As the leader among active players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour with 13 clay court titles, Henin and clay have proved to be an everlasting pair. When Roger Federer won Roland Garros in 2009, the competitive energy Henin had tried so hard to bottle up in retirement finally got the best of her. She revealed she thought about nothing but Wimbledon - the only Slam she hasn't won.
But her true test of ever winning the Wimbledon title may come from her performance this year at Roland Garros. By far her best Grand Slam, Henin has won it four times - 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. She has the Open Era record for most consecutive sets at the French Open: 35 from 2005 to present.
Check out 20 of Justine's best career moments in this special gallery!
Henin is a favorite to win Roland Garros this year, and with her win at Stuttgart, she has been the only consistency on clay. No other player in the past decade has won Roland Garros more than once, and Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova are the only players with two finals (each claiming the trophy once) in the past decade. However, both Ivanovic and Kuznetsova have struggled since those finals and have yet to show flashes of their clay prowess.
The other of the Tour's fiercest competitors have failed to find their footing on clay, or have had injuries. Kim Clijsters has been sidelined with a foot injury, and the Williams sisters, Jelena Jankovic and Caroline Wozniacki have given even more reason to claim that Roland Garros is Henin's to lose.
Henin's clever abilities are crafted on clay. It is the surface that maximizes her game. Since returning, Henin has come with a new focus and style to try and finish more at the net, shortening points. She has improved physically, and the clay surface has allowed her to capitalize on her forward-thinking game and throw off her opponents. As for now, Henin is nurturing a broken finger, but the wrap she wears during matches hasn't had much of an effect on her game, especially her backhand. After Stuttgart, Henin dropped her opener in Madrid to Aravane Rezai. But now all eyes are on Roland Garros. Injuries and setbacks are only temporary, and at Roland Garros Henin plans to show why she is one of the top players in the world and plans on staying there.
PARIS, France - Tennis is slowly beginning to forget the retirement at No.1. It is starting to forget the word "comeback". The controversy behind the 2003 semifinal against Serena Williams is now just a fleeting memory. With recent unpredictable results and Roland Garros upon us, tennis is beginning to remember the permanent mold Justine Henin has formed on clay.
As the leader among active players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour with 13 clay court titles, Henin and clay have proved to be an everlasting pair. When Roger Federer won Roland Garros in 2009, the competitive energy Henin had tried so hard to bottle up in retirement finally got the best of her. She revealed she thought about nothing but Wimbledon - the only Slam she hasn't won.
But her true test of ever winning the Wimbledon title may come from her performance this year at Roland Garros. By far her best Grand Slam, Henin has won it four times - 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. She has the Open Era record for most consecutive sets at the French Open: 35 from 2005 to present.
Check out 20 of Justine's best career moments in this special gallery!
Henin is a favorite to win Roland Garros this year, and with her win at Stuttgart, she has been the only consistency on clay. No other player in the past decade has won Roland Garros more than once, and Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova are the only players with two finals (each claiming the trophy once) in the past decade. However, both Ivanovic and Kuznetsova have struggled since those finals and have yet to show flashes of their clay prowess.
The other of the Tour's fiercest competitors have failed to find their footing on clay, or have had injuries. Kim Clijsters has been sidelined with a foot injury, and the Williams sisters, Jelena Jankovic and Caroline Wozniacki have given even more reason to claim that Roland Garros is Henin's to lose.
Henin's clever abilities are crafted on clay. It is the surface that maximizes her game. Since returning, Henin has come with a new focus and style to try and finish more at the net, shortening points. She has improved physically, and the clay surface has allowed her to capitalize on her forward-thinking game and throw off her opponents. As for now, Henin is nurturing a broken finger, but the wrap she wears during matches hasn't had much of an effect on her game, especially her backhand. After Stuttgart, Henin dropped her opener in Madrid to Aravane Rezai. But now all eyes are on Roland Garros. Injuries and setbacks are only temporary, and at Roland Garros Henin plans to show why she is one of the top players in the world and plans on staying there.
No comments:
Post a Comment