AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 28, 2006

Justine Henin

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yes, it's been a few days I wasn't feeling well. My stomach was very upset. And then last night, I didn't sleep a lot because it got worst and worst. Two weeks now I had to take antiinflammatories for my shoulder, and that killed me a little bit. Pretty sensitive. But I had to for my shoulder. Now I got on my stomach, and then I had no legs today. I couldn't move. When the stomach is so upset and so inflamed, you know, you just don't have any energy. And I felt it when I woke up, but I tried. I knew at the beginning of the match I couldn't win it. I just really tried to stay in the match, but there was no chance for me. If I would have keep playing and continue, maybe I would injure something else, so that was the best decision, even if it was very, very hard for me.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, it's pretty hard. Last night I was feeling so bad I thought I would have to go to see a doctor at 3 in the morning because I was such in pain. Never had pain in the stomach like this. I had to double the dose of my antiinflammatories last few days because my shoulder was painful, and it's probably I just had a very bad reaction to that.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I don't know. I think that I did what I had to do for my shoulder, and then it's been another problem that came on my stomach. I'm not quite sure there would be another virus. I know there were a lot of gastro, but I don't think it's that. I think it's just the fact that it's been a lot of pain with the medications. So it's going to be probably just a question of a few days. That's why it's very frustrating now.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No, no, nothing to do with that.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Oh, it's one of the biggest because I don't know what is harder: to lose even when you're playing well and just you lose, or just when you have to retire like that. I think it's very disappointed because I was playing so well, and I had a lot of good chances to win here. When you lose that like this, it's pretty hard.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: You always want to try because you know it's a Grand Slam final, so you want to believe that you're hundred percent. But as soon as I started the match, I really understood quickly that I wasn't feeling well, I wasn't in good shape, I had no energy. I have to give a lot for such a very slow balls. I couldn't hit the ball very hard. It's very hard when I see what I could do in the last few days.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: It's just that there was no reason for me to keep going, because it could get me other injuries and just getting worse. My stomach was so painful, and I just couldn't put anything in the ball. So there was no reason I could keep playing.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I mean, everyone has the right to think that. But it's my health. I just have to think about myself right now because it's only me on the court. It's me that is feeling the bad way I was feeling. I don't care about what these people would say.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, she just asked me what was the problem, how I felt. She had very nice words for me. So it's been pretty good.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I don't know. You know, right now I'm not thinking too much about that. But it's great for her. She was waiting for that for such a long time, and it's finally coming out, very strange way, Kim and me. But I'm sure it will give her a lot of confidence. She worked very hard so she deserved that.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No, because this time it's just different. Everyone can get that. Just an upset stomach. I think everyone can get. But in a Grand Slam final, when you have to give hundred percent, it's pretty hard. It's not going to be a long injury or illness, it's just a question of a few days. That's why it's very frustrating. But I know also I will play tennis very soon now.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think she had a lot of time because I was very far from my baseline, no energy, nothing in my ball. So she had a lot of time. When you have this kind of time, it's pretty hard to do mistakes, you know. But she was playing pretty consistent, I agree.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I was dead, yeah.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, just after that point I was feeling like short of breath and no legs, no power, nothing. I say, I am going to ask the doctor what we can do. But there's nothing we can do at that point when you're feeling like that. So I think that was really the best decision for myself.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, it relieves the pain a little bit on my stomach.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I don't understand. No, I don't think so, because you have to take the opportunities. It's not her fault. I think that she did her job perfectly. She kept the ball in the court. She felt probably I wasn't feeling good and couldn't move very quickly. So she did a good job when we see the circumstances.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: First feeling sorry for myself, and then I can feel sorry for her (smiling). Yeah, it's great when you win a Grand Slam after a big fight, for sure, after a normal match. But I'm sure she enjoys this moment, and she deserve that.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No, no. I did a couple of days ago, but not today. It was just that my energy level was very, very low, and my stomach was very painful.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, I had the same routine. It was just very hard for me to eat normally because it was painful and I was feeling heavy, not very hungry. It's been -- yeah, I knew that something was wrong. But yesterday evening already I was feeling a little bit cold and wasn't in great shape.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Well, it's always my decision, you know, my choice. I know what was the problem, and I decided to walk on court because I'm professional, I want to try. When you see it's not working, it's the only way to go out.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I mean, you know, it's hard when you're on the court and so much in pain. I think it's very easy to say that here in press conference. But when you're on the court and you suffer a lot and you feel like you don't have anything to give, it's pretty hard to stay on the court. I have no regrets about the decision I took.