WIMBLEDON

July 3, 2001

Justine Henin

MODERATOR: Questions, please.

JUSTINE HENIN: I think that now I can say that I'm so happy to be in the semis. I had maybe an easy match in the score, but I think I had to play a good match to win so easy. So I think that I was waiting for more difficult match because she has a lot of experience on grass court. But I played so fast, she couldn't do anything.

JUSTINE HENIN: Better today. Better today. I think I did a little bit of mistakes on my backhand, but it's okay (smiling).

JUSTINE HENIN: I think that now I have a little bit more experience. I think I will enjoy this moment more than in the French because I'm in the semis. That's a great result just after the French. I think that I didn't enjoy enough this moment in the French, so I don't want to do second time this mistakes. So I just go on the court to enjoy the match. I will think, "Okay, you in the semis, so enjoy the match, do your best."

JUSTINE HENIN: I think that when you do a semis in a Grand Slam, you win just a tournament after this, you again in another semis, you for sure in confidence. So I will go on the court to win and do my best.

JUSTINE HENIN: I didn't believe him, for sure, because I was 45 at the beginning of the year. I was 100 one year ago when I played Wimbledon last year. So everything was so fast. I played so well this year. But I think it's the beginning of my young career. I'm only 19, so I have a lot of years to do my goals and to do far away. So I keep and I take my time.

JUSTINE HENIN: I think that mentally I think I'm stronger than last year. You know, I was injured during a long time, so I didn't have the possibility to play and to win a lot of tournaments. But I think now I'm fit and I can play all the tournament without any problems. So just a lot of matches, a lot of experience now, and that change a lot.

JUSTINE HENIN: I never played her, so it will be the first time. That's important also. I think it's good to play against Serena. She's a really strong player. I never played against her. I don't know her very much, so we will see what's going to happen. You know, she's a great champion. I will be the outsider, so I will have nothing to lose in the semis of Wimbledon. I will have, for sure, different approach from the French. I will not have a lot of pressure on me. So I think that's okay.

JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, for sure. I think it's different to play Williams or Clijsters in the semis. It's a different match for me. And I think in the French, yeah, I had to win, but in my head I wasn't so strong. So it was 6-1, 4-2, and I didn't go to win the match. Maybe if I have the possibility here, I will not do the same mistake.

JUSTINE HENIN: When you are in the semis of a Grand Slam, you don't feel tired. For sure, I'm a little bit tired physically - I don't think mentally - because you give all you have to go to the final, if you have the possibility. So after the tournament, I think I will feel it more than here.

JUSTINE HENIN: I think both. But, you know, when you're playing so fast and when you don't do a lot of mistakes, when you put a lot of pressure on the other player, it's difficult to organize her game. So she couldn't play a lot with her slice because I played on whole court. So I think I was very aggressive. I served well. So she had nothing to do. She was a little bit frustrated, I think. But it's okay. I played a good match. She did a lot of mistakes. But it's good.

JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah. You know, to return on her serve is difficult because it's not so fast, there is a lot of slice, it's so slow. Sometimes it's difficult to find a way.

JUSTINE HENIN: I don't think anything about that. I think it's for us, for the Fed Cup, it's good to play in Europe. For me it's the same to play in Germany, New York. I don't mind about that.