OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT

August 17, 2004

Justine Henin

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, but I think she's losing in the third so...

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah. I'm feeling good first. I think it was much better already today. I had good feelings on the court. It wasn't easy because she's this kind of player, if she has to move a lot, she's playing better. So I knew I had to play a little bit more on her in the middle of the court. And tactically I think I did a pretty good match. Very good feelings on the court. Second of all, if I have to play Garbin, yeah, that's a possibility. I love this kind of situation where I can have my revenge. But you know what happened at the French Open is from the past. A lot of things have happened since then. I'm in a different situation. Every match is difficult. Every player can go to the end of the tournament. So you need to stay focused. If it's Garbin or Pratt or another player, doesn't change anything in my preparation of the match.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Nicole, she's great fighter. You know, she doesn't give any point. She's running a lot. It's not easy because sometimes she doesn't give too much rhythm. She tries to play a lot with her forehand. She's not an easy player. And she wants to win every point. So it's going to be a tough mission for me also if I have to play against Nicole.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No, I think I feel I'm playing the Olympics. It's different atmosphere. Maybe it's not an Olympic discipline like swimming or the athleteism (sic) or something like that. But I feel it is different, and that's very good because we have the same routine the whole year, and every four years we have the opportunity to feel something else, so that's pretty good.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Because the virus wasn't gone at this period so I wasn't healthy at the French Open. Sometimes it's hard to accept that, it's hard to take the good decision. You want to feel good, but you're not. You go on the court and it's a mistake. But it's like that. You have to accept. Also on clay court, I think it was probably more difficult for me to come back because it's physically probably harder. I love playing on hard court, and now I'm feeling good for three or four weeks. I can practice, I can work hard, I can push my limits a little bit more, and I feel finally that this virus is gone, so I can play my tennis.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I didn't -- yeah, at the French Open I was out of energy. I could play a match, and then I was too tired. I couldn't recover from the first match. Now it's still hard to recover because I didn't play matches for a long time. I could say from April. But it's different. It's different situation. I feel like I can go on the court, play my tennis. Even if I win or lose, I can see where I am. I think right now my level is pretty good after four months off.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Oh, probably both of them. But maybe mentally it's going to be harder because you need to stay focused all the time, on every point. And I think that sometimes in the next few weeks, it's going to be the hardest part for me keeping my concentration on every point, staying focused. Because in the last four months, I mean, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't push my limits. Now I can. So I have to, you know, to go step by step to take my time. And I think that physically it's going to be okay because I work pretty hard in the past and I did again in the last few weeks, and I'm feeling good on the court. But probably mentally playing a lot of matches is going to help me.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, I stay in the village. That's great opportunity because you can meet other athletes. That's very good. I have a lot of respect for all of them because I think we giving everything we have. So that's very good. That's good to see the difference between the sports and the disciplines. It's very interesting. But I don't have any time to go and see other sports because we playing every day and I have to keep my energy and stay focused. I watch on TV, and that's great experience.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Oh, yeah, for sure, but I could feel it already two days ago before my first round that I was very focused on my tournament. I couldn't be focused on my tennis in the last four months, but finally now I'm feeling healthy and that helps being focused on your job. And I feel in the tournament.I think it's pretty good because in the first two rounds I really didn't lose my concentration any time during the match - maybe one game today and one game in the first match. But it's nothing compared from where I come.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: At the beginning, I cannot say I was happy, but I say, "You at home and you never at home, so you're happy to be a little bit at home." You say, "Oh, that's good. I need a little bit time off." Then after a month or two, three months, it starts to be long. And I was really frustrated because I couldn't be on the court and be myself. I was feeling like a different person. It's pretty amazing. So at this point I missed the tour a lot. I missed what I love so much. But when you're not healthy, when you don't have the energy, you don't know what's happening, and it's very hard to live. So it's been tough months. But right now for me it's from the past. I cannot say I forgot it, but it's part of what happened in 2004, and I hope I can play a lot of matches now and to prepare the next season.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I don't feel any pressure coming here. When you're here on the site, you feel it's like another tournament. But I had to start again. I had to come back. And I need matches. Going to the US Open without any tournament before, I couldn't do it. So I decided to come here because it's every four years. I try to not thinking about the pressure and everything, just playing my game. It's not easy coming back after four months off, but I'm feeling good right now. I think I took the right decision. Even if I go to the end of the tournament or if I lose next round, it has nothing to do with it.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, I need to eat good, to sleep well because I need to save my energy, for sure. I was very tired for a long time. So I need to sleep very well. I have to be careful also with the jet lag and everything. So going maybe a little bit earlier in the tournaments in the States or in Australia in a few months. So I'll have to take care of this because I haven't been feeling well for months. But now I'm feeling better.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: If I win a gold medal, for sure it's first for myself, but also for the whole country. It's the Olympics. I play for Belgium, so that's for sure. The first question I cannot answer because, like I said many times, I won Grand Slams, but never a medal so I cannot compare. Maybe if I'm lucky and I have the chance one day in my career to have a medal, probably I'll answer your question.