US OPEN

August 24, 2003

Justine Henin

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Justine.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think it's still very early to talk about any Belgian final or anything like that 'cause I just want to be focused on my first round. It's going to be hard enough like that. I never played well here at the US Open, never went to the quarters. So I hope this year is going to be different. I'm feeling stronger physically and mentally this year than I've ever been in the past. I hope it's going to be different. But the most important thing is that I enjoy my game so much right now. I just play match after match and we will see what's going to happen.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Not too many distractions. For myself, I think it's coming at the end of the year. It's the last big event. I've always been retired in the last few years here at the US Open. Like I said, physically I'm getting better this year. So it's probably going to be different on this point of view. But I also think that in the past it's been very difficult for myself to play here in the States. I prefer to play in Europe because of the mentality. Now that I'm practicing in Florida, I'm getting used to all these new situations. It's very different. I won two tournaments on hard court, so I think that my game improved so much on hard court. I hope it's going to be different. Like I said, it's very early to say how you're going to feel, how you're going to play. I'll have to prove it on the court.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think that we playing, yeah, for Belgian country first. It's unbelievable for little country to have two players, No. 1 and No. 3 in the world. But I think it's not very important. I think that Kim has a lot of fans, I have a lot of fans. We just two different kind of players, two different kind of personalities. We both play great tennis. That's very important for everybody.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: For sure. I think it's good to have a rivalry. You have other rivalries on the women's tennis, not only Kim and me. I think it's good for everybody. It's great motivation that Kim is No. 1. It's very normal because we playing for the same thing: winning a lot of tournaments and being the best player in the world.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: You know, I feel that a lot of players have a lot of possibilities here at the US Open. I have to say that it's really bad for the tournament and for all the players because we want this tournament to be even. I'm sure it's gonna be. I hope we have a high level of tennis. But it's bad that Serena and Venus had to withdraw. But it's like this. I don't feel much pressure right now. We'll see during the tournament. I don't feel like the favorite here. I think I'll just play my first round and see how I'm going to feel. It's still very early.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I don't know. I hope I'll have to play her here. It's going to be a good news. It's still very early to talk about that. You know, it was my first victory in a Grand Slam against Kim. It's been an unbelievable moment. But you never know how the next match is going to be. You never know how it's going to happen. I mean, in San Diego, we played a great match. She could win this match. I won it. But next time we'll see. Probably mentally I was very strong at the French Open, but it's going to be maybe different next time.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: We didn't talk a lot about this incident. I think it's a little bit stupid to pay attention. It's in the past. I forget it totally.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: We didn't -- she was in LA, we were in Toronto, but we didn't meet at all.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think that we, both of us, are playing tennis, so we need a good relationship. We have been friends for a long times. I think that Kim was really disappointed that she lost in San Diego, and she came in press just five minutes after the end of the match. So probably she has some regrets about what she said. I think it was a little bit stupid. But it's like that. I mean, I forgot it. It's in the past. I mean, I understand that sometimes it's hard to lose, but she has to accept that.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think Kim is probably the favorite. She's No. 1 in the world right now. She played so well in the last few weeks. On the paper, she is. On the court, we will see. I mean, Jennifer Capriati won last week. She looks like she's playing good tennis right now, that she's in confidence. She won her first tournament since a year and a half. So it's going to help her for sure for this year's US Open. Then you have a lot of other players who can win this tournament. Like I said, we on Sunday, tournament starts tomorrow. It's very hard to talk about that.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I feel my game improve so much this year on hard court because physically I'm feeling better. Probably you look at me like one of the biggest favorite here, but I don't feel it right now. Like I say, what worked in the last few months is that I just live the right moment. That's the most important thing. I just played the next match. That help me to build something very strong.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think that Kim and me, we knowing very much each other because we grew up together, we played a lot each other in the past. There are no more secrets in our games. I think that it's more mentally that the key was at the French Open. Every match is different.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I've been really aggressive. But when I woke up this day at the final, I said, "Maybe it's going to be my day today." I was feeling very good. I was feeling like I had to win this tournament. I was very relaxed, very concentrate. I just played a good tennis - not my best tennis, but just a very good match, like I played in the semifinal, too. I don't know why. It was my first time against Kim that I was so relaxed. But I knew it was going to be a great day for myself.