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WIMBLEDONJune 30, 2006Justine HeninWIMBLEDON, ENGLAND THE MODERATOR: We'll start with questions, please. Q. Do you think this is your best chance of completing the last jewel in the Grand Slam crown for you? It's a wide open year. JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: You know, I just go match after match. I don't see it as the big opportunity here. I just try to do my job the best I can. I enjoy my game a lot right now, so it's great. I'm happy to be on the court healthy. I'm in the fourth round here, so that's a good step. But next match is going to be my next goal, and that's it. I don't want to look too far. It's a bit disappointed for you guys when I say that, but that's the way I feel right now. That's the way I have to think in the next few days. Q. Does it bother you that there is one missing, that you haven't won a Wimbledon yet? JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Doesn't bother. I mean, it's a challenge, so it's great. I need challenges. And, you know, when I was a little girl, I was dreaming of, you know, winning Grand Slam one day. I almost won everything. Just Wimbledon I never won. So it's a big challenge for me. But it's not the end in either. If I can do it, it would be great. I don't realize what it would mean right now, and that's probably better like this 'cause you just have to play match after match. We have other players in the tournament. They want the same thing as me, so we'll see. Q. Having won Roland Garros, do you think that makes your job easier or more difficult when it comes to winning Wimbledon as well? JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: It's tough to come from clay on grass in just a week, so I was very happy I could play in Eastbourne. That gives a few matches, so that's great. Physically and mentally, two Grand Slams in a month, it's difficult. Even if in Paris I won all my matches in two sets, it's more mentally and emotionally it's tough to live this kind of pressure again two weeks later. But right now I'm feeling well and I'm not thinking too far. We'll see my fourth round. Q. That time at Eastbourne, is that what was missing last year when you came to Wimbledon? JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, it was. But I didn't have the choice last year, and I wasn't in good shape enough to come here in Wimbledon. The situation was much more different this year than it was last year, and that was better for me. Q. The top four seeds haven't lost a set yet. How do you explain that dominance? It seems more this year than usual. JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, I don't know. You know, it means that all the top players have a lot of motivation and keep their energy in the first week, but it doesn't depend only from us. You know, we have opponents and they want the same thing. But here in Wimbledon, it looks like this year it's a bit better for the top seeds in the first week, so it's good. We can see there is a lot of concurrence. It's great to see the top players in the second week, I hope. Q. Is that good for women's tennis do you think or bad? JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: It depends of the tournaments. We saw Grand Slams recently where it was tough for the top seeds to have easy matches in the first week. And I think it has changed a little bit in the last few years. It was probably much more easier in the past than now. So it's good to have different kind of situations. I don't know what the people prefer, if it's to see surprises or if it's to see all the favorites. It depends of the person. Q. Obviously, you have an emotional attachment to Roland Garros. What are your emotions about Wimbledon? JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Oh, it's a tournament I like a lot. It's a lot of traditions, a different atmosphere. I love to come here. Except in the last two years, but in three years before, I had great results. It's been my first Grand Slam final ever, so that means a lot of things for me here. So it's always a pleasure to come here. It's a different kind of surface. It's only three weeks during the year. I have the feeling that all the players are more relaxed here than anywhere else. So it's good. And the site here is beautiful. It's great. I really enjoy my time here. Q. Have you been monitoring your potential opponents that you will meet as the week goes on? JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No, not at all. I just want to stay concentrate on myself, so I don't watch the other matches. Sorry for you guys. Q. What do you need to sharpen in your game? JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Oh, you know, you always have something to improve, and it's been good in the first week I could keep my energy. So physically I feeling pretty well right now. Hope I can get good rest this weekend. So it's good. Now you just have to keep going and play match after match, keep playing, go forward, attacking the ball, you know, take the opportunities and do what I have to do on the court. So it's not easy in every match, but that's what I'm trying to do. It's going pretty well this week. Q. You had your breakthrough here in Wimbledon. It took you a couple years to get back to a Grand Slam final. Do you think it's natural when a player breaks through that it takes them some time to sort of adjust to that kind of success and get back to that place? JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, it takes a little bit of time 'cause when you're so young, it's a lot of things. And you need to learn a lot of things - not only on the court, but off court also. And you need to get some experience. So I think that happens to a lot of players. That's pretty normal. And I always had the feeling it was better this way 'cause it didn't go too fast for me. I just took my time. I'm still only 24 right now. A couple of good successes, so that's very good. Q. Where do you put Maria Sharapova as far as a favorite in this tournament? JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: As the other ones. Not more, not less, just as the other ones. Q. Your game developed on grass since 2001 when you reached the final? JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I just improved generally, not only on grass. I became a different player, a different person. I grew up a lot, took a lot of experience. And right now, even if I was very close to winning, I was far away to win it. I wasn't playing an aggressive game at that time, not enough. That's what I'm trying to change right now. Slowly but surely, it's better. Q. Did you ever come to Wimbledon as a child? JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: No, never. Q. You only came here as a player? You didn't have sort of a history? JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Not really. Q. Did you watch it much? JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Not a lot. No, sorry (smiling).
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