THE tennisreporters.net NEWSLETTER: SATURDAY, JUNE 7, NO. 32

Hard-headed Henin-Hardenne hangs tough for first Slam victory

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA, Inc.

FROM ROLAND GARROS – Justine Henin-Hardenne: She's just about as tough as they come.

Henin-Hardenne lost her mother, Francoise, when she was 12 and since that time, has rarely cracked a smile and shed a tear publicly. She had a hard life and her piecing eyes, sculpted face and chiseled, wire-tight frame reflect that fact.

But after her remarkably easy 6-0, 6-4 victory in the Roland Garros final Saturday over her completely lost countrywoman, Kim Clijsters, Justine's softer side bloomed, when the tears began to fall immediately after her win. She ran up to the friends' box and exchanged long hugs with her husband, Pierre-Yves, and her coach, Carlos Rodriguez. And then she exchanged hugs again.

When Henin-Hardenne woke up Saturday morning and her husband told her not to fret, that they would be the same happy couple when they saw each other in the afternoon. The day looked very rosy.
"He said, 'Win or lose, it doesn't matter, we're very proud of you,'" she said. "That's very important to me that I know the people around me love me."

Marriage and muscle
Henin-Hardenne – who has been at odds with her father, Jose, for years – dedicated the victory to her mother. Rodriguez has been a her pseudo father since she's been 14. But even last year, she was still in search of more comforting family circle, so in November, she married her one-time hitting partner.

"I got married and I'm feeling very secure, and that's so important for my tennis," she said. "When I go on court, I'm not afraid to lose."

Henin-Hardenne had found her home and, in December, visited legendary trainer Pat Etcheberry in Orlando, Fla., who had once grinded Jim Courier and Pete Sampras into shape. She knew that if she didn't bulk up, big players like Serena, Venus and Kim were nearly untouchable.

"I remember the work in December when I was almost crying with Pat and he said to me, 'Remember these moments when you hold the trophy.' He was right and I want to thank him."

Justine began to discover herself back to January in the fourth round of the Australian Open on a searing hot day, when she was hellishly cramping against Lindsay Davenport and pulled out a 7-5, 5-7, 9-7 victory. She fell somewhat quietly to Venus Williams in the semifinals, but kept pressing on. In April, she outthought and outran Serena Williams on green clay in the Charleston final, handing the No. 1 her first loss of the year. Then, on the Berlin clay, she got over on Clijsters, who had hammered her the last three times they played. Then it was on to Roland Garros, where last year, she had been flu-ridden and was upset in the first round.

Demanding draw
In Paris, a tough draw served her very well. She overcame the tricky Patty Schnyder in three sets in the fourth round, jumped on all-courter Chanda Rubin in the quarters and then matched Serena Williams glare for glare in a three-set victory in the semis. By the time she got to Clijsters, she had nails poking through the top of racket.

"The draw helped me," she said. "Kim had an easier draw then me and it helped because I know what it was to fight for matches at the French Open."

Susan Mullane/ Camerawork USA, Inc.

After her practice session on Saturday morning, she visited the seats where she and her mother sat when she was little girl for the 1992 final, when her heroine, Steffi Graf, fell to Monica Seles. She caught of a whiff of a sweet memory and once she got on court, her spirit was strong.

"[My mom] gave me all the energy I needed to win this match," Henin-Hardenne said. "When I woke up this morning, I said, 'You'll have to win. You have to do it for your mom.'"

There's nothing about Justine's game not to like now. Her high-variety game has been a bag full of eye-candy since she reached the final here in '01, but she has immensely improved. Last year, her forehand was erratic. Now it's arguably her best shot. You could go back to the year's outset and criticize her serve, but during the May and June, it's become arguably the hardest, wickedest weapon ever come off the racket of a woman 5-foot-6 and under.

Henin-Hardenne has, without question, the sweetest drop shot on clay and tripped up the super-fast Clijsters with a number well-disguised forays. Her one-handed backhand is a thing of utter beauty; she can roll it, slice it low, flatten it out and has complete confidence that it won't break down in crunch time. She's 126 pounds dripping wet and without an ounce of fat on her body. Henin-Hardenne is quick and fit and now after winning her first Grand Slam title, can finally be called a big-time player.

"It's incredible what I did today but there are new objectives in the future," she said. "My philosophy is not going to change just because I won the French. I've done that. Now I have to think about the future."