US OPEN

September 1, 2006

Justine Henin

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Justine in English, please.

Q. The forehand saved you a few times there.
JUSTINE HENIN HARDENNE: I'm sorry?

Q. Your forehand really saved you. Looked like you couldn't get your backhand going.
JUSTINE HENIN HARDENNE: I'm not quite sure it's about a forehand or a backhand. But I was leading pretty easily in the first set. I didn't have the feeling that I was moving well at the time, and I lost a little bit my intensity. The conditions were pretty difficult.
Yeah, when I lost the first set, I understood I had no more choice than winning the next two, and so be very focused on every point. Then I played a very, very solid tennis at that time.
So I had to be patient but aggressive at the same time. With the wind today, it wasn't easy. But that asked me a lot of efforts to do that. I'm happy with the level I had in the second and in the third.
But these kind of things, in the first set, the fact that she came back, I just have to avoid that in the future.

Q. Did you not get the feeling she was really trying to hit to your forehand?
JUSTINE HENIN HARDENNE: No, I think that I was maybe playing too much in her backhand. She has great backhand. Maybe at that time tactically I was playing too much on that side. She loves to go down the line with her forehand. That's her best shot. So she kept fighting. She's been pretty solid. That's why she came back also in the match.
So, yeah, after that I lost the first set, I had to play very well after that.

Q. How would you assess your level right now? How do you think you're doing?
JUSTINE HENIN HARDENNE: Well, it's always very hard because we'll see in the next round. Now it's getting very serious. The opponents are going to play better and better. It's very hard. Things can change in a day or two in one sense or in the other. It's pretty tough.
But, no, when I play my game, I do it well. The fact is that I just have to keep fighting on every point. Today was a little bit harder for me than in the other matches, and I really had to work hard.

Q. Do you still have lingering effects of the virus? When you take time off, a block of time as you did the past few weeks before New Haven, is part of that to just get straight back?
JUSTINE HENIN HARDENNE: Yeah, it's after a long break. It's not easy when you come back and only have four matches in four days last week. Probably that asks me a little bit more time to recover than someone else. It's not about my virus, it's about myself. I need some time to recover.
Here in a Grand Slam it's different kind of pressure that takes a lot of energy. Coming from New Haven to here hasn't been really easy, so probably I was still in recovery this week.
But, yeah, we'll see for next round.

Q. But the virus is done?
JUSTINE HENIN HARDENNE: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Q. Are you still planning on playing Fed Cup after this?
JUSTINE HENIN HARDENNE: I will. For sure.

Q. Did you see any of Andre's match last night?
JUSTINE HENIN HARDENNE: I watched the first two sets, yeah. I was very happy for him. Even if Marcos Baghdatis is a great guy, I like him very much. But it was even on TV, we could feel the atmosphere. So I was it looked very amazing. When I saw the score this morning, I was very happy. I think he deserved it. They played a great match. We could see that it is injuries a lot (sic). It was I think beautiful to watch on TV.

Q. Did you get any sense of the atmosphere today in your match?
JUSTINE HENIN HARDENNE: Yeah, it's not similar. No, I mean, what the atmosphere that there was in the stadium last night, I think it's only in this kind of situation that you can feel it. That remind me a little bit when I played Capriati here in 2003 in this pretty amazing semifinal.
So, no, there was yeah, I was also little bit sad for Baghdatis. He was playing great also on a few points. Not a lot of people, but everyone can understand that.

Q. What is it like to be in New York and have the entire place against you when you're playing an American like Capriati? Baghdatis certainly had that last night.
JUSTINE HENIN HARDENNE: Yeah, I changed the crowd little bit three years ago. They were behind me at the end.
No, that's a strange feeling. The stadium is big, so a lot of people. That wasn't very easy. I was leading against Capriati, and then the fans, I think, brought her back in the match. They help her a lot, gave her so much support, which I understand completely. That's pretty normal. That would be the same in Belgium maybe not as much, but...
It's amazing. It's part of the game, but it's not easy for the other player, for sure.

Q. Is New York just different because it's a little more raucous?
JUSTINE HENIN HARDENNE: I don't know. No comment about that.

Q. But actually is it like a supercharged Fed Cup atmosphere? Is it less than a Fed Cup atmosphere?
JUSTINE HENIN HARDENNE: Oh, it's very, very difficult to compare the events, you know. But, no, it's the fact is that it's the biggest stadium we play in, and that makes a big difference. It feels huge when you out there.

Q. Every time I see you, it just seems like you love running so much. What is your secret that you run so great on the court?
JUSTINE HENIN HARDENNE: I love running on a tennis court but not running just for running. I hate that. So when it's to run after a ball, I love it.
But, no, it's one of my biggest qualities, the fact that I'm quick on the court and running after a lot of balls and having a good defense. But still my game is to attack the ball and move forward and take my chances.
So, yeah, I do my best.

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