PREVIEW-Tennis-Henin angling for spectacular return to Paris
LONDON, May 20 (Reuters) - Two years after Justine Henin stunned the sport by announcing her retirement at the age of 25 on the eve of her French Open defence, the Belgian is back and eager to show Roland Garros what it has been missing.
Before Henin’s self-enforced break, she reigned supreme on Parisian clay, winning the title on four out of the five previous years and she is already being tipped to sweep all before her over the next two weeks.
Svetlana Kuznetsova won the tournament last year, beating Dinara Safina in a mediocre final, while Ana Ivanovic claimed the title the year before. Worthy champions as they were, neither came anywhere close to emulating the tennis conjured by Henin.
There are few better sights in tennis than the Belgian in full flow. At 5-ft-5ins (1.65m), there is not much of her but she prowls the court like an old-fashioned gunslinger, thrashing clean winners and producing angles that defy mathematical explanation.
However, since returning to the Tour in January she has been steady rather than spectacular—not quite the impact that compatriot Kim Clijsters enjoyed when winning the U.S. Open last year after coming out of retirement.
Serena Williams stood between her and the Australian Open title at the start of the year—proof that not all Belgian women can take a lengthy career time-out and return directly to pocket a grand slam title.
Henin won her first title since returning last month on clay in Stuttgart yet bailed out in the first round of Madrid a week later and her game is not quite back to the level she was at in 2007 when she spent all but seven weeks ranked world number one.
Perhaps she is still feeling her way back, but the familiar surrounds of Roland Garros, where she enjoys great support, will make her very hard to beat once she gets moving, according to twice former champion Martina Navratilova.
“Even though Justine has been away for a couple of years from the French she has played enough matches now this year and has proven herself,” Navratilova said in a conference call.
“She has to be one of the favorites for the title. There is no doubt about that. Nobody has really come through in a dominating fashion leading up to the tournament.
“She must like her chances pretty well on this stuff. I mean, it is like coming home for her. She knows exactly how to play on it. There is no doubt with her movement. She grew up on this stuff. She is right at home sliding.”
With so much focus on the return of Henin, it is easy to overlook the fact that sisters Serena and Venus Williams sit at the top of the rankings.
Serena has been troubled by a left knee injury since beating Henin in Melbourne and admitted last week she is struggling for sharpness as she returns to the city where she has a house.
For the first time for a while it is older sister Venus who could pose the biggest threat here, having not been past the fourth round since losing in the 2002 final.
With her 30th birthday just around the corner she might not get many more chances.
“I feel like I’m playing well, I feel confident in my game,” Venus, who has reached four finals this year, said in Madrid where she lost to Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai in the final.
With Denmark’s third-ranked Caroline Wozniacki troubled by an ankle injury in the build-up, former world number one Dinara Safina yet to really recover from a back injury, Clijsters already ruled out and Kuznetsova just struggling for form, the stage is set for Henin.
“It’s been very interesting the last few months and I have learned a lot of things and generally it’s been pretty positive for myself,” Henin said. “I feel I took the right decision to come back and it’s been very exciting for me.”
(Reuters) - Justine Henin feels at home at Roland Garros, surrounded by familiar faces and even happy to see her old locker.
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"I went to see the place with my locker in the locker rooms where I had won the last time. It's a sort of good-luck charm for me, that specific locker," four-times champion Henin told reporters on Friday, two days before the start of the French Open.
"But the most emotional thing was to meet people again, coming back after all those years and seeing the same people working for the tournament, with whom I had sort of created some friendly relationships, and also to come back to clay here, which is the best clay ever."
The Belgian, who returned from 20 months in retirement in January, won the last match she played on the Paris clay three years ago.
"I know the site perfectly well and I feel very much at ease here," said Henin, 27. "Very often I stayed for the whole two weeks in this tournament, so for me it's easy to find my way here. It's always very special for me.
"I practiced on Court One and I remembered that 13 years ago I won the juniors here. All this comes to my memory."
Henin, champion in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007, is expecting a warm welcome from the local crowd.
"I feel at home here because the French crowd always welcomed me incredibly well, and many Belgian people come because it's close," the former world number one said.
"When you are at the other end of the world in Australia you feel more isolated, whereas I feel here I'm surrounded by many more people...Of course I have to deal with that, because it means I want to do even better here than elsewhere."
Henin will start her bid for a fifth French Open title with a first-round match against Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova, possibly on center court.
"I know that court very well. I don't really need to practice on that particular court in advance," she smiled.
