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Henin makes her childhood dream come true
Source: The Daily Telegraph
Publication date: 2001-07-06
WHEN 19-year-old Justine Henin steps on to Wimbledon's Centre Court tomorrow for her first Grand Slam final she will fulfil a precocious prediction she made to her mother almost 10 years ago.
The young Justine was sitting in the stands at Roland Garros watching Monica Seles beat Steffi Graf in the 1992 French Open final when she turned to her mother, Francoise. "I was sitting there with my mum," Henin recalled recently, "I said to her, `One day you'll see me playing like this on the Centre Court'."
Henin was only half right. She has indeed made a Grand Slam final but her mother died of intestinal cancer when Henin was 12.
The petite Belgian, who yesterday beat Jennifer Capriati 2-6, 6- 4, 6-2, after a stirring fight-back has enchanted the Wimbledon crowds this year with her blend of skill on the court and maturity off it.
After the death of her mother Henin was forced to grow up fast, taking charge of the household and her brothers, David and Thomas and younger sister Sarah.
Her father, Jose, who brought up his children on a postman's salary, is also not expected to be present on Centre Court. Henin refused to talk about their relationship yesterday but friends have described it as "turbulent". She lives with her boyfriend, Pierre- Yves Ardenne, in Belgium, who was "too stressed" to watch the match. The first he learned of Justine's success was when she telephoned him immediately after her victory.
Tomorrow Henin, who first picked up a racquet at the age of five, will stand almost alone as she fights to fulfil a dream she has harboured since she was a small girl. Even though she is eight inches smaller than her opponent, Venus Williams, Henin more than compensates for it with the passion and precision of her play.
John McEnroe put aside his support for fellow-American, Capriati, to praise Henin's killer shot - a single-handed backhand which he described as "the best in the game - men's or women's".
Henin, who lost in the semi-final of this year's French Open, fought back from a set down to end Capriati's hopes of becoming the first woman since Steffi Graf to win all four Grand Slam titles in a single year.
"It is an amazing day for me," said Henin. "This was my first time on Centre Court and I was very nervous. I think I can win this tournament now.
"I always knew that I wanted to be a top player, but it was just a dream. Now, step by step, it is becoming a reality. My life has changed a lot now."
Capriati, 25, accepted her defeat as gracefully as Henin had acknowledged the Centre Court applause. "Everyone was making a big deal out of the Grand Slam. I'm pretty happy. It's hard to win one Grand Slam. It would have been nice but . . . oh well."
Publication date: 2001-07-06
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