 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The rise and rise of Justine Henin
Source: The Herald
- Glasgow
Publication date: 2001-07-04
Arrival time: 2001-07-05
Justine Henin, at only 19 years old, is a girl who is finally set to step out of the shadows of Kim Clijsters, her fellow Belgian.
Up until this week Clijsters, with a celebrity boyfriend in the shape of Lleyton Hewitt and an appearance in the French Open final under her belt, has always grabbed all the headlines.
However, at this Wimbledon, Henin has come smoothly through the rounds and yesterday frankly embarrassed Conchita Martinez, the former Wimbledon champion, and in the end ran out an easy winner 6- 1, 6-0.
The Belgian took advantage of what was an abysmal display by the Spaniard, who described her performance out on No.1 Court as "the worst of my life".
She is back working with Eric van Harpen, her former coach, but at 29 years old there isn't much left in the tank for him to work with, and making the quarter-finals at Wimbledon this year is likely to be her swansong in the later stages of this competition.
From Henin's point of view, the chance to take on Jennifer Capriati in the semi-final at Wimbledon is just the latest step up the ladder of her tennis career.
Ironically, she first came to prominence in this year's French Open when she lost to Clijsters in the semi-final in three sets. However, unlike Clijsters, who went on to lose to Capriati in the final, she has no celebrity boyfriend and is much quieter off the court than her fellow country-woman. She travels with Jose, her father, who kept the family together when her mother, Francoise, tragically died, and, like many teenagers on the tour, actually enjoys going from country to country to play her tennis.
Once she has been on the road as long as someone like Lindsay Davenport, who can't wait to tell you how much she hates the travelling, she will no doubt change her mind. She does have her own little quirks, and if you watch her closely in her Wimbledon semi- final against Capriati, you will find she avoids walking on the lines on the court between points as she feels that will bring her bad luck.
The rise of Henin this year has been spectacular as last year at Wimbledon she was rated 100 in the world when she was beaten in the first round. She rose to 45 at the beginning of the year and comes into Wimbledon as the No.8 seed.
By her own admission, she felt the pressure against Clijsters in the French Open semi-final, something which she seems to have turned into a positive coming into Wimbledon. "I think in the French Open I had to win but in my head I wasn't so strong," said Henin. "I was up 6-1, 4-2 and still lost the match but maybe if I have the same chance here I will not make the same mistake."
Behind her ever-present white cap at this Wimbledon appears to be an astute tennis brain which, matched with a good backhand, will at least ask questions of Capriati when they meet tomorrow. Although Serena Williams lost to Capriati yesterday, her sister, Venus, continues battering opponents into submission, although she has a tricky semi-final match against Lindsay Davenport, who she beat in last year's final.
Against Nathalie Tauziat yesterday, Venus was pushed all the way in the first set, which she won 7-5 after being 5-1 up at one stage, but that lapse in concentration seemed to spur her on and she won the second set 6-1.
Against Davenport, she will have to keep up her same standard of ground shots which have been magnificent this Wimbledon, although her fellow American will be a hard nut to crack if the game becomes a slog from the baseline.
For Tauziat, a former Wimbledon finalist, the match against Williams was her last one at The All England Club before she retires. She never was the most charismatic of players and yesterday didn't break that mould.
She said that the Williams sisters, despite their success, weren't good for the game because their type of powerful, aggressive tennis, may not encourage youngsters to take up the game as they might feel intimidated by the standards they have set.
Davenport is another who fits into the category of the type of power player that Tauziat has concerns over, and the American seems to be coming into some good form at just the right time. She outplayed Clijsters yesterday and her 6-1,6-2, was an indication that she will run Venus close in what could be the pick of the semi-final matches.
Publication date: 2001-07-04
© 2001, YellowBrix, Inc.