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PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

March 16, 2006

Justine Henin

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Justine.
Q. Looking at the number of hits, good 60% of the shots were missed on a third ball that was being hit in a rally. Could you explain that? Was it ball speed?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, I think there wasn't a lot of rhythm. It was a bit better at the beginning of the second set. I served pretty well. Actually, I was happy with the way I could handle my service games.
It's true that, I don't know, it was a strange match. Not a lot of rhythm, not too many rallies. It's been for me my last three matches in the night, so I was feeling a bit tired, too. I, for sure didn't play my best tennis, but it's good to win that way sometimes against this kind of player. That's very important.
Q. First time you played her. Did she play better than you expected?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No. It's just that when you never played someone, it's always you don't know really what to expect. I know she had nothing to lose, so I knew it was going to be a tough match. But I think I just could control the match even if my attitude was a bit negative sometimes.
Like I said, I was a bit tired. It's been a long day. It's not easy, but I'm just very happy to be in the semis again here. It's a good tournament, so I'm very happy about that.
Q. How tough of a tournament has it become for you? You play tomorrow in the afternoon.
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, you know, you have to. It's part of the game. You have to play every day. With the rain and everything last weekend, I had to play a couple of matches in a few days. It's okay.
I think tomorrow's going to be another day. Hope I can have a good rest this night because yesterday -- the day before was pretty late. I'm not sleeping that well. I hope I can have a good rest and get ready for tomorrow.
Q. Dementieva said playing against you is very much of a mental match, that you're so mentally tough, when players come against you, they have to be there all the time.
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Oh, that's nice to hear. But I don't know. That's what I'm going to try to do. I'm going to try to make her work hard, for sure. But it's going to be a tough match. It's amazing because with her serve, you know, how strong she is behind her serve, even if she's doing a lot of double-faults. It's still very hard for the opponent because you never know what to expect on the return.
She's so strong and so solid on the baseline. It's going to be a tough match. We always had pretty long matches. Yeah, it's been great fights in the past, so I hope it's going to be another good one tomorrow.
But she is one of the most solid players on the baseline, so I will have to be very consistent, serve well for sure, and get ready on the return. That's going to be one of the keys.
Q. She says you're so mentally tough, but isn't she mentally tough also to win as many three-set matches as she does?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah. I think she is mentally tough. For sure, she's a real fighter, real competitor. She never gives up. That's why she won so many matches in three sets.
Every match is different. Every situation is different. I think that tomorrow it's 50/50. It's a long time we didn't play each other. I think it's probably a year in Charleston, the final there. It's a long time. She's a very good person, too. That's someone that I like a lot. It's going to be a good one, I hope.
Q. Do you think it's a disadvantage that you had to play tonight?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, that's part of the game. Like I said, you have to accept the schedule and deal with it. But is true that I was hoping for a day match today 'cause I played my last two matches pretty late. It's not easy when you're in a certain rhythm, and then you have to change and play in the day again. But I'm sure it's going to be fine. I will have a good rest and get ready for it. I think she's still here, so that's not too bad.
Q. You say it's 50/50, but yet you've dominated her.
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, but it's the past. What can I take from there? I mean, it's another situation. It's here in Indian Wells on hard court. Last time it was on clay. Even if I have a pretty good record against her, tomorrow, two girls, they want the same thing: they want to be in the final. We all have our chances.
It's always like that. It would be too easy on the paper. On the paper it's too easy all the time. On the court, it's a different story and you have to work very hard.
I hope for a fourth final for me from the beginning of the year. It would be great for me if I can do it again here.
Q. Serena pulled out of Miami and has not played consistently now for about a year. Your own feelings on how hard it is in women's tennis when the star players are not around so much.
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, it's pretty strange the way Serena is not at her best level right now. It's probably very hard physically. I mean, she was tough for a long period of time. She's a great champion. She has been mentally one of the toughest players that I've seen on the tour. Probably now she's a bit tired about that. Physically, maybe it's harder for her to work as hard as she did before.
I think that we have other personalities on the tour that can promote the game. But for sure Serena, she has a name, she is someone, she's a champion. The tour needs her, that's for sure. It's pretty sad that she's not playing a lot now.
I think that physically she has a lot of problems and I hope that she's going to be back very soon.
Q. You haven't dropped a set this week. Would you have preferred to have had tougher challenges going into the semis?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, it's always hard, you know -- maybe I should have played very bad today and lose a set (smiling).
No, no, I think it's good to win in two sets. Physically, it's a long tournament. It's six matches if you go to the end. You need to save your energy. But you can believe me, from the beginning of the season I had pretty tough matches. I know what it is to fight and to go to a third set, so I'm ready for it.
Every day is different. You don't have to think about your feelings because when you arrive on the court, it's very different. Even if you hit the ball very good at the practice, you walk on the court for your match, and sometimes things are very different.
I don't mind about that.
Q. You said you have had problems sleeping this week. Do you attribute that to anything?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: It's just because my husband is not here. That's why I am not sleeping. I don't know, when I'm traveling alone, I'm not sleeping that well 'cause I'm thinking a lot. It's in my personality.
I don't know. There are weeks I'm sleeping better. I don't know why. It's very dry here. I don't know. I'm not at my best when I'm sleeping.
Q. What do you do? Watch TV, read, work out?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No, it's just I call a lot, too much.
Q. And you wake him up?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No, exactly. It's good, when I'm sleeping, it's the day for him.
No, no, I can go to bed at night, but then I wake up very early. There is a lot of noise there. Yeah, it's okay. I mean, I have my eight hours, but I need at least nine probably (laughter).
Q. Of the four girls left in the competition, anyone in there that surprises you?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No, no, no. I think it's good semifinals. I think it's not a big surprise that Martina is here. It was going to be Martina or Davenport for sure. That's the way it was. Then Maria and Elena, I think everybody was waiting for the four of us. Martina or Lindsay, it was a good match.
No, not very surprised. It's good. I hope that the crowd is going to enjoy it tomorrow.

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