Henin on a High
- Women's Tennis Number One puts adversity behind her and seeks a fifth consecutive title in Dubai -
Dubai, UAE, January 23rd, 2008: Justine Henin has never lost a match in Dubai, and now she’s looking forward to claiming title number five when the 2008 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships gets underway next month.
The world number one enjoyed the most successful season of her career in 2007 in what was a period of emotional turmoil. First came the separation from her husband that led to her missing the Australian Open. Then came the re-unification with members of her family after a long period of isolation.
The petite Belgian claimed a tour-leading 10 titles last year, making her the first player in a decade to win 10 or more singles titles in one year. She became the first player since Steffi Graf in 1989 to go undefeated in the second half of a season, and was also the first player since Graf in 1996 to win Roland Garros, the US Open and the season-ending Championships in the same year. And she became the first woman player to earn more that $5 million in a single season.
The prize money and the titles, though, meant little to her in a year that began with despair but ended in triumph. After coming to the realisation that to achieve her full potential she had to devote her attention entirely to her profession, something that years before had led to a split from her family, the next stage in her emotional roller-coaster ride came in bizarre circumstances.
In March she went to see a specialist in Liege about her asthma, at the same hospital her mother, Françoise, had died of cancer in 1995. It was difficult for her to return there, but the hospital proved to be the location of a further dramatic milestone in her life. While she was there she received a text message from her sister, Sarah, with whom she had stayed in touch, informing her that her brother had been admitted into that same hospital in a coma after being involved in a car accident. Justine was there when David came out of his coma two days later, along with their father, Jose.
When Henin went on to win Roland Garros a few weeks later, where she had gone as a 10-year old and promised her dying mother that she would one day win the title, most of her family were there in the stands to witness her moment of triumph.
"Finally she (my mother) can be proud of the player I am, of the person I am and of the step we took," she said. "She wanted our family unified. For the first time in my life I feel at peace."
Henin went on to win all but one of her matches in the remainder of the year, lifting titles in Eastbourne, Toronto, the US Open, Stuttgart, Zurich and Madrid. This year she has continued her astonishing run of success, winning Sydney.
“Justine Henin is not only an outstanding player, but the way she has fought her way through times of adversity is an example to us all,” said Colm McLoughlin, managing director of tournament owners and organisers Dubai Duty Free. “We are delighted to welcome her back to Dubai and look forward to seeing her once again defend her title here.”
Henin will have a tough battle on her hands in a field that includes Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova.
The 2008 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, which is held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, begins on February 25th 2008 with the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournament, and is followed by the ATP event from March 3rd to 8th.
