Joy and pain for Henin - 網球

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Joy and pain for Henin
By Clive White Last Updated: 10:43pm BST 23/06/2007

Not unlike a lot of players, indeed most players, Justine Henin finds the
change from clay to grass a tricky one to negotiate, not least because it
comes after the exhausting marathon known as Roland Garros. Although she has
twice made the final at Wimbledon, it's been more a case of staggering
towards the finishing line rather than arriving there raring to go. Her
success in the French Open, which she has won four years out of the last
five, has been both her joy - and as far as Wimbledon is concerned - her pain.

Now, reunited with her family after a seven-year feud, the world's No 1
player feels mentally and physically in better shape than ever to win the one
Grand Slam title that has eluded her. "This year the French hasn't been as
hard for me, physically and mentally," she said. "I didn't push myself too
far."

That pronouncement was made before Friday's draw which set her on a collision
course - and a rematch -with Serena Williams in the quarter-finals, but that
won't have made the slightest difference to this feisty, classical player.

When you have been through what Henin has in her life, the powerful, daunting
frame of the American facing her on the opposite side of the net is nothing
to fear. As the little Belgian told the Sunday Telegraph: "When I want
something pretty strong I usually get it." The question is, how badly does
she want it?

The way she has managed to put the trauma of her separation from her husband,
Pierre-Yves Hardenne, last December behind her is a testimony to her fierce
determination to succeed against whatever life happens to throw at her. In
her case, that has involved the death of her mother Francoise with intestinal
cancer when she was 12 and the break-up of her family. She also suffered a
serious virus three years ago which threatened her career and almost
certainly cost her another French Open title.

Oddly enough, she puts her sharp recovery in form this year down to last
year's Wimbledon final which she lost to Amelie Mauresmo after going a set
up. "Everything more or less started here [in England],'' she said. "I
started to play a different game, also on hard court and clay. It was very
important that I move forward a little bit more on the court and be more
aggressive. Now I'm not scared of going to the net. My serve has had its ups
and downs but it's getting better."

Henin, one sometimes thinks, thrives in adversity. She's a very emotional
person. Having her brothers and sisters with her again was a powerful
motivating force for her at Roland Garros. Her father Jose watched at home on
television. "I just wanted the victory so much for them, but I just saw it as
a positive thing. It gave me so much force, so much energy. I had a tough
first week, a lot of pressure. As soon as my match against Serena came [also
in the quarter-finals], I was so happy to be there, every point was important
to me and I wanted the other players to know it.''

It's well documented that the reunification with her family came after her
brother David had been involved in a serious car crash, but she hasn't until
now revealed too many of the details. "I was just back from the Laureus
awards in Barcelona when my sister left me a message to go to the hospital
before it was too late - now he's fine," she said. "I saw my two brothers and
my little sister at the hospital and then my father two days later somewhere
else. And yeah, it was great from the first few minutes. It's tough after
seven years and then after 15 minutes it's been like we had never stopped
seeing each other."

She had had to miss the Australian Open in January because of her separation
and didn't rejoin the Sony Ericsson WTA tour until February, having not
played in three months. Talking about the separation is still hard for her.
"I just had to find a good balance, keep everything under control and it's
not easy for a woman of 25 years of age. It's a lot of things to deal with.

"That gives you so much power when you can take a decision and move forwards.
When you take a decision, you always think it's for the best but only time
tells you whether it is. I was pretty confident from the beginning of the
year but I was still a little bit surprised how I could forget about this and
just get focused on my tennis. I was just so happy and that helped me to have
a good game on the court."

Tennis is supposed to be an individual sport but as far as Henin is concerned
it's a team one - for herself and her coach for the last 11 years, Carlos
Rodriguez. During the French Open final he gave her three little letters to
read, two tactical and one "very personal". Her poor opponent Ana Ivanovic
must have felt very alone. "I couldn't see myself on the Tour without
Carlos," she said. "He's part of my life and my career. And I've done this
[achieve what she has in tennis] because we're a team, so I'm not alone on
the court. I need someone, I'm like that.

"We've had our ups and downs but we always maintain communication and respect
for one another. Sometimes I see players and coaches but there is no respect
in their relationship. I understand every time he's pretty tough with me he
wants me to be happy and to move forward and take responsibility in my life.
I have a feeling that every day he's teaching me something new. He knows me
so well, like no one else probably. I enjoy my life on the Tour because he is
with me."

www.telegraph.co.uk/cwhite

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