For Justine Henin, the memories come flooding back every time she walks through the gates at Roland Garros. "It's very strange, not only the same images, but it's always the same feeling, even the smell," the Belgian says. "It's something very strong. Every year when I go back it's always very special. It is my garden."
It's not surprising, given that Roland Garros and the French Open, which begins tomorrow, are central to Henin's story, personally and professionally. She first came here to watch the tournament with her mother in 1992, two years before her mother died of cancer when Henin was 12 years old. Henin vowed to return to Paris and in 2003 she won her first grand slam title here the first of her four French Opens to date.
Five months into her comeback after a brief retirement, she is seeded No22 and is the bookmakers' favourite to win her fifth title.
Three weeks before she was due to defend her French Open title in 2008, the then 25-year-old quit the sport, saying she no longer enjoyed it. But 18 months later, after trying out a variety of pursuits, including two reality television shows in Belgium, Henin was back with a renewed spirit and seemingly a new, more open attitude.
Reaching the final of the Australian Open in January showed that Henin still has what it takes, and although she has been relatively inconsistent of late, she is the one they all want to avoid.
It was the former world No1 Boris Becker who described Wimbledon as his personal living room, so at home did he feel on the grass at the All England Club. The same is true of Paris for the 5ft 5in Henin, who seems to grow in stature once inside the gates. Everyone, including the usually fearless world No1, Serena Williams, whom she could meet in the semi-finals, knows that if Henin plays her best then she is virtually unstoppable. Plus ça change, as they say in these parts.
"Well, it's my garden," Henin said. "It doesn't mean I am going to feel comfortable when I walk there. But I am a very emotional person and I need the emotions to give my best. I have to feel something strong and must have a history. The history of the French Open was that I went there with my mum in 1992, and for my whole life it's going to be something special.
"The fact also that I love [is] when my friends or family, the people that I love, can come and watch me play, that gives me extra motivations. In Paris it's very easy, it's so close to home.
"And clay is the surface that I grew up on and a surface that not a lot of players like. Not many players like to slide, or know how to slide on the clay. It's not an easy surface. I think you need to be very complete to win in Paris and I definitely feel very at home there."
You have to go back six years to find Henin's last defeat on the clay courts at Roland Garros, a second-round loss to the little-known Italian Tathiana Garbin when Henin was suffering from an immune- system problem that then forced her off the tour for three months.
She won the title here for three years in a row from 2005 to 2007 and, having not played since then, is defending a winning streak of 21 matches and 35 consecutive sets.
Not even a freak injury, when she broke the little finger on her left hand during training for a Fed Cup tie in April, set her back for long. Henin won the tournament the following week in Stuttgart and although a bout of flu cost her a first-round defeat in Madrid last time out, she is still full of confidence. "The French Open has been, I would say, a love story for a long, long time," she said. "It's the tournament of my heart."
Q. I think the last time I saw you in this seat you were telling us, no, no, no, I won't be back. JUSTINE HENIN: Well...
Q. What's it like? JUSTINE HENIN: Because I didn't know at the time I would be back, but it's a great feeling. It's a strange feeling, but it's very good. I mean, when we were driving last night to Paris, and then this morning to the site with my tennis bag, it's just great. And to play on this clay court again, I mean, it's something I couldn't expect for. It's a great feeling a lot of great memories are coming become, and a lot of emotions. It's been a place where I lived so many things. And, um, yeah, it's just great, a good feeling to be back.
Q. How do you feel your preparation has been on the clay? JUSTINE HENIN: Well, it's been difficult, I would say, in the last few weeks, but today it worked pretty good out there. I had some good feelings on the clay, but you never know what's gonna happen. I feel healthy. That's the most important thing. And for the rest, I mean, right before the tournament, you never know what to expect. You have to work hard and you have to just try to feel more comfortable day after day and just try to do your job the best you can. But I had a good day today. It was pretty good, yeah.
Q. What happened to your finger, and does that effect your playing at all? JUSTINE HENIN: Well, it's already, yeah, a month that I broke my finger, and still two or three more weeks with the splint. I hope it's gonna be okay. It's less painful now. I can deal with it. I'm used to play with it now. So, yeah, I'm lucky I have a one hand backhand and it's my left hand. So, no, I'm feeling almost 100% with that, yeah.
