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Trey Bien
Rafael Nadal and Justine Henin once again ruled the French Open, winning
their third straight titles in grand fashion on Roland Garros's terre battue
Posted: Tuesday June 12, 2007 11:13AM; Updated: Tuesday June 12, 2007 11:24AM

Roger Federer moaned, and everyone knew: It would end soon. Grunting and
screeching are tennis staples, of course, but not for Federer. Usually he
embodies the quaint notion of striving quietly. But he had just made his
final desperate run at Rafael Nadal and the 2007 French Open title, muffing
the last of 16 break points he'd let slip this day. It was 5:50 p.m. on
Sunday, in the second game of the fourth set, and after Federer rolled a
backhand wide, his first groan echoed across the clay. On the next point
Federer shanked another stray backhand and yelled in despair, and the 15,166
fans jammed into Court Philippe Chatrier knew it was done. Nadal had cracked
him open for all to hear. Again.

The 21-year-old Spaniard won the French Open final 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4,
becoming the first man to win three straight titles at Roland Garros since
Bjorn Borg won four in a row in 1978-81. And in beating Federer for the third
straight year in Paris, in denying the world No. 1 the only item missing from
his Grand Slam resume, the No. 2 Nadal cemented his role as history's happy
roadblock, the one player capable of consistently exposing Federer's few
flaws. As Federer's forehand splintered against Nadal's impenetrable defense,
his will again frayed and his legs began to go. Usually the picture of
graciousness, after the trophy ceremony he turned his back on a TV interview,
slung his racket bag over a shoulder and trudged off the court holding the
second-place silver plate like a piece of cardboard. "I couldn't care less
about the way I've played over the last 10 months," Federer said. "I wanted
to win this match, and I didn't succeed."

Federer well knows why. With its endless points and constant sliding, the
French Open is tennis's most bruising test. But there's a term the Europeans
and Latinos who dominate the dirt use more and more these days, and no matter
how good their English is, it always comes out the same. "My mental was
good," they'll say, meaning they didn't crack under the strain. When Federer
is asked to name Nadal's most impressive quality, he says, "Mental of steel.
To have [that] at his age is incredible."

Nadal has yet to lose a match at the French Open, a streak of 21 straight,
and the way he's playing, maybe he never will. In Paris he perfected the
nifty psychological jujitsu of praising Federer as superior while punishing
him on court like some mouthy junior. "[He has an] unbelievable record,"
Nadal said. "For sure he's better than me -- right now."

Federer still believes he can succeed at Roland Garros, but for the moment
Nadal's one rival there is Justine Henin. She matched the Spaniard by sailing
through the 2007 semis without dropping a set, and then she bludgeoned Ana
Ivanovic 6-1, 6-2 in Saturday's women's final for her third straight French
Open title and fourth overall. "Queen of Clay is good," Henin said after the
match when asked to choose a nickname.

That's because no one at Roland Garros faced a mental test as tough as hers.
Paris is where the 10-year-old Justine promised her dying mother, Francoise,
that she would play one day. In 1999 Henin would break ties with her father,
Jose, over control of her career and cut off relations not only with him but
also with her two older brothers, Thomas and David, maintaining only sporadic
contact with her younger sister, Sarah.

As families go, the Henins have HBO written all over them. In January,
Justine missed the Australian Open and began divorce proceedings from her
husband of four years, Pierre-Yves Hardenne. Then in late March, Henin was
told by her doctor that to keep tabs on the chronic asthmatic condition that
nearly derailed her career in 2004, she had to see a specialist at a hospital
in Liege, Belgium. Henin balked; it was the same hospital in which her mother
died in 1995. Then Sarah sent a text message: David was now in that hospital,
in a coma, after breaking seven ribs in a car accident. "That was a sign for
me," Henin said. "It was time. It wasn't too late."

David emerged from the coma after two days. On April 2 he looked up from his
hospital bed to see Justine, the girl he had watched grow up only on
television, walk in. For the first time in eight years, the four siblings
were together. "Within a few minutes, everyone was fine," Henin said.

Last Saturday she squared off against Ivanovic, the 19-year-old Serbian whose
unassuming nature and winsome beauty led her nation's charm offensive at
Roland Garros. Ivanovic didn't stand a chance. In Henin's box David, Thomas
and Sarah clapped, screamed Justine's name and cried. "It's incredible to be
here; we are very happy," said David after the match. "She's a different
person, and we are different people now."

When Henin launched her final forehand volley for the win, she threw her
racket and hands up in disbelief, then pointed two fingers at the sky,
thinking of her mother. "Finally she can be proud of the player I am . . . of
the person I am and of the step we took," she said. "She wanted our family
unified." Later Henin drank champagne with her siblings. "For the first time
in my life," she said, "I feel at peace."

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他說Nadal最大的對手(法網)是Henin而非費神 呵呵...

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