Justine Henin: The Comeback So Far - 網球

這篇文章總結了Ju復出後的表現,和討論她目前面對的問題
寫的很棒也滿客觀的,(難得看到媒體新聞這麼有討論價值@@)
建議大家有時間就看一下

http://0rz.tw/RmZXu

Justine Henin: The Comeback So Far

A win at the premier-level event in Stuttgart confirmed what has been an
extremely successful return to professional tennis for Justine Henin in 2010.
But as Matt Trollope reports, there are still kinks to be ironed out of her
game if she is to contend for the game's biggest prizes.

After just four months and six events into the second phase of her career,
Justine Henin is back in the winner's circle. Her command of the claycourts
in Stuttgart contributed to her first title in more than two years, and the
win positions her as the firm favourite heading into the year's second major
at Roland Garros.

Having also reached the Australian Open and Brisbane International finals and
the semifinals at Miami, the Belgian has already cracked the Top 20 and sits
in third place on the WTA Tour's ‘Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships’
rankings. Her comeback could not have progressed much better.

Was this ever in doubt? It would actually have been far more surprising if
a player of Henin's calibre could not return to tennis and experience success,
even after a 19-month hiatus from competition. In her physical prime at age 27,
armed with a wealth of big-match experience, mentally fresh after her time off
and hugely motivated, Henin was perfectly placed to make an assault on the Tour
she dominated prior to her retirement in May 2008.

Her compatriot Kim Clijsters had proven a few months before that a successful
return was possible, capturing the US Open just three events into her comeback
from a two-year break.

When Henin announced her decision to return, many women's tennis fans breathed
a huge sigh of relief. Her sublime brand of all-court tennis had been sorely
missed from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, which had suffered criticisms
throughout 2009 relating to a perceived lack of mental toughness in players,
a flawed ranking system and a dearth of quality big-match tennis.

Her comeback coincided with Clijsters', as well as Maria Sharapova's climb back
from a long-term shoulder injury. Collectively, this served as a giant boost
for the Tour, and interest in women's tennis going into the 2010 season was as
high as it had been in years.

Henin was quick to remind the world why she was a former World No. 1 and
seven-time Grand Slam champion. Her fantastic form in Australia exhibited her
shotmaking flair and complete skills and brought out the best in her opponents.
Her thrilling battle against Clijsters in the Brisbane final and her compelling
matches against Elena Dementieva and Serena Williams in Melbourne will be
remembered for years to come.

After playing her first four events on hardcourt, Henin has moved to her
favoured clay and is reaping the benefits. Despite an upset loss in the first
round of the Madrid event, she has no points to defend and seems destined to
continue her rapid rise to the summit of the sport. Henin is almost peerless
on clay and has no realistic challenger leading into Roland Garros. Provided
she is healthy, the French title is hers to lose.

But Henin did not return to tennis to win French Opens – she already has four.
She admitted that watching Roger Federer claim the Roland Garros title in 2009
to complete his set of major titles was the catalyst for her decision to begin
a second career. She has her sights set on Wimbledon. Yet despite this steely
focus and her fantastic results so far, it is not a perfect picture. There are
some glitches in the “new and improved” version of Justine that the Belgian
assured we would see upon her return, and the one that she believes will give
her the best chance of claiming victory on the lush lawns of the All England
Club.

Henin has returned obsessed with the notion of playing attacking, aggressive
tennis at all costs. An admirable and brave approach, it has also proven
reckless and ineffective at times. Her famed consistency no longer seems to
feature as significantly. While she claims that a beefed-up game will allow
her to combat the power of the Williams sisters and other big hitters on grass,
she has moved away from the variety and artistry that proved so successful
in the first phase of her career. Her re-tooled serve – designed to launch
her further into the court to gain power – has been somewhat of a liability,
leading to a poor first-serve percentage and constant pressure on her second
delivery.

Her insistence on trying to out-hit Williams in the pair's absorbing
Australian Open final proved her downfall. Although she “got hot” midway
through the second set – hitting winners off almost every shot and enjoying
a run of 15 straight points to win the second set and move ahead in the third
– her style of play was not sustainable. Williams, who lives for slugfests
from the baseline, rediscovered her form after Henin's onslaught and raced
away with the match as the Belgian rapidly faded.

There was really no need for Henin to adopt these tactics. She possessed a
good record against the World No. 1, had gained the upper hand in their rivalry
before her retirement, and was one of the few players that could consistently
trouble her. Previously, Henin employed clever tactics in their matches that
nullified the American's imposing brand of baseline power. These included
mixing up the serve, playing heavily top-spun groundstrokes deep and down the
middle of the court into Williams' body, and employing slices, drop shots and
angles to keep her off-balance. However, she turned her back on this approach
in January and paid the price. It doesn't bode well for Wimbledon should she
face Williams again.

Another slightly worrying sign for Henin has been her performances in big
matches. Lauded for her mental toughness, she is a collective 0-3 against
chief rivals Clijsters and Williams in 2010. What's more, she blew commanding
positions in all of those contests. Against Clijsters in the Brisbane final,
Williams in Melbourne and Clijsters again in the Miami semifinals, Henin could
not close out the match. This will make it even harder to claim the Wimbledon
crown. If, hypothetically, she was to find herself in a winning position in
the final – which could easily be against a Williams sister or Clijsters –
both the external and self-induced pressure of trying to complete her set of
major titles against such a tough opponent could prove suffocating.

However, it is not all doom and gloom for the Belgian. Her comeback has been
a pleasure to watch, and she has performed exceptionally given her extended
break from the sport. Her form and consistency appeared to be improving in
Stuttgart – the magnificent backhand was flowing and her serve was the most
solid and damaging as it has been all year. A successful claycourt campaign
could actually serve to “groove” her in the lead up to Wimbledon campaign
and imbue her with the confidence necessary for an assault on the game's most
prestigious trophy. And, as she has demonstrated previously, there are few
players better at overcoming adversity and lapses in confidence than the
Belgian.

The next few of months of her season promise to be compelling.




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