Q. In any way do you feel like the defending champ here? JUSTINE HENIN: Not at all, no. I mean, because it's it's long ago that I didn't play here. It's three years that I won, you know, the title here. So, no, I don't have this feeling. It's just great to be back. But a lot of things have changed, I would say. I come to play the second Grand Slam since I'm back, so it's, you know, a lot of things to deal with. And, um, I think the draw is gonna be quite open, because a lot of things can happen. Grand Slam is tough, because it's long and you need to be at your best all the time, on every point, and especially on clay court. It's a surface that you have to build your points and you have to work hard. So it's gonna be really interesting for me.
Q. Along those lines, we've seen you really push forward and be aggressive in a lot of your matches since you came back. I'm wondering if that's a strategy you're going to try to continue on clay, or this is an opportunity maybe to let some other aspects of your game sort of unfold and you can lay back a little bit. JUSTINE HENIN: Well, on clay it's a little bit more difficult, because you have to find really the good rhythm all the time, so of course I think, for me, it's been why I've been successful in the few tournaments since I'm back. It's because I've been much more aggressive, and I just try to take the opportunities. Especially in Australia I thought I was really aggressive. In Stuttgart I could play also a good game on clay. So here it's gonna be my first outdoor tournament, I would say, on clay. So you have to be really it's really a question of rhythm. So if you are patient and you build your points, but when you get the opportunity, of course, you have to go. But it's really a question of balance on the court and on clay, and we work pretty hard on it the last few days. THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please.
Q. Apart from Carlos, things have changed around you? Slightly? What are your reasons for that, and why just before the French Open? JUSTINE HENIN: Because it was the right timing. It just happened, you know. It's not very complicated. Life includes going through different steps and needs change, so it's quite simple. I had the need of starting afresh, of starting with people who were more available, who had more time. So it is not a real problem. This was a choice that I thought about for a long time, so I decided to start with the same team as before. So it was not so simple, but things ended up well. It's just a further step. I don't feel it's a problem because it's just before the French Open. You know, with experience, you are able to understand what you need and what suits you. This is what I feel. I need to do what is good for me, so it was easy to do.
Q. You already played the Australian Open and this is the second Grand Slam, but this is very special for you emotionally speaking. So does this come into account in your preparation? Because you had many emotions here and you had a history in this tournament. JUSTINE HENIN: Well, I needed to deal with that. I don't come to the French Open as I would come to any other tournament. It's always very special for me. I won four times here. I won the juniors, too. I practiced on Court No. 1, and I remembered that 13 years ago I won the juniors here. All this comes to my memory. Also, I feel at home here because the French crowd always welcomed me incredibly well, and many Belgian people come because it's close. So when you are at the other end of the world in Australia you feel more isolated, whereas I feel here I'm surrounded by much more people. But of course I have to deal with that, because it means I want to do even better here than elsewhere. But this can also be a driver for me.
Q. In the men's draw, we feel Federer and Nadal are the favorites here in this tournament, this year of course, and other players, too. Do you agree with that? What do you think about Aravane Rezai? You met her in Madrid, and of course she's in France here. JUSTINE HENIN: Yes, she played beautifully well in Madrid. She hits very hard, especially when she's very confident. She can be very dangerous. She will be one attraction of this tournament. The rest of the draw is also very open. This is typical from women's tennis, since a certain number of Serena has always been at the top when she needed to, except when she was injured. She showed she was dominating slightly. But I believe here in the French Open anything can happen. I think the crowd always likes to have Federer or Nadal in the final all the time, but there are always surprises. I believe there will be a lot of competition, and this means that anything can happen at any time during the tournament. For me, it's a good thing. So from the start I'll be very cautious. Since I started playing Grand Slams I know that these tournaments are the most important tournaments for every player, and I know I need to manage well the situation. I feel good, but I am very impatient, and I'm looking forward to playing that first match.
Q. What were the first moves you did when you arrived on site? Did you try to find places you knew? JUSTINE HENIN: I went to see the place with my locker in the locker rooms where I had won the last time. It's the sort of good luck charm for me, that specific locker. But the most emotional was to meet people again in coming back after those years and see the same people working for the tournament, with whom I had sort of created some friendly relationships, and also come back to clay here, which is the best clay ever. I practiced once this morning and once this afternoon, too. I know the site perfectly well, and I feel very much at ease here. Very often I stayed for the whole two weeks in this tournament, so for me it's easier to find my grounds here.
