WIMBLEDON

June 30, 2003

Justine Henin

THE MODERATOR: Ladies and Gentlemen, Justine Henin-Hardenne. First question, please.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think it was a good test for myself, you know. Playing Mary Pierce on grass court is not easy. I just had to stay focused on every point because she's hitting the ball very hard. She can do a lot of mistakes. I had to be very focus. Yeah, I broke twice in the first, once in the second. It's a good job.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think I am quick on the court, that's very important on grass. I can be powerful when I want. So the power is not the most important thing. It's important on grass, I agree. But the serve and return is very important. So I just try to work on it and, you know, just have to play point after point.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I did a lot of this work. I didn't change a lot. But I can feel it on the court. I'm much more stronger than I was last year. It helps me in difficult situations on the court. So I think that I improved a lot in this part of my game, and it's maybe the key of my results, too.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, it's very hard. I mean, you have to be focus on every point. If you're not, the match can be very quick and you can lose games very quickly. So, I mean, you have to be, from the first point to the end, very careful about everything and just try to stay very aggressive. And that's what I did today. I'm pretty happy.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Everything (smiling). No, when I was running was the most difficult, you know. I did a lot of 200 meters, 400 meters, and it was so hard. I mean, I knew -- I thought I knew what it was, working hard. Then I met Pat and I said I wasn't doing anything.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No, not at all. I heard a lot about him, and Pat worked with him for a long time. But never met him, unfortunately.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think that the workout with Pat helped me mentally, for sure. I think that's the big part of my game that changed in the last few months. So probably there is a combination between the physical part and the mental part.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Uh-hmm.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I mean, you know, it's very far from now. Wimbledon is another tournament. You know, I just try to stay focus on my quarterfinal now. It's still very early to talk about any semifinal against Serena because she is going to have a tough match and I'm gonna have a tough match. And I think we're professional enough to forget what happened there. We don't have any problems between each other. I think that it's very far away from here.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I didn't understand the question.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Oh, I mean, he can do any comments. I really don't mind about Richard Williams.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think it's great for everybody. I mean, it's so much important for everybody to have idols. They always at the end of the tournament. That's very important. You see that, yeah, in the Top 5, in the Top 10, you have very, very strong players. Everybody can win this tournament. It's hard at this point. You can get surprises at sometimes. You never know. It's true that on grass court, usually the favorites are at the end of the tournament, and I think it's good for women's tennis.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think the Williams sisters are very, very strong on grass court. Probably it's their best surface because they're so powerful and they're very strong. Kim is playing well this year, but you have still Davenport, Capriati in the draw. They are two players, too. Like I said, everybody can win this tournament. For sure Venus and Serena are still the favorites this year.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Uh-hmm.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: It's big satisfaction, for sure. But now I start to realize what happen. But, you know, to be honest, it's very far from now. It's not that I forgot it, but I just try to make other goals for myself. It's so much important to be focus on something else. You don't live with the past. I mean, I won the French Open. It's great. It's my first Grand Slam title. It was probably the biggest moment of my career, but it's not everything. Life continues. Here I am at Wimbledon. I want to win this next match. That's the most important for myself. But it give another sense to my career, I'm more confident in myself for sure.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I mean, we don't have the result yet. But, you know, it's just gonna be another match. If it's Sharapova or Kuznetsova, it's going to be a hard match against a young player who will have nothing to lose. I will be the favorite on paper, but on the court it's gonna be different. They're playing, both of them, very well here in Wimbledon, so I'll have to be focus and just play my game, a solid game, like I do from the beginning of the tournament.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: You know, I never watch her matches. I just try to stay focus on myself. I just know that she's young, she's hitting hard the ball, everybody's looking at her and she's coming very strong on the tour. But, I mean, I just have to stay focus on myself if I want to win this match, you know?