Justine Henin | The New York Observer

What Happened to the Champions?

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:02:45 -0400

To understand something of the state of the women's game--indifference, injuries, overall malaise--take a look at your last three Open champions and where they are now:

2005: Kim Clijsters. Retired in 2007 at age 23

2006: Maria Sharapova. Injured.

2007: Justine Henin. Retired in 2008 at age...

Justine Henin, Undisputed Champion

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 22:46:41 -0400

Justine Henin has been known as a great player with an unpredictable mind. If her nerves stayed in check she could beat anybody. But it's that 'if' that has prevented tennis pundits from calling her the unquestionable number one player in the world. If Serena or Venus are on their game, if Sharapova has her serve, then well ... Henin can't stand up to that.

Tonight, Justine Henin made those reservations seem a little...

Poor Dick Enberg

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 22:17:26 -0400

After a divorce so messy that it caused her to withdraw from the Australian Open, Justine Henin-Hardenne returned to the 2007 tennis season with a new attitude and a new name: Justine Henin. Her triumph tonight was a coronation of her redemption and her personal struggle back to the top.

In a post-match ceremony on center court she was congratulated by Dick Enberg, the CBS announcer and stadium MC, who then introduced her as...

Henin on Conquering the Williams Sisters

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 20:17:11 -0400

After her stellar straight-sets semifinal victory, a reporter told Justine Henin that Venus Williams said she wasn't feeling 100 percent today.

"I'm surprised," interrupted Henin, in a deadpan voice.

This evening, Justine Henin become the first player since Martina Hingis at the 2001 Australian Open to beat both Williams sisters in one Grand Slam.

For a player who describes herself as mentally fragile—she said before the tournament that the Williams...

After Defeat, Venus is Tired But No One Knows Why

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 19:52:18 -0400

What's wrong with Venus Williams?

"I just was feeling dizzy, a little sick to the stomach," she said. "Was just having some energy problems. I'm not really sure what's wrong with me."

Neither does anyone else. After making 56 unforced errors in her agonizingly close quarterfinal match with Jelena Jankovic, Venus made 35 this afternoon—compared to 26 winners—in a straight-sets loss to Justine Henin.

Williams said she's been feeling strange—dizzy, tired, depleted—since she...

Live-Blog! Venus Williams-Justine Henin

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 16:10:57 -0400

I tried it once, and nothing terrible happened.

So here, for our second attempt at live-blogging the Open, I'll be presenting a running account of the women's semifinal between Venus Williams and Justine Henin at Arthur Ashe.

If you feel like taking part in the coverage, chime in in the comments section or get me on AIM at ‘Jets20012.’

4:14: If Venus and Justine have a rally that lasts more than 10 seconds this sellout crowd might...

Jankovic Handicaps Venus-Henin

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 01:30:59 -0400

As Jelena Jankovic was picking up some final things at Arthur Ashe Stadium yesterday after her loss to Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, I asked her if Venus needed to pick up her level of play to beat Justine Henin later today, especially since she made 56 unforced errors in their match.

Jankovic offered this: "I think Venus likes to play Justine. Venus doesn’t like to play me. She is always very nervous against me...

Time to Stop Ignoring Anna Chakvetadze

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 14:26:27 -0400

A week ago today, Anna Chakvetadze won in straight sets in a little-noticed second-round match. She won a little bit after 12pm on a backcourt at a time when the majority of the gallery crowd was still in transit.

Afterwards, there was such little interest in the media in talking to her that her post-match press conference was conducted in a player’s lounge area—not an interview room—with two bloggers.

“There were...

The Serena Loss In Context

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 04:04:32 -0400

Last night, my friend Goldburn took objection with my opinion that last night’s loss was one of Serena’s worst.

Goldburn: I don't think it was one of the worst losses of her career
me: if you consider henin is (1) a rival and (2) serena unraveled against that rival and lost to her for a 3rd time in a GS this year and (3) you don't...

Henin's Blitz

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 04:00:14 -0400

Before the last night's match, Justine Henin's coach Carlos Rodriguez said he wanted Henin pressuring Serena.

She did, and it worked: In the match, Henin converted 11 for 14 net chances.

“If I'm too far from my baseline, if I don't move forward, I have no chance to win this kind of match,” said Henin last night.

“[Serena] loves to have the control of the rallies,” said Henin....

Serena's Meltdown

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:50:04 -0400

Moments after one of the worst losses of her career, Serena Williams walked into the women’s locker room sobbing.

When she met with the press 20 minutes later she was still teary-eyed. And she did not want to talk about her match.

“I really don't feel like talking about it, to be honest,” she said. “It's like I don't want to get fined. That's the only reason I came. I can't afford...

Live-Blog! Serena Williams-Justine Henin

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:26:07 -0400

In anticipation of tonight’s fantastically wonderful match-up of Serena Williams and Justine Henin, I’m trying something new: live-blogging from Arthur Ashe Stadium. Instant analysis!

If you feel like being a part of this bold venture, chime in in the comments section or get me on AIM at ‘Jets20012.’

8:16: One minute from the first serve and the seats here are barely filled since it took so long to kick people from the day session out....

Henin's Coach Previews Tonight's Match

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 17:07:49 -0400

Justine Henin came off the practice court at 5, some two hours before her much-awaited rematch against Serena Williams tonight.

