Struggling world number one Justine Henin could be set to stun the tennis world by announcing her immediate retirement, Belgian media reported on Wednesday.

The Olympic champion, who pulled out of the Rome Masters this week blaming tiredness, will hold a press conference in Belgium to comment on all the mounting rumours concerning her future.

One Flemish newspaper, Het Nieuwsblad, citing "a reliable source", categorically stated that the 25-year-old will announce her immediate retirement from the game.

For the Vers l'Avenir newspaper group's internet site she plans to retire either now or after trying to defend her Roland Garros title or even after the Beijing Olympics.

On Tuesday La Derniere Heure suggested she would simply be taking time out for several months.

The press conference is planned for late Wednesday afternoon in Limelette in central Belgium.

Henin has been struggling this year to reach the level of form that has earned her the last three titles at Roland Garros.

She admitted last week she was lacking confidence just two weeks prior to her French Open defence.

Henin has been beaten four times in four months in 2008 including a 6-2, 6-0 hammering by Serena Williams in Miami last month.

Her latest defeat and last appearance on court came at last week's German Open where she made a shock exit when coming off second best in a two and a half hour third round marathon against Russia's Dinara Safina.

In Berlin last week Henin, who split from her husband last year, told AFP of her ambitions for the future away from tennis.

"I'm young in life, but starting to get old on the tour. I'm growing up and I need different things," she said.

"Even physically I don't recover as well as I did when I was 20. That's normal.

"Now I've been playing tennis for 20 years and it's been my whole life but as a woman, as you get older, you need to think about the future.

"I'd love to go back to study. It would be a good challenge and I've been thinking about it a lot recently.

"If I can think about that now it's easier to make the sacrifices because I know there are other things coming.

"It's important to plan and say, 'That's what I want.' It might not happen because things can change, but that's the plan."