Henin: the return - and the reaction (part II)

Justine Henin lost out to Serena Williams in the final of the 2010 Australian Open but it was the Belgian’s impressive return to Grand Slam tennis that was the tournament’s big story on the ladies’ side. After being out of the sport for a year and a half, Henin is most certainly back. For one thing, she stamped her authority on Belgium’s domestic pecking order by beating compatriots Flipkens and Wickmayer along the way followed by the Russian, Petrova, who had previously dismantled the other recent Belgian comeback queen Kim Clijsters 6-0, 6-1. Henin also saw off two other dangerous Russians, Dementieva and Kleybanova, before totally outclassing Jie Zheng of China in the semis. The manner of those victories, both skilful and gutsy, suggested that Henin is every bit capable in the not-too-distant future of challenging for (and re-gaining) the world #1 spot currently held by Williams and of adding to her tally of seven Grand Slam titles. This will give the top women players much to ponder. Yet will the defeat to Williams leave just one or two nagging doubts in Henin’s mind?

A bridge too far?
In an entry on the QoS chatter page I had wondered, regarding the match-up with Williams, whether a match of this magnitude was really the best thing for Henin at this early stage in her comeback (only her second event since returning). This might seem a strange thing to say of a Grand Slam final. But the opportunity of a fairy-tale victory also carried with it potential risk. After Henin, as a wildcard entry, had battled her way through an arduous first part of the tournament, the quarter- and semi-finals were relatively trouble-free: Henin appeared to have dealt with the more acute physical stresses of the tough first week while assuming the mantle of de facto seed. Looking at the heavy strapping worn by Serena, and the close head-to-head record between the two players, expectations were such that it would not have been totally fanciful to construe Henin as marginal favourite in their meeting. And therein the risk: that the final would prove to be just one match too far, too early, enabling an old rival to strike a destabilising psychological blow. And there was maybe something of this in the way Henin fell away to defeat in the third set, as if her exertions in Melbourne had finally caught up with her physically and/or mentally. These are, however, merely the musings of this one correspondent...

Positives
... because Henin should, in fact, take a great deal from this tournament. Perhaps above all, she proved that Henin ‘mark II’ has the grit and determination to make a success of her comeback. Still coming to terms physically with the rigours of Slam tennis, Henin seemed on the verge of exiting the tournament on any number of occasions – notably in the epic 2h50 2nd-round encounter with 5th seed Dementieva and later in the three-setter with Kleybanova – but had resolve enough to fight her way through. Indeed, against Dementieva, Henin could have faced almost certain defeat had she not clinched the decisive second-set tie-break when she did: with signs of fatigue and cramp setting in, the writing might well have been on the wall had the match lasted even moments longer. Physical strain also seemed to be a factor as Wickmayer levelled her 4th-round encounter with Henin by taking the second set 6-1. But Henin had enough in reserve to re-assert her authority and take the third set reasonably comfortably. In fact, Henin’s ability to raise her game at key moments was so impressive at times at the Aussie Open that one or two commentators allowed themselves the hyperbolic indulgence of drawing fleeting comparisons with the great Roger Federer, himself so masterfully unflappable on The Big Points.

Henin the player
Henin’s small stature (5"6) makes her achievements all the more impressive. She regularly comes up against more ‘powerful’ opponents with ostensibly bigger ‘weapons’ yet overcomes them with an attacking, technically accomplished and varied brand of tennis. (The exception on this occasion being the power of Williams, whose serve – especially the one from the right-hand court swinging out wide – is a particularly formidable weapon). Britain’s John Lloyd is fond of using the term “change up” when commentating on the men’s matches and observing that a player has varied his approach. It is a rather unflattering term because it tends to presuppose that the player concerned is plodding along in routine fashion and needs to make a conscious effort to do something different, to “change up”. Henin would be far less susceptible to such jargon because variety is inherent in her game. See for example her trademark single-handed backhand, both over-the-top and slice. There is one particular variant of the stroke – where the ball comes across Henin and she squares off the angle to zip it down the line – that is one of the great shots in the game. Henin was also prepared to attack the net in Melbourne, and used net play to good effect at some decisive moments.

The way ahead
What must Henin work on as her comeback unfolds? First and foremost she needs to build her in-tournament stamina and physical strength. She can’t expect to win Slams by enduring first weeks as demanding as they were in Australia. Ideally, she would also up her first-serve percentages, and perhaps there could be a touch more consistency on the forehand side in particular (though this could be a figment of the imagination induced by comparison with the backhand – coaching experts feel free to comment). All this will no doubt come with time. Henin enjoyed the Melbourne experience enough to tell the Rod Laver arena that she would be back again next year. Among other things, there’s the small matter of Wimbledon to take care of between now and then...

Comments

[jo shum]

great articles, both part 1 and 2. it's amazing how much contrast there is, such joy and sceptism about henin's return. my only conclusion is that she is so good on the courts it now draws so much tension to the games, and a lot of threats to other players and fans. to me, i just think henin has such personality that she only focuses in playing good tennis and not really cares about off-court experience.

[Charles le Roi]

Clijsters is a much more likeable character. Unfortunately she has a 'henin complex'. Some are suggesting that her feeble capitulation in the tournament was down to the fact that she would have faced henin a round later. Wouldn't surprise me.