Q. Do you enjoy yourself when you're on the court here, or anywhere else in the world? JUSTINE HENIN: Well, some days more than others. It's like every other job. There are places you prefer, and you prefer to play where you feel more inspired. But every time I step onto any court I feel this is my place. I never wonder whether it was a good decision to come back. I just feel I have still many things to achieve. I'm not only talking about good results or performances. Of course I would like to reach my best level again, but personally I'm convinced there's a lot of things I can do on this tour, and I have to do. But of course I need to learn again many things, because I came out of this kind of life. I'm coming back and I need to learn again. If I was predicted I was going to have such a good season or such a good start, I would have signed for it for sure.
Q. You like this site, you love it, but you know that this stadium might be moved elsewhere. What do you think? JUSTINE HENIN: Maybe it has to happen. Maybe that's the way it should be. Of course, it's my favorite tournament. But we must say that other Grand Slams have been growing, and everybody can understand that more space is needed. But it's difficult to imagine that Roland Garros will be elsewhere. I hope they will find solutions to keep the tournament here, because the history is behind this place. But sometimes, some decisions are necessary and logical. So let's stay down to earth about this and let's take the best decision. I'm sure that's what they are going to do.
Q. But a title here, having won a title here is a plus for you compared to other players? JUSTINE HENIN: I'm not so sure. Of course I experienced many feelings here, and I might remember them and they might be a good motivation for me. But when you start playing again after being out of the game for a while, it's very difficult and it's tough. You have to there are many challenges, and maybe if I am able to win a few matches it will become easier. But in the beginning of a Grand Slam tournament you need to fight, because it's very difficult. So I don't want to look too much ahead for the time being. Everything can happen any time. This is the beauty of sport, but also the tough part of sport. So maybe, if I'm able to win a few rounds, but now it's too early to say.
Q. You were saying you were impatient to be here a few days ago. Are you looking forward especially to go on center court? JUSTINE HENIN: Well, yes, I'm looking forward to being on that court for a match because I know that court very well. I don't really need to practice on this particular court in advance. I mean, there is no problem adapting for me. But of course I will be happy to play on that court again as soon as possible.
Q. Are you ready to play a match on Sunday? JUSTINE HENIN: We are ready for anything. We have no choice. It can be either Sunday or Tuesday.
Q. You didn't ask specifically for the Sunday? JUSTINE HENIN: No. In Grand Slams you can't ask for things like that. There are rules, and that's it. You need to respect the tournament managers and their work. I mean, the director.
Q. Can you talk about the draw, your first round, your second round, your third round? JUSTINE HENIN: Pironkova will be my first round. Last time was in the US Open. I think it was 2007. And also we played in Indian Wells, if my memory is good. She counterattacks a lot and she is sometimes very surprising. She does very strange things sometimes. She can be dangerous. I'm very cautious about that match. It's the first round. Anyway, every first round is difficult. I know you're bored to hear me say the same things about a first match, but that's it. It's always the same thing. You know, you need to expect everything, but I don't want to talk about what will happen after that, because I need to take things match after match. Of course I have a sort of general view. We've said that already. We talked about it together a few days ago, so I know what might happen. But for the time being, it's too early to talk about it.
Q. Physically, are you completely fit? Can you prepare as you wish? JUSTINE HENIN: I feel a lot better. It's true that about 10 days ago, even a week ago, I was not at the top, but only able to start practicing last weekend. So it's less than a week. But now I feel better and better. The energy is coming back, the stamina. Of course, I need to take care of myself, because I was a bit weakened by this, but now I'm ready to enter into this tournament.
