Battle of the Stars: Justine Henin Takes on Serena Williams
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Sep 3, 2007 | Print |
Justine Henin battling against Serena Williams is not only a highly-anticipated quarterfinal, it quite possibly may prove to be the most thrilling match of the 2007 US Open.
Any match that features a current and former world number is thrilling; this one is especially intriguing because of the long history that the duo has shared.
This will be the pair’s fourth meeting this season, with Justine heading into the match with a 2-1 lead. Those wins came in the quarterfinals of two previous Grand Slams at the French Open and Wimbledon. Serena’s lone win was in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open, where she miraculously overcame a bagel set to score her second title of the season.
Serena’s performance in their last meeting was mediocre because of her recent thumb injury, but her thumb has since healed, her backhand is spot on, and she is confident that she will be able to bring her best tennis to the court Tuesday night.
“At Wimbledon I couldn’t hit a backhand, so I’m very confident in that fact that I’ll be able to do that,” said Serena on Sunday when talking about the possibility of facing Henin.
Because of her injured thumb, Serena was forced to continually rely on her slice return, giving Henin several free points in the process. She took six weeks off the Tour to heal, and when she returned not only was the fire back in her game, but she even took advantage of taking some time to improve her slice.
“My slice is a lot better than it was at Wimbledon,” added Williams. “I had a terrible slice back then.”
Serena’s improved slice is the least of Justine Henin’s worries on Tuesday.
When asked about Serena’s game, Henin said, “I never really focus on my opponent; more on myself.”
As anyone who follows tennis knows, this is the generic public relations answer for any player, although Justine did add that her win over Serena at Wimbledon was fulfilling.
“It was important for me to beat her on another surface than clay in Wimbledon. But it was very emotional for me. That took me a lot energy that match. And I know it’s going to be different, different surface. She’s here at home. She loves to play in the US Open.”
Her game plan? Simply do her best and may the best woman win.
“So I’m not really focused on what she’s going to do,” continued Henin. “Just going to try to do my job the best I can. Try to be at my best level and the best will win.”
As much as Justine has said about focusing only on her own game, she needs to take advantage of Serena’s second serve, and more important, make sure that she holds her own serve.
Serena’s first serve has been lethal during the tournament, making it the one stroke that Serena knows will bail her out on break points almost every time.
A powerful serve will of course be Serena’s advantage, but Henin outclasses her in the movement department. Serena’s fitness right now is close to an all-time high, but her movement and agility on the court is still inferior to the agile Belgian. If Justine keeps Serena on the run, plays at the net (like she did at Roland Garros), and takes the ball early, she will be able to quickly put Serena on the defensive.
One thing the pair does have in common is their respect for the other as an athlete and a highly-skilled professional, something that is all too uncommon in the world of sports today.
“We both have a lot of character and a lot of personality,” said Henin. “We both have been very strong mentally on the court and in the last few years. She won Grand Slams; I did. She’s been No. 1 and I’ve been.”
“Now let’s go and play and we’ll see what’s going to happen. But there’s a lot of respect professionally between the two of us.”
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Mad Professah | Sep 4, 2007 | Reply
Justine’s movement is superior to Serena’s? I’m dubious about that statement, but even if I were to give you that, I think that Serena can be more dangerous than Justine from a defensive position. That has always been the Williams sisters advantage over the rest of the Tour.