After first foray back into the majors, Henin’s challenge increases

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Henin on track in Grand Slam comeback

MELBOURNE, Australia — Justine Henin’s new, philosophical outlook on life and tennis comes with a few fringe benefits. She’s dining out more, for one thing.

The relentless intensity that characterized the diminutive Belgian as she won seven Grand Slam singles titles before retiring 20 months ago has given way to a more self-assured, open manner in her second coming to the game.

“I’m a little less superstitious about the past,” Henin said after her 6-4, 6-3 win over fellow Belgian Kirsten Flipkens to the Australian Open on Monday. “I’ve tested a different restaurant every day since I’ve arrived — that never happened in the past.

“I feel like I’ve evolved,” she added, laughing, “and there are things that don’t have a role in success or failure.”

Henin is still driven by a challenge, and that’s what brought her back to Melbourne Park for her first major since a quarterfinal loss to Maria Sharapova at the 2008 Australian Open.

Unranked and playing as a wild card entry, Henin will now play a second-round match against fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva, who won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing only a few months after Henin retired in May 2008, opting not to defend her French Open and Olympic titles.

A win over Dementieva could put her on course for a quarterfinal against fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters, whose win at the U.