MEDIBANK INTERNATIONAL

January 12, 2006

Justine Henin

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: That's what usually I do if I have the choice. I usually choose to receive because I think that's better. You need a few points to get really in the match, so that's what I do all the time normally.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Very good. Very comfortable on the court. I was moving great. I've been very powerful. I think I've never been as relaxed on the tennis court in the past, so I think that was great. I was feeling amazing on the court. It was feeling today like I didn't stop for four months playing competition, so that was great. For me now it's bonus. I have four matches here before the Australian Open. I'm very happy the way I'm playing right now, and I hope I can keep going in this way.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think it's been good every year. I'm working very hard all the time. I've been very frustrating last year. Even if I won Roland Garros, I think it's been hard for me to be away from the courts. I only played nine tournaments last year, probably nine or ten the year before. I've been very frustrating. Then I took the right decision to stop after Filderstadt last October and just take some rest and to have a good recovery. So now I'm feeling healthy, and that's a big point. When you feeling well physically, I think that mentally you feeling stronger, too.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Oh, it's very different because I was dominating the tour end of 2003. I played unbelievable. I finished the year No. 1. That was different kind of situation. Now, even if I'm playing well right now, it's still a comeback from a long time. I need the whole season to give conclusions and play a lot of tournaments. So it's very different situation. I don't like too much to compare this year to another year 'cause everything is different and you have to go step by step and take your time.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Right now I am very focused on my final here, so I think when my tournament here is gonna be over maybe I can think about the Australian Open. But my philosophy is very simple: I just go match after match. Every match is a goal. If I can play good, I keep winning, it's gonna be good. But we'll see. It depends from a lot of things, not only from me. So we'll see about that next week.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think I'm more powerful on my forehand now than I am on my backhand. My backhand is very natural. That's why maybe you pay more attention on that. But I think my forehand is really my biggest weapon in my game right now. I am very powerful. Like today, I could hit a lot of winners with my forehand, especially the inside-out. So I think I worked pretty hard on my forehand last few years and that pays now on the court. But I can tell you I spend a lot of time in the gym, you know, do a lot of fitness and some weights and everything. So that's good.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, for sure. But that's more natural for me to be quick, so I have to keep working for sure on my quickness. But being powerful is not really my natural, so we have to work more on this.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Like I said, I mean, I have no answer right now. How do you want me to say that? It didn't begin yet, so we'll see next week. I don't know how the other players are going to feel. Depends of many things: how you sleep, how you feel, if you healthy and everything. So it's so hard to predict what's gonna happen.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No, I don't know. I don't like too much to say about that 'cause I think I have a lot of respect for everyone. For me, every match is different. It depends from the conditions. So I don't know. All the players can beat everyone. There is a lot of concurrence. We could see it, four different winners in Grand Slams last year. So that means it's very hard to predict who is the toughest player. I don't know about that.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I don't like to judge myself, you know, with a number. I think I felt great on the court. I'm very happy to be back. I think I played a very solid match, very consistent. I served pretty good. That was one of the key points today. My serve, my first serve was very, very good. So I don't know. I felt great on the court. Very relaxed. My game was good, so we'll see. I hope I can keep going this way.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: On what?

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Her weight, oh. I have no thoughts about that. I mean, no, no comments. No opinion. I never saw the pictures or anything, so no.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I was a little bit -- my muscles were a little bit tired because it's been my first match since a long time. After the first two matches I was feeling tight a little bit. For sure I knew I need matches, but yesterday I was for sure disappointed for my opponent - she was injured - but it was good for me; I could recover a little bit. Because with the heat and everything, the tension of the first matches of the year, I think I was a little bit tired. So that was good. I could have a good recovery.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I don't know. The media, they always find something. They need something every day to write. So I don't want to talk too much about that. But they have to ask the question to Serena. I don't have any comments about that.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: My visit to the hospital, you're saying?

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Oh (laughing). Yeah, okay. I went to the hospital two days ago to visit the kids. That's why I thought... So, yeah, tomorrow is gonna be a tough match. It's gonna be a final, so different kind of atmosphere. I have no preference because you have to play 100 percents, be focused. Vaidisova, she's a young player, coming very strong on the tour. She improved a lot last few months. And Schiavone, she's a great fighter so it's going to be a tough mission for me. It's going to be a night match. The conditions are going to be very different so I will probably need a little bit of time to get used to that. But it's great I could have four matches this week. That gives a lot of confidence. After that I will have a little break this weekend and hope can get ready for next week.