have to be the most consistent player. Most people agree Serena is the best player when her mind is on the sport. Jelena Jankovic needs to take her game to another level and I think she has that capacity. Ana Ivanovic proved how hard it is to deal with a new situation when she won the French Open last year. And Maria Sharapova has just not been consistently fit enough to play.

Why did you ask for your name to be removed from the rankings immediately? I just didn’t want to see myself in the rankings anymore.

What are you doing now? I have set up a tennis academy with the coach who was with me throughout my career, Carlos Rodriguez. It is in a village in Florida called Howey-in-the-Hills, about 30 miles northwest of Orlando. Florida was always a big part of my career. I trained at Saddlebrook with Pat Etcheberry, who was the best there was in his field, and I won the Orange Bowl there. It gave me a lot of good things and now it’s time to give back.

What will make your academy different from the rest? The most important thing is to treat the young players as human beings, not numbers. I’m going to promote the values I learnt about myself and what I learnt on the circuit.

Why isn’t the academy in your homeland? We have a big problem in Belgium right now because we don’t have enough ambition. If we are happy, we don’t want any more. The kids in the States seem to have a different mentality. If they know they have the potential, they realise they can be somebody.

Do you regret never adding Wimbledon to the three other Grand Slam titles? I don’t think winning Wimbledon would have made me a happier person. Sure, it would have been a big achievement but for me, Justine the person, I don’t think that would have made a big difference. I just want to be focused on the woman that is growing up now. That is really much more important.

What was your most memorable match? The US Open semi-final in 2003 when I won 7-6 in the third after Jennifer Capriati had twice served for a place in the final. I was so exhausted, I was down a set and 5-3. I kept asking myself, ‘What can I do because she’s playing great?’ And then I just hit the most amazing shot, which turned it all around.

And the match you would most like to forget? Most people might think losing to Marion Bartoli in the 2007 Wimbledon semi-final. But that’s not the case. Playing Amelie Mauresmo in the Wimbledon final a year earlier was worse because I never felt the fire I usually felt in big matches.

Which aspect of your career makes you most proud? I’m not that tall. I’m not that strong. So I had to fight to prove a little girl, a little woman, could make it. I had a good vision. Technically I worked very hard and that pushed me to be better. It was difficult and I put a lot of energy into my career but I did the things I wanted to prove.