อดีตมือหนึ่ง Boris Becker พูดถึงวิมเบอดันว่าเหมือน Living room ส่วนตัว เขารู้สึกเหมือนสนามหญ้าที่ออลอิงแลนด์เหมือนบ้านยังไง จูจูก็รู้สึกกับปารีสหยั่งนั้นแหละ ใครๆก็รู้ทั้งนั้นแหละว่าถ้าจูจู plays her best ก็ไม่มีใครหยุดเธอได้ Well, Its my garden จูจูว่างั้น แต่ก็ไม่ได้แปลว่ารู้สึกสะดวกสบายนะ ฉันเป็นคน very emotional (ไม่รู้จะแปลว่าไงถึงจะตรง) แล้วก็ต้องการใช้ emotions to give my best. ฉันต้อง feel something strong และต้องสร้าง history. ประวัติศาสตร์ของ FO คือการที่ฉันไปที่นั่นกับคุณแม่ในปี1992 และ for my whole life its going tobe something special (ไม่อยากแปลค่ะ อยากให้อ่านประโยคประวัติศาสตร์) ข้อเท็จจริงอีกอย่างที่ฉันรัก เมื่อเพื่อนๆหรือครอบครัว คนที่ที่ฉันรัก สามารถมาดูฉันเล่น นั่นจะเป็นแรงขับเคลื่อนมหาศาล ในปารีสน่ะง่ายเพราะใกล้บ้าน
ขี้เกียจแปลเรื่องบาดเจ็บ เอาเป็นว่าตอนนี้มั่นใจสุดๆ ฉันต้องบอกว่า FO คือ a love story for a long, long time มันเป็นทัวร์นาเมนท์ในดวงใจ จูจูว่างั้น :)
จัสตินสู้ๆๆๆๆ เราก็เครียดกลัวนั่น กลัวนี่ไปซะหมดเท่าที่อ่านมา่เห็นว่าเมื่อคืนมืดมาก พอเริ่มเซ็ต 2 จัสตินก็มองไม่ค่อยเห็นลูก อาจจะเป็นเพราะแบบนี้เลยตีลงแต่กลางคอร์ท เราก็ว่าน่าจะจิงนะคะ แล้วอีกอย่างเราว่าจัสตินปลาอยอ่ะเซ็ต2 แล้วดูอารมณ์เสียด้วยเราคิดแบบนี้เพราะ จัสตินอัปเดต facebook ว่า I've been waiting the all the day and we haven't finished the match... And no luck with the weather! Let's have a good night to get ready for tommorrow! Allez!!!
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LONDON, May 20 (Reuters) - Two years after Justine Henin stunned the sport by announcing her retirement at the age of 25 on the eve of her French Open defence, the Belgian is back and eager to show Roland Garros what it has been missing.
Before Henin’s self-enforced break, she reigned supreme on Parisian clay, winning the title on four out of the five previous years and she is already being tipped to sweep all before her over the next two weeks.
Svetlana Kuznetsova won the tournament last year, beating Dinara Safina in a mediocre final, while Ana Ivanovic claimed the title the year before. Worthy champions as they were, neither came anywhere close to emulating the tennis conjured by Henin.
There are few better sights in tennis than the Belgian in full flow. At 5-ft-5ins (1.65m), there is not much of her but she prowls the court like an old-fashioned gunslinger, thrashing clean winners and producing angles that defy mathematical explanation.
However, since returning to the Tour in January she has been steady rather than spectacular—not quite the impact that compatriot Kim Clijsters enjoyed when winning the U.S. Open last year after coming out of retirement.
Serena Williams stood between her and the Australian Open title at the start of the year—proof that not all Belgian women can take a lengthy career time-out and return directly to pocket a grand slam title.
Henin won her first title since returning last month on clay in Stuttgart yet bailed out in the first round of Madrid a week later and her game is not quite back to the level she was at in 2007 when she spent all but seven weeks ranked world number one.
Perhaps she is still feeling her way back, but the familiar surrounds of Roland Garros, where she enjoys great support, will make her very hard to beat once she gets moving, according to twice former champion Martina Navratilova.
“Even though Justine has been away for a couple of years from the French she has played enough matches now this year and has proven herself,” Navratilova said in a conference call.
“She has to be one of the favorites for the title. There is no doubt about that. Nobody has really come through in a dominating fashion leading up to the tournament.
“She must like her chances pretty well on this stuff. I mean, it is like coming home for her. She knows exactly how to play on it. There is no doubt with her movement. She grew up on this stuff. She is right at home sliding.”
With so much focus on the return of Henin, it is easy to overlook the fact that sisters Serena and Venus Williams sit at the top of the rankings.
Serena has been troubled by a left knee injury since beating Henin in Melbourne and admitted last week she is struggling for sharpness as she returns to the city where she has a house.
For the first time for a while it is older sister Venus who could pose the biggest threat here, having not been past the fourth round since losing in the 2002 final.
With her 30th birthday just around the corner she might not get many more chances.
“I feel like I’m playing well, I feel confident in my game,” Venus, who has reached four finals this year, said in Madrid where she lost to Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai in the final.
With Denmark’s third-ranked Caroline Wozniacki troubled by an ankle injury in the build-up, former world number one Dinara Safina yet to really recover from a back injury, Clijsters already ruled out and Kuznetsova just struggling for form, the stage is set for Henin.
“It’s been very interesting the last few months and I have learned a lot of things and generally it’s been pretty positive for myself,” Henin said. “I feel I took the right decision to come back and it’s been very exciting for me.”
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