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How the girl Henin can play when her Dad's not in the way
Source: Evening Standard - London
Publication date: 2001-07-04
THERE is one unfamiliar name among the line-up for the women's semi-finals tomorrow, but Justine Henin fits right in with her peers in the unhappiest way possible. Like Jennifer Capriati and Venus Williams, she too suffers from Dreadful Dad Syndrome. Only Lindsay Davenport of the four has never been professionally pressured by a parent.
The latest edition of the indispensable WTA Player Guide declares that Henin's father Jose "travels with her" on the tour, but this is no longer the case. The 19-year-old Belgian has been estranged from him since this year's Australian Open, because she felt he was exerting excessive pressure on her to succeed. The move is paying dividends.
Only a month ago she made the semis at Roland Garros; now she has repeated the trick at Wimbledon.
"Just don't mention Justine's father to her, that's all," advised one observer. "She gets very annoyed, to say the very least."
The greater sadness is that neither of Henin's parents will be present at their daughter's Centre Court debut tomorrow. Her mother Francoise died of intestinal cancer in 1995 when Justine was 12. Three years earlier they went to the French Open together, and witnessed Monica Seles beat Steffi Graf in an epic final.
"I was sitting there with my mum," remembered Henin. "I said to her, 'One day you'll see me playing like this on the Centre Court'.
But it won't happen."
After her mother's death, Henin's father struggled to support her and her three siblings on his postman's salary.
"I became the oldest woman in the household," said Henin. "I always thought it would be the end of my life if my mother died. When she did, I learned to deal with it and continued playing tennis for myself. I am sure that up there she is proud of me, seeing that I am now realising my dream.
She always believed in me. She was convinced I would succeed."
Few tipped Henin to win through this far, partly because she was seeded to meet Martina Hingis rather than Conchita Martinez in yesterday's quarters.
But she will be no pushover for Capriati tomorrow, having toppled Venus Williams in straight sets in Berlin this year.
"Justine can be a great player," judged Venus that day. "She can be No 1 without a doubt." Certainly the divine grace of Henin's backhand has enraptured all who have seen it. Even Martinez was moved to call it "really beautiful, very aggressive and deep" after her humiliating defeat yesterday.
The former champion also declared that Henin can beat Capriati "if she plays aggressive".
As you might expect, Henin concurs. "Before I had too much respect to beat the top players but now I believe in myself," she said.
"I believe I can beat anyone."
She will need to hold that thought against Capriati. If the American had the slightest self-doubt about making Wimbledon the third leg of her much-vaunted Grand Slam odyssey, those fears must have been expunged by her thrilling comeback victory against Serena Williams yesterday.
"Playing Justine will be different for sure - a lot more rallies," said Capriati. "She's a great player although I think clay is her best surface.
But she's got good hands and is very talented. I'm not going to say what my gameplan is but I have to be ready for anything."
Williams was none too generous towards Capriati, barely conceding she deserved to win. Typically, Lindsay Davenport was the one who rushed to praise the woman she might yet meet in Saturday's final. "Jennifer is a total champion," said the No 3 seed. "I watched her playing Serena thinking, 'This girl has a huge heart, doesn't give up, just fights her butt off until the end'. You can't find anything more classy and gutsy than that."
If it's class you're after, off-court or on, then Davenport can match Capriati all right. To describe her as dignified makes her sound old before her time and dull with it. It is simply one of the great injustices of tennis that she is so often overlooked.
It shames this correspondent to say that Davenport is referred to in some quarters as the 'dumptruck', because she does not resemble the deeply dreary Anna Kournikova. In fact the camera lens should be prosecuted for crimes against Davenport, and she is a hundred times funnier and more interesting than the thankfully-absent Russian.
Besides which Davenport is now on a nine-match winning streak on grass, having won Eastbourne before coming to SW19. Yesterday's demolition of Kim Clijsters put her in good heart for tomorrow's semi against Venus Williams.
Davenport leads their 16 career meetings 10-6 overall, but Williams has won five of their last seven encounters, including last year's Wimbledon final.
"I'm definitely going to have to play very good tennis to win," acknowledged Davenport. "My overriding memory of last year's final is being up 6-5 in the second set and having 0-30 on her serve. I should have broken.
But I didn't and she won her first Slam."
For her part the defending champion is happy to be playing Davenport rather than Clijsters.
"Lindsay is ranked higher, so it helps my ranking," said Williams, the unspoken implication being that she expects to win. "I'll be ready."
Publication date: 2001-07-04
© 2001, YellowBrix, Inc.