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: For sure. I think that you know, like I said, tennis is hard enough like this. It's going to be tough, you know, to win this tournament even if Serena and Venus are not here, even if Lindsay is injured. It doesn't mean nothing right now. I think it's bad for everybody, like I said. But it doesn't change anything. I'll have to prepare the best as I can. I'll have to play good tennis, a solid game if I want to go as far as possible in this tournament.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: This year is different, you know. I was sick last year at the French Open, very, very sick. I didn't have to play this match. I did a mistake, a big mistake. But it's in the past, like I said. This match is going to be different. I always very focused on my first one because I know probably it's the most difficult match of the tournament. But I don't remember about what happened last year.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think it's very different. People are very different here than in Europe. I didn't like to be away from home for a long time. Now I'm traveling with my husband. It's getting easier, you know. I'm here in the States already for four weeks. I feel like I can stay here for a long time now. In the past, I liked to be too much at home a little bit, and it was hard for me to travel. Now things are getting very different. In the last few months, I just got used to it. Like I said, I'm practicing in Florida. It helps me a lot. So this year I feel it's going to be different. I hope so.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Just when you come in Europe, you can tell the people are very different. I don't know. Everything is different here, for sure. Doesn't mean I don't like it. I really like it right now. It's different. You have to get used to it.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: It's a very special atmosphere, I agree totally. It's not the same like in Wimbledon, for sure. There is a lot of noise here. But it's okay. It's part of the game. It's the same for all the players. Just for sometimes for myself, it's been harder in the past. Now I'm getting used to it, and it's good.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think it's pretty similar to San Diego. It's very different from where I played in Toronto. The speed looks good.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I don't think so. It doesn't seem to be so quick. I think it's pretty similar to last year.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Not yet, no.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: If I can, I want to win all Grand Slams, for sure. It's normal that the French Open is very special for myself because it's on clay, it's very close from home, a lot of Belgian people were there. So it's normal, it's very special. Like for Jennifer here. Probably the American players want to win so much here. It's very normal. But for myself, I come here with a lot of confidence. I'll do my best to play good tournament. The motivation is exactly the same like at the French and at Wimbledon.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: You know, right now the money is not very important for myself. When I won the French Open, this second, this feeling, I thought about very important for myself, I didn't think about the money.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Between 8 and 10 weeks in the year.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Oh, I don't know. We'll see. I think it's a little bit different from the French Open. People start to recognize me a lot and come to me much more often than in the past. It change a little bit. But maybe it's true that we'll have to play a good US Open finally to be known here at the States.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think that it's very hard to tell you. I don't know exactly the problems. For myself, I just want to say that I think I just had a very good calendar this year. I didn't play too much. I didn't play more than two tournaments in a row. It's very important to take care of yourself. But I have to say that the level is very high right now. No more easy matches. It's very tough. The season is very long. Everybody's getting tired a little bit right now. So I know that injuries can come, I mean, for everybody. It's very important to understand that.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: It's a goal, for sure. For sure, it's a goal. But what do I have to do every day for making this goal true one day? That's the most important thing, how I have to work, how I have to win the matches. Winning a lot of matches is the most important thing. I just have to stay focused on that. If I don't win, I won't have any possibilities to be No. 1 one day. Like I said, I'll be focused on my next match. It's working pretty good for few months right now. So I'll keep continuing like this.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I can't tell you because it's not going to happen. It's very hard to tell. I just want to say that Kim deserves to be No. 1 because she's been very consistent this year. She won many tournaments. She won so many matches. Probably she didn't play her best tennis in the Grand Slams. You know, she's been physically and mentally very strong. She deserves it so much.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: For sure it's better if Venus and Serena are here. But it's not our fault. We are going to try to play high level of tennis. You have other players who is playing great tennis right now. I mean, women's tennis is not only about Venus and Serena. You have other players behind them. It's very important to accept that.