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PILOT PEN TENNIS

August 25, 2006

Justine Henin

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Justine.

Q. You must be pleased.
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Always. When you win, always. No, it's been a good match. I've been very consistent. I played a solid game. Playing Svetlana is never easy. She's a real fighter. She never gives up. She proves it again at the end of the match. I got tense a little bit because I felt she was hitting the ball harder and harder.
But, no, it's been pretty positive for me. A final, I will get four matches this week, so that's the best I could dream of when I came here in New Haven. So very happy about that.

Q. With this tournament being right before the US Open, some people might look at it they want to stay healthy, stay fresh. Can you talk about your mindset in terms of your health.
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I was supposed to play in Montréal. Unfortunately, my knee wasn't in good shape enough to play. So, yeah, that was, for me, the last chance to get a couple of matches. So you just need to, yeah, adapt your schedule. It's not easy all the time.
You always dream of the best preparation, to get a certain number of matches and everything. But sometimes you just have to go and try to play a little bit.
There was a good opportunity for me here. I got a wildcard. I say thank you to the tournament 'cause that was a good chance for me to get a little bit of confidence before the Open.
Next week is next week. We're going to see what will happen.

Q. Is it almost as important in this tournament to win as it is to test out your fitness and see where you're at?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: It's great to play a couple of matches. If you can win, for sure it's the best. The goal remains the next tournament. I enjoy my time here in New Haven. It's been a great week. Everyone was very relaxed. It's great organization.
That's perfect before the Open, because over there it's a bit crazy. A lot of people. A lot of pressure. It's the last Grand Slam of the season. I hope I can be ready. I have great season so far. I just hope I can keep going this way.

Q. You play Lindsay tomorrow. You've had recent success against her. What are you expecting tomorrow?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: We've always had tough matches. She did dominate me pretty much when we first played each other a couple of times, and then I won. It's going to be another situation.
I know what I have to do. She knows what she has to do to beat me. I hope we can show a good match. I think she has a lot of motivation. She looks very happy to be back on the court. She enjoys her game. We will see. Tomorrow is going to be another day.

Q. You've only lost once to Svetlana. Do you feel your game matches up well against hers?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, we had very close matches in the past. Today was, in the score, looks pretty easy, even if it was pretty intense. In the past we played lots of matches in three sets, very close. It could turn the other way. I've got a lot of success against her. I have to fight all the time.
I like to play Svetlana. She gives a lot of rhythm, even if she's hitting the ball really hard. It's always great to play her. She's a very nice person, too. There is a lot of respect between the two of us. It's a great atmosphere on the court when we play each other.

Q. Is it important to keep the ball deep against her?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, I try to keep my intensity, just keep the rhythm I wanted to put in this match. I think I've been patient. I've been aggressive. I played well on the important points. I think that's been the key for me tonight 'cause I was a couple of times in pretty bad situations on my serve, Love-30 a couple of times. I almost always came back in the game.
I served well when I had to, so it's been a lot of good points, yeah.

Q. She said you always are constantly changing things against her. You make her think a lot. Do you switch things up?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I just try to play my game. That's my game, to mix it up a lot. That's how I enjoy tennis. I'm not the kind of person who's going to hit the ball every time the same, with the same rhythm, and do every time the same things. I just try to, yeah, find the way I have to play against all these players that are hitting the ball pretty hard.
But it's not easy every day. You put the rhythm, it's not easy. You need to be in great shape to do this. Physically and mentally feeling fresh against these kind of players. That's how I felt tonight.

Q. You mentioned how Lindsay dominated at first. What changed to make it turn around so much in your favor?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think it's been one of the key of my career when I did beat her. I think for the first time Australian Open 2003, 9-7 in the third set. I think it was in the fourth round of the Australian Open. It was the beginning of a great season for me.
This victory gave me a lot of confidence, the fact that I finally could beat her, a powerful player, a tall player. You know, I'm not so tall, I'm not so strong. It was hard for me in the past when I had to play this kind of player.
This victory at the Australian Open 2003 was really the beginning of something great in my career. I just started to believe in myself much more than in the past at that point.

Q. You mention you had a good time at this tournament. The organizers do a good job. How important is it for you to try to have some fun off the court?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I didn't have too much time to get some fun. It's just the fact that you feel at home. I think the people here, they make you feel at home. They're very nice to you. They're doing great job. They try to keep the player in the best conditions. It's great because we can see all the people who are working for the tournament. It's the passion. They love tennis, and we can feel it. That's amazing.

Q. Were you always an athlete? If so, were there other sports you played?
JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I did play soccer when I was young. Yeah, I was playing with the boys still I was 12. I had to choose between soccer and tennis. I think I got the good choice (smiling).
No, I was crazy about soccer when I was a little girl. I still have a tape where we see I have six years old, local TV came and filmed me. It was my first interview.
Yeah, I did a little bit of everything. But soccer and tennis, they were all my life, yeah.

End of FastScripts...

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