Henin Focused on Title - 網球

http://0rz.net/1f1z9

Henin Focused on Title
Tuesday, 27 June, 2006

She may only stand 5ft 5ins tall - 5ft 6ins if she stands on tippy-toes –
but Justine Henin-Hardenne can be a very scary sight. When Mrs
Henin-Hardenne puts her mind to something, she usually gets what she wants.
And, this year, she has put her mind to winning Wimbledon.

She began with a simple and swift 6-0, 6-1 thrashing of Meng Yuan, a
57-minute workout that acquainted the French Open champion with the Wimbledon
grass and gave her a feel for the place. Other than that, there was -
thankfully - little to report.

No dramas, no injury worries, no hangover from her exploits in Paris and then
Eastbourne last week, where she won the title. Henin-Hardenne was probably
the only person in south west London who actually enjoyed the hours of rain
on Monday.

"I was a bit tired from my last two matches in Eastbourne," she said. "The
rain yesterday helped me a little bit. I was feeling better today. I played
well, very consistent, pretty aggressive. I went forward. That's the kind of
match you need in your first rounds."

Henin-Hardenne does know what it takes to reach the latter rounds of this
event. In 2001 she reached the final and even took a set from Venus Williams
before losing but that was in another lifetime.

Back in those days she had not developed the killer instinct that has since
taken her to five Grand Slam successes. Now she has that edge, she views
Wimbledon in a different light - the title is there for the taking provided
she keeps to her game plan and the fates decree that this is to be her year.

"It's a different atmosphere here," she said. "I like it a lot. The site is
beautiful, it's the most beautiful site of the four Grand Slams, I think.
It's all about traditions and I really like it. All the players love to come
here even if grass is something very specific and you need some time to get
used to it."

Should everything go according to the Henin-Hardenne plan and she lifts the
Venus Rosewater Dish on July 8, she would become only the ninth woman since
the war to have won all four Grand Slam trophies over the course of her
career. That thought whets her appetite.

"I would love to do it," she said. "I would love to take a place in history.
But I don't think right now I realise what it would mean for the history of
tennis. I can dream about that, for sure, but I prefer to stay very focused
on what I have to do every day and how hard I have to work. A Grand Slam is
very long. I know I have possibilities now in the future to win this
tournament, but it's still to early to talk about them."

The worry for the rest of the field is that while Henin-Hardenne may not wish
to talk about her possibilities, she is already thinking about them. And that
makes her a really scary opponent to face.

Written by Alix Ramsay

--
呼 真希望快點打到決賽 見證歷史
等不及啦~~

--