adidas International

January 9, 2003

Justine Henin

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, I had to work very hard today because, I mean, playing Amanda is always tough. It was good revenge for me today. I lost against her two years ago in Hamburg on clay court. She's in confidence, so she played good match. She's a great fighter. She's running a lot, she's playing heavy balls. Yeah, you have to be patient but aggressive enough to win. So I'm happy I close the match in two sets. For sure it helps for tomorrow. But Kim played two great matches. She's in confidence. She's No. 4 in the world. So I will have nothing to lose. We will see what's gonna happen.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, exactly. Last year on hard court she beat me all the time. I beat her on clay court - for sure my favorite surface, especially against her, it's easier. She plays well on hard court and she likes playing here in Australia. It's gonna be a tough match. But we just friends, and we try to stay like that because, I mean, tennis is not everything. There is our relationship. So for sure tomorrow we're going to fight to win the match, both of us, but it's one tennis match and it's not whole life.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: It's not always easy. For sure, Belgium is a little country and sometimes the press tries to make - how do you say?

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah. So it's sometimes hard, but we try to forget this. We know each other for a long time, and, I mean, it's great like that. So we still friends. That's the most important.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I was a bit surprised in the last match in Adelaide in the championship, that she didn't do a lot of mistakes. You know, she didn't go for the winners all the time. She could play rallies and keep the ball in the court and not only hard winners. So she's more regular, she's more solid, and she's a complete player. So she's much better than she was one year ago.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I invited her, but unfortunately she was here in Australia with Lleyton. I understand that perfectly. She was very sad about missing that. But, yeah, we try. I just spoke to her this afternoon, and we try to go out in tournament, in Belgium, and eat something together. It's not always easy. She has her matches, I have my matches, schedules are very busy. But when we can, we see each other, yeah, beside of the tennis. It's important.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No, we speak French together, yeah. She says she doesn't speak French very good, but she speaks French perfectly, yeah.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: First, I'm really proud, because, like you said, I'm not like all the other players in the Top 10. That's important that we have different styles in the Top 10. You have the strong players, and then you have players like me and like Martina Hingis did a lot of tournaments, and Mauresmo is a different style, too. So, I mean, it's great. I work physically very hard. I can be powerful when I want. I just play with my game. That's with that game that I am in the Top 5 of the world, so I have to continue like that.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I did a lot of fitness, a lot in the weight room. I did a lot of running, and I worked on the court also. So it's physically and mentally hard, but I enjoyed my time in Florida working hard. And there's no secret - if you want to be prepared for all the season, you have to work hard. But the break is short also, so sometimes you're a bit tired in the end of the year.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: One is the...?

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Oh, I'm pretty happy that we gonna have blood test. I mean, why not? They have to give 100 percent chance that the tennis is fine, so I'm pretty happy with that. I have no comments about that. I will do it, and I think it's very positive for the tennis. And second of all, about the Australian Open pushed back, I think it's good thing. I think that we should push back a few weeks, 'cause the break is very short and the heat affects the game a little bit. But like I guess you said, it's also a good thing that you can see the players fighting, and in the heat it's not always easy. But, I mean, a few weeks, I think it's gonna help everybody.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: For sure I'd come, yeah. Yeah, I mean, it's important to play in the country of the Grand Slam before. So I don't know what's gonna happen in the next years, but I sure that they gonna try to help the players and help the tournaments and we gonna try together to make something better. If not, it doesn't matter. I mean, we will keep continue to play this tournament because, I mean, it's our job, too.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, we didn't grow up in the same part of Belgium. We didn't practice together a lot because she's from the Flemish part, I'm from the French part. But, I mean, we have good mentality in Belgium. We won a lot of victories, we fighting a lot. For myself, the federation help me a lot. I started work with Carlos seven years ago now, so it's a long time. But we started all the tournaments together with Kim, under-14s, the juniors, everything, so we traveled a lot together. I don't know if it's just a coincidence, or there is another thing, it's hard to say. But Kim and me, we are both fighters and we want to prove that Belgium is a small country, but you can make great things in a small country.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No, no, no.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Everybody says it's my best shot. I say it's not my best shot. I think that it's a beautiful backhand, it's natural, it's one-hand backhand, so for sure people gets a lot of attention about it. But I work -- I think that I do a lot of winners with my forehand and that I can prepare and build my point with my backhand, but I cannot do a lot of winners with it, so... But it's good. I want to keep my backhand like this, yeah (smiling).

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: If we don't believe, we will not beat them. So we all have to believe that we can beat them because they are just persons, like you, like me. Sometimes, you know, you're not 100 percent. Sometimes we gonna be better than her. We will see what's gonna happen. They're very strong. They're No. 1, No. 2 in the world. I mean, they played unbelievable in the last months. Especially Serena is, I mean, she's a great champion. It's gonna be hard, but it's not impossible. We have to believe in that.