WOMEN'S FINAL:AS JUSTINE Henin flew home to Belgium last night there would undoubtedly have been many thoughts flashing through her analytical mind. Disappointment, after missing out on a dream conclusion to her comeback; pride at what she was able to do and, most importantly of all, the beginnings of a plan to make sure that, next time, she returns a winner.
Her 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 defeat by the world number one Serena Williams in the Australian Open final on Saturday ended her hopes of achieving what would have been a remarkable Belgian double, winning a first grand slam back after retirement, as Kim Clijsters did at the US Open last September.
On the night, Williams was just that bit more powerful, that bit more match-tight, and she fully deserved to win a fifth Australian Open title and 12th grand slam.
As the match wore on, it was tempting to wonder what may happen when those two and Clijsters arrive in Paris for the French Open in May. Immediately after her win here Williams said she wanted to get her hands on another title at Roland Garros, but she has never been at her best on clay, winning it just once, and to do so again would be even more difficult now the Belgians are back.
Clijsters’s defeat here was a blip and she will be a factor at the other three grand slams, but in Paris it is Henin who will be the biggest danger. She has won at Roland Garros four times and on clay Williams’s power is reduced, so Henin is able to chase down shots that would be winners on faster courts.
Henin will now take a few weeks off to work on the areas of her game she feels are not yet up to scratch. When she returns, most likely in Indian Wells in March – which will be only her third event back after a 19-month absence – she will be given an official ranking. Her efforts here mean she is already assured of a place inside the top 40 and it seems inconceivable she will not be in the 32, and therefore seeded at grand slams, for the French Open.
Henin’s coach, Carlos Rodriguez, said she should be playing more like her old self by then.
“She needs more matches,” he said. “She needs to be in more emotional situations like the final, and maybe in three, four months she’ll be ready. She wasn’t ready to beat somebody like Serena yet.”
Williams, meanwhile, left with a satisfied grin after again defying the critics who had seen her less than brilliant play in the early rounds and who believed she would struggle to get the job done in the final. Yet again she saved her best for last, serving superbly as she moved alongside Billie Jean King on the list of all-time grand slam champions with 12. Williams said it had been inspirational to have King watching from the stands, but that the real motivation came from elsewhere.
“I think everyone was rooting for Justine,” she said. “But you know what really helped me out? This one guy was like, ‘You can beat her, Justine; she’s not that good’.
“I looked at that guy and I was like, ‘You don’t know me’, ” she said, wagging a finger for extra effect. “I think I won all the games after that, because that’s totally rude.”
Guardian Service
