SANEX CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 31, 2001

Justine Henin

MODERATOR: Questions for Justine.

JUSTINE HENIN: Yes, it's my first Masters. It's always a bit hard to start such an event. It's sort of a discovery for me. It's discovering something quite particular, quite special. I wasn't so certain about my play after Linz. But I started the match right from the beginning rather decently. I think my first set was okay. I slowed down a bit in the second. Fortunately, I could keep my play and not make too many mistakes. I'm happy. It's okay the way it is.

JUSTINE HENIN: Getting into the match, it's a difficult surface. You can see this either way. It's just another event or it's just an event like all the others. You're starting in the last 16, but it's the best players of the season. You have to be fit as early as the first round. The match today was a match like any other match. I had very difficult matches in Wimbledon, in Filderstadt. Everything is possible in such a match. You have to be fit right from the beginning, without having too much pressure.

JUSTINE HENIN: I prefer the surface by and large to what I saw in Linz last week. It's okay with me and for most of the players. It's not too fast. It's an ideal surface for playing good tennis. The balls, the way they bounce, they get heavy and slow rather quickly in the match. You have to hit the ball harder for the balls to fly really. Otherwise, the hall is beautiful. It's superb. It's splendid. I love the scenery here. I felt okay on the court. I think it was a very good start.

JUSTINE HENIN: Well, sometimes you make this mistake. You have to put things into perspective. I have been talking to Carlos this morning. He said, "You can't put away all you did this year, all you achieved." Linz is behind me now. I think, yes, I improved my play. I made some considerable headway this way. I have to carry on this way. Losing in the first round is not all that dramatic.

JUSTINE HENIN: Yes. What do you want me to say about the second? Anyway, I was one of the four top seeds. She hasn't played a lot since the US Open. I think I'm not very lucky about the second round, but I have to be positive about it. We played once. That was in New York where I should have won a first set that I had almost in my pocket, and then I lost my serve. I felt that the match was sliding away. I lost my tempo. Now everything is different. Of course, she has played nine or ten tournaments. She's No. 6 or No. 7 in the world. She has extraordinary talent. She's in top shape. She can show this even if she hasn't played a lot of events. I have to be very, very self-confident, take my opportunities. Since the US Open, I have been playing a lot of matches. Let's play some tennis and see who wins. The better one will be in the semifinals.

JUSTINE HENIN: Of course I'm stressed. The one who says she isn't frightened on the court, she's lying. This is just experience. Put it down to experience and learn. You're always a bit nervous about a match here in such a competition. It's normal. She's behind me in the ranking, but I've got nothing to lose.

JUSTINE HENIN: If I win, you say yes. If I lose, you say no. We'll have to see. We'll have to play and see. I don't really like to compare. We are two players on a court. Each one is going to try to win. Yes, it may be an advantage because even if she's lacking match practice, she can be very, very strong. I must not be frightened. I don't have to think too much about it. I must not think too much about it. Of course, the players, the Williams sisters, are very, very powerful. They have this determination, this attitude. You must avoid to be afraid. You just go ahead and play some good tennis.

JUSTINE HENIN: No. I don't regret. Let's say I should have won the match. I had it almost in my pocket. This was very disappointing. This is why I lost the third set so easily. She was simply better in the second. My serve, as I explained, left me, wasn't good enough. Well, it could have gone either way. There was a lot of mental stress because physically on the court I was maybe even better than she was. Maybe I was frightened about this. It was the first time I played her. It wasn't easy. But after the defeat, I reacted well, I suppose, and I came back on the court. Maybe this time for a win.

JUSTINE HENIN: No, no. I don't watch the others too much. I try and play my career. Sometimes it's hard enough. I just try and stay focused on my play. But okay with me and okay with her. You have to be able to play without match practice the way she does. But we shall see on Friday how things are going to develop. I'll be on the court in order to win. I'll be on the court without any inferiority complex facing her strength.

JUSTINE HENIN: Oh, it's always so difficult. She said, "Good luck for the remaining week." I said, "Good luck for the remaining life." This is a very new chapter that starts for her, very important one. I was happy I had this win, but I was sad for her because it must be hard to leave the way she leaves. She has a very beautiful career behind her. She has come to Germany for a farewell match. I wished her a lot of luck.

JUSTINE HENIN: Unfortunately, in the world of tennis you cannot afford to feel pity for some opponent. Each and every one wants to beat the others. We are all there for one thing: we all want to win. Today I had to stay focused and be aggressive. No one would have done this to me in another situation.

JUSTINE HENIN: At the end of the season, I can tell it is. But it's the last event, then the Fed Cup. But it's the last WTA tournament. Knowing this, of course you try not to yield to your fatigue. I have to say this is a new experience and keep my fingers crossed because I didn't have any injuries this year. I played all the tournaments I wanted to play, more than 70 matches in just one year. So physically I'm necessarily a bit down. Everybody is. But it's not too bad. We are here at the Masters. It's a sort of feast. It's a great tennis party. Of course, we try not to think about our fatigue. This can come later.

JUSTINE HENIN: You know, I play tennis in order to go as far as I can. If it's this week, okay. If it's not No. 5, well, my life will not end there. I see beyond the end of this season, whether it's this week, this season or Australia next year or even later, I don't care. I want to win matches, and then of course the ranking comes out of itself.