She’s Already at the Top, So What’s Next?
Posted by Guest Writers on Dec 11, 2007 | Print
| 
The following article on Justine Henin is by Nina Alberti of Tennis Info Blog. This post is part of On the Baseline Tennis News’ 2008 Players to Watch Series.
1992 - “One day I’ll be on this court and I will win,” said a 10-year-old Justine Henin to her mother, Françoise, after seeing the final between Steffi Graf and Monica Seles at Roland Garros.
2003 - Justine dedicates her first Grand Slam (French Open) title to her late mother, who died of cancer when Henin was 12.
2007 - The 25-year-old Henin posts her best tennis season to date - 63-4 record, 10 titles, two Grand Slams (including her fourth French Open), 25-match winning streak, 14 wins out of 16 tournaments.
Despite the off-court emotional roller coaster in her personal life, including a divorce from her husband of four years and a reunion with her estranged father and siblings, the Belgian tennis star Justine Henin has found enough strength and stamina to establish her dominance on the women’s tour in 2007.
It seems very conceivable that Henin will continue her new-found dominance with at least two Grand Slams looking likely in 2008.
Even though she needs to defend all her ranking points, she has more than a 3000-point cushion between herself and world number two Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Justine’s priorities for the season are winning Wimbledon (the only Grand Slam title still eluding her) and defending her Olympic Gold medal in Beijing, even though she has expressed some concerns about the city’s air pollution that triggers her asthma. Henin, who missed the Australian Open this year due to her marriage break-up, has also set her sights on reclaiming the Australian Open title which she won in 2004.
Here is how I see the competition stacking up against the five-foot-five Belgian.
Svetlana Kuznetsova (2-15) is prone to fade in big matches.
Serena Williams (6-6) still struggles with her form and concentration, though she is gunning for revenge against the Belgian for the three Grand Slam losses to her in 2007.
Jelena Jankovic (0-9) thinks that it is almost statistically and emotionally impossible to beat Henin.
Maria Sharapova (2-6) and Venus Williams (7-2) seem to be the world number one’s closest competitors, but Justine still has the edge in health, consistency and confidence over both.
And then there are the unpredictable ones . . .
With her new-found marital status and improved relationships with family members, it will be interesting to see whether this new “Emotional Henin” will boost the “All-business Henin’s” performance in 2008 or will make her less focused and more prone to inconsistencies.
If Henin stays healthy, mentally fresh, and motivated then she has the potential to be one of the greatest women’s tennis players.
Nina Alberti writes about everything tennis at www.tennisinfoblog.com.
(Sources: Justine Henin official site, Sony Ericsson WTA tour site)
If you enjoyed this tennis article, please sign up for a free subscription!
Kurt | Dec 11, 2007 | Reply
Interesting post. I still see Henin being a huge factor in 2008, but I don’t think she’ll repeat her huge success of 2007. Another Grand Slam title seems certain, but I think her competitors (Williams sisters, Sharapova) are going to set a target, and the younger ones (Ivanovic, Vaidisova, Golovin, Szavay) are going to step up in an even bigger way. Should be very interesting to watch how it develops.
helaena | Dec 11, 2007 | Reply
well i guess for justine,”the best is yet to come”, and of course there is no guarantee to everything but i can see her up there for more years to come, she has extremely good work ethics, a combination of her motivation, determination and hardwork pays off pretty **** good.
ALLEZ JUSTINE!!!
Aaress | Dec 13, 2007 | Reply
Nina, great article! Thanks for guest posting!
Question for you - who do you think will be Justine’s biggest competition at Roland Garros next year?
At this stage, my picks would be Jelena Jankovic, because I’m convinced that one of these days she will be able to defeat Justine, and also a healthy Serena Williams.
Nina | Dec 13, 2007 | Reply
I agree about Serena, but still have strong doubts about Jankovic’s mental state against Justine. I also like Ana Ivanovic’s chances. I am hoping that she has matured enough to avoid meltdowns on big stages.
William | Dec 27, 2007 | Reply
Hi, Compliment of the season.
Justine Henin is my number tennis player in the world. She is very hard working,dedicated and focussed.I still see her retaining the number one position in 2008, if she can work harder.
I love Justine Henin and she remains a champion.
Please, I want to Justine Henin’s marital status.Is she married, single, engage or about to? Pls do me this favour and send the reply via my e-mail address above.
Thanks.
William.