Few, if any, obstacles for Henin - 網球

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Few, if any, obstacles for Henin
by: Peter Bodo, TENNIS.com

Wimbledon will cough up a number of compelling stories on the women's side
next week. In some ways, this is shaping up as Venus Williams' last stand;
she's been in five finals, and has won the title three times, but she's
tailing off conspicuously, and another first-week loss will dissipate what's
left of her aura. It's too bad, because her game, despite all of its frayed
ends and loose screws, worked best on grass, the surface most suited to
making it up as you go along.

Then there's the defending champion Amelie Mauresmo. Last year, her win in
London put her over the top as a legitimate first-tier player, but she failed
to build on that new, substantial foundation and has had trouble getting her
game together following an appendectomy this spring. Ana Ivanovic showed us a
lot at the French Open -- clean, crisp, probing groundstrokes that will
enable her to force opponents back on their heels -- if she can play with the
same aplomb and focus that she showed at Roland Garros.

But the most intriguing story of The Fortnight is apt to be Justine Henin.
She is as different from Andy Roddick as, a Brit might say, chalk is from
cheese. But they share one common dilemma: neither has won the tournament
that, if it isn't exactly a gimme, is at least a "Yes, I'll take that, thank
you very much …"

We know what Boy Andy's problem is: Roger Federer. But Henin has no such
obstacle, as the only thing the women's defending champ, Mauresmo, has in
common with Federer is exceptional tools. But Federer uses those tools more
efficiently and effectively. Oh, Serena Williams might object to this
analysis, but after her listless performance against Henin in Paris, any
braggadocio on her part will ring hollow. She's going to have to show more
bomb than bombast before the skeptics will jump back on her bandwagon --
again.

That Henin hasn't won Wimbledon yet is, to aficionados, a crime against
nature. Much as Henin loves Paris, her game is best served on grass, where
quickness and finesse count for so much. Tick off some Wimbledon icons and
you'll see the similarity: Maria Bueno, Billie Jean King, Evonne Goolagong,
Martina Navratilova, even junior icons, Hana Mandlikova and Jana Novotna. All
of them were versatile, swift, inventive players, light on their feet and
blessed with capable backhands and a healthy appetite for the net game.

OK, so Henin isn't as strong as Navratilova, and not as prone to make use of
the valuable sliced, one-handed backhand as were, say, Goolagong and Novotna.
And if I were Henin's coach, Carlos Rodriguez, that's what I would be trying
to impress upon Henin -- the value of the slice on Wimbledon's slick,
low-bouncing surface. If Henin can get away from hitting those high-bouncing,
topspin backhands -- pretty as they are -- she will really improve her
chances.

It's about time Henin got it done.


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