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SONY ERICSSON OPENMarch 23, 2007Justine HeninKEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Tough first set. What are your thoughts? Was it a little rust? Was Vania playing well? JUSTINE HENIN: Well, it was a little bit of everything. I wasn't at my best, far from that. At the beginning of the match a little bit nervous, first match in Miami; it's not my favorite event. Yeah, it was tough conditions, pretty windy, also, out there, and hot, also. I needed a little bit of time to get used to the conditions. Vania was taking her chances at that time, and then slowly but surely in the second set, at the end of the first set already, I started to be a little bit more in the court and trying to play more with my forehand and come to the net. Second set was much better, but I need to improve after that. I need some matches. Q. Did you say this was not your favorite event? JUSTINE HENIN: No, it's not. I don't know, I've never played very well here in the past, but the past is the past. But, you know, it's normal you think a little bit of that. I just tried to do my best here and then we'll see match after match. I got good preparation. I've been a little bit sick the last couple days, hard to breathe a little bit, so I need a little bit of time to really get well in the tournament. Q. Is that a cold? JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, yeah, cold. Q. Could you talk about Vania's game? Obviously the Americans, beyond the Williams girls, the American tennis right now is suffering a little bit. She's one of the young up and coming ones. Do you think she has what it takes? What does she need to get to the next level? JUSTINE HENIN: Well, she's playing well. She gave me a little bit of trouble in the first set. She has a good backhand. She's taking the opportunities, and she didn't look very nervous in the match. So good qualities, but who knows what's going to happen for her in the future. We'll see. I. Mean, it's tough for American tennis now. They're suffering a little bit, but I'm sure they will get good players in the future. Q. She says you're one of her role models, maybe because of the size similarity. What do you say about that? JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, that's good (laughing) good to hear. Q. You give her hope for the vertically challenged. JUSTINE HENIN: I'm very proud of, not so tall, not so strong, and I compete. I am No. 1 now and I've been No. 1 in the past. I could compete with the best players in the world and won Grand Slams. It doesn't mean you have to be very powerful. I can be powerful when I want with my technique and everything. I can compensate a lot of things. But it's true when we are not that tall we have to be physically always 100 percent because we cannot compensate with anything, so technically and physically you have to be at your best level all the time if you want to compete. Q. And that's advice for her, as well, right? JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah. Q. Does it feel different that you just returned to the No. 1 position last week? And does it give you more confidence when you play and go out on the court? JUSTINE HENIN: I don't think too much about that because I don't think it does change anything. You know, you have an opponent, she wants the same thing as you want, and it's 50/50 at that time when you're on the court and the ranking doesn't mean anything. It's only on the paper. On the court we have to prove that we're playing good tennis. That's it. Q. Why do you think you don't fare so well here? Is it the windy conditions? JUSTINE HENIN: Well, I don't know. It's hard to explain. I won in Dubai four times. I've played there four times and won four times, and here I've never played really well. But no really explanation about that. I hope I can have a better tournament this year. I hope that one day I will play well here in Miami, but March is a tough month for me. Emotional things in my life, also. So I just have to try to deal with it and get better after that. Q. Do you mean every March is tough for you or just this March? JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, just bad memories. End of FastScripts |
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