I caught up with Carlos Rodriguez, her coach, and asked him about the match.

“We come here to play these type of matches,” he said. “It’s exciting and it’s difficult. It's my job to help Justine to do her best in these type of situations.”

How’d she look in practice?...

Henin Faces the Williams Gauntlet (Again)

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 22:13:02 -0400

Before the Open began, Serena Williams discussed how eager she was to take on Justine Henin, who she’s lost to at both the French Open and Wimbledon this year:

“I’m excited actually...She’s one of my favorite opponents to play. She has a good game and she brings it to you and she enjoys the battle.”

By contrast, Henin talked about how emotionally draining it was to play Serena at Wimbledon, particularly with Venus...

The Serena Mystery

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 21:30:38 -0400

Is Serena Williams secretly injured?

After her match against Marion Bartoli, she was asked if anything was affecting her physically: “I would be the last person to tell you just in case Justine or Safina reads it, and they're like, ‘Oh, I know what to do.’”

Then her father, Richard, had this to say to me two days ago: “I think Serena can beat anyone when she’s well. Serena’s really not well....

The Best Rivalry in Women's Tennis

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 21:18:14 -0400

It's time to start talking about tonight's match between Serena Williams and Justine Henin, the latest installment in what some of my favorite tennis experts consider to be the greatest rivalry going on the women's side.

“Serena-Henin is the best,” said Jon Wertheim, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated. “There’s some history there. They played three times already this year -- Serena won one and saved a match point, Justine won at the...

The Best Day at the Open

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 00:50:28 -0400

Don't look further than Day 7. This will be the best day at the 2007 U.S. Open.

The Williams sisters both have fantastically difficult challenges on Ashe today. We’ll preview both matches this morning and find out exactly what their opponents need to do to win.

Meanwhile, Justine Henin gets Dinara Safina in an extremely intriguing night match on Ashe (as we’ve mentioned, playing at night is not Henin’s favorite). Novak Djokovic...

Henin Dominating, Djokovic in a Thriller

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:20:00 -0400

The Ahsha Rolle story is over, as Marat Safin's sister Dinara Safina put her away in straight sets. Justine Henin once again rolled in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2. She's trounced her opponents 36-9 through three rounds.

Novak Djokovic and the grisly Czech veteran Radek Stepanek are playing a thrilling match at Louis Armstrong. Stepanek took the first set in a tie-break, Djokovic took the second in a tie-break and Stepanek is up a...

Lots to Watch, Especially Mardy Fish!

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 03:16:43 -0400

After last night's exhilarating action, we've got some great tennis to follow up.

At 11am, Justine Henin plays at Ashe while Novak Djokovic plays at Louis Armstrong. In the afternoon, Ana Ivanovic, Tim Henman, Marion Bartoli and Serena Williams all play.

Lleyton Hewitt will play on Louis Armstrong at night, while Venus Williams and the injured Rafael Nadal play at Ashe.

Match to watch for: Mardy Fish v. Tommy Robredo...

Plenty to Watch Today

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:50:54 -0400

After a slow day yesterday, we're back to a really strong lineup of matches today. Rafael Nadal debuts at the Open at Arthur Ashe, right after Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams finish up against their unknown opponents. Streaky Marat Safin plays at 11 this morning on Louis Armstrong, followed by Justine Henin. Next door, at the very loud Grandstand there will be a delightful lineup full of Americans: Meghann Shaughnessy, Robby Ginepri, Mardy Fish and...

Federer, Henin on Playing in the Spotlight

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 09:20:36 -0400

Men's number one seed Roger Federer will play tonight and women's number one Justine Henin will play a little after 12 p.m. Which is fine by each of them. Here's how Federer on night matches: "I prefer them over the day sessions, to be honest... It's more special--electrifying. The crowds come out in big numbers." And here's Henin: "A few years ago I did hate to play night session. That was something I was really...

Courts to Watch Today

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:00:03 -0400

Each morning here at the Observer's U.S. Open blog we're going to tell you what to look out for in the day's action. Today's tip: arrive early!

The heavy-hitters -- Jelena Jankovic, Justine Henin, Roger Federer -- will steal the spotlight at Arthur Ashe today. But you know how these first-round matches go: some of them are over in 40 minutes. If you have a pass that lets you into Arthur Ashe, don't be late.

A Major Distraction for Justine Henin

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 21:19:14 -0400

Are the Williams sisters still a major mental block for the number one player in the world? During a press briefing on Saturday, Justine Henin explained her shocking semifinal loss at Wimbledon to the delightfully out-of-shape Marian Bartoli by saying that she may have focused too much on Serena and Venus Williams. (She beat Serena in the Wimbledon quarters in a straining three-set match and red-hot Venus awaited her in the finals.) “You know, it was day...

The Hard-Working Jelena Jankovic

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 21:10:07 -0400

We've written about Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic, but we haven't mentioned the other Serbian making a major impact on the current field: the 22-year-old no. 3 player in women's tennis, Jelena Jankovic. Jankovic's ranking has rocketed this year due to a remarkably extensive playing schedule. She's played 80 matches in 2007, compared to Justine Henin's 48 and Maria Sharapova's 42. Jankovic, who kicks off her US Open play today against Jarmila Gajdosova, said...