Female Player of the Year

Improved Justine blazes past Serena, Clijsters

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

When Serena and Venus Williams left Wimbledon in poor physical condition, they couldn't have imagined that not only would they not be able to play again for the rest of the year, but that they would leave the tennis to be ruled by a 5-foot-6 Belgian. Or maybe they did, which is why it is taking them so long to return.

Justine Henin-Hardenne's road to the top began at the Aussie Open, when she finally took out Lindsay Davenport 9-7 in the third set. She got other confidence boost upending Serena at the Family Circle Cup and taking her down in vicious fashion at the Roland Garros. She also put her foot on Kim Clijsters in the French final, her younger countrywoman who once had her fingers around her neck.

But it was on North American hardcourts where she came into her own; she won San Diego, Toronto and, of course, the US Open, which she now calls her greatest title run. Cramping badly, she beat Capriati in a classic three-set semi and then took out rival Clijsters on her preferred surface.

She came into the Bank of America WTA Championships with a shot at No. 1 and despite battling a virus, secured the top spot by wasting Capriati. The 21-year-old became the first Belgian in history to secure the year-end top ranking and became only the eighth player since the rankings were introduced in 1975 to hold the year-end top spot.

"It's just unbelievable how things have changed in the last few months," Henin-Hardenne said. "Sometimes I wake up and say, 'I can't believe what's happened.' But I know the reasons. I'm working harder and feeling good personally. I'm totally happy."

BIG IMPROVEMENTS IN GAME AND FITNESS
Justine is only the eighth player since the WTA introduced the rankings in 1975 to hold the year-end top spot. While she lost to Venus Down Under and Serena at Wimbledon, she came up big when she had to. In 2003, she improved her fitness, her forehand, her serve and her overall pace on the ball. Plus, she showed the mental fortitude and savvy of Martina Hingis in her prime.

Capriati, who has faced a slew of other No. 1s, said that Henin-Hardenne brings a lot to the table. "She has the combination of a lot of different players," Capriati said. "She hits the ball hard and can mix it up with her slice. She's had great results and is a great player."