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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2008

Justine Henin

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What was it like playing someone you knew very little about?
JUSTINE HENIN: It's always tough. She had a really strange game. Never knew what to expect. So I think she played a very good tournament and she started the match with a lot of confidence. I did what I had to do. I played solid, consistent.
That was good enough today.

Q. Where does she have to improve to continue on?
JUSTINE HENIN: Well, you know, she's young. It's always the experience, to play the kind of match at this level, that brings a lot of things. But she improved a lot and I'm sure she learned a lot of things in this tournament.

Q. Where do you feel your level is going into the quarterfinals?
JUSTINE HENIN: Now it's like another tournament is going to start. It's gonna be another level. Every match is so different. There were things pretty positive in my game. There are things I'll have to improve and really raise my level in the next matches.
So now it's another story. It's serious things that start. And that the why I'm here for. So I'm very excited about tough matches coming up and I hope it's going to be a great week of tennis.

Q. You're very likely going to play Sharapova. It's been two months since your final in Madrid. Talk about that.
JUSTINE HENIN: It was a big fight. It was one of the best matches of my career, I think one of the best matches of last year.
So, yeah, was a very long match. It was a lot of intensity. She was back. She's back in her best level.
I always know to beat her I have to be at my best. She's a real fighter. She never gives up. Very talented. She's a champion. So I know that against her I will have to be a hundred percent all the time.

Q. You've beaten a lot of power players. What makes Maria so special?
JUSTINE HENIN: Well, you got to tell me. I don't know (smiling).
No, I have a different kind of game. I don't play the same tennis as the other girls. They're hitting the ball very hard. I just try to use different things. I try to mix it up a little bit more. Mentally I just try to stay focused all the time. I can be powerful when I want. I'm not scared of the long rallies or of the girls hitting the ball hard because I know I can do it myself. But I can change the rhythms, can use different things.
So it's always interesting and exciting to play a different kind of game. I hope it's going to be a great match.

Q. She had a lot of shoulder problems last year, her serve. In Madrid did you find her service speed was back?
JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, she was hundred percent, no doubt about that.

Q. Do you think we'll be seeing more players hitting double from both side?
JUSTINE HENIN: Players from Asia, they all play the same way. Very talented, good hands, like Seles had in the past. I think we're going to see this kind of game more often probably in the future. With Beijing this year, the Olympic game, they're all coming pretty strong, so it's interesting.

Q. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of that style?
JUSTINE HENIN: Well, they can find great angles. In defense, they can really have a very good defense with a lot of angles. So it's better to play pretty fast, in the middle, don't give them a lot of space. They don't like it that much.

Q. What are the disadvantages? Their reach or movement?
JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, when you play fast and long, you know, they don't have too much time to change their hands, the grip. That's not an advantage I think at that time.

Q. When you see great three-out-of-five-set matches like Federer, Roddick, Hewitt, do you ever say to yourself, I'd like to do that, three-out-of-five-set women's final?
JUSTINE HENIN: I don't think so. I think we wrong to think about that. Men and women, we are just so different. Physically it's so different. So I don't think we should compare this 'cause for me there's no discussion about that. It's just that we don't have the same power. We can't handle at this level five sets, I think. We work hard, as hard as the men do. We do the same sacrifices. But, yeah, we are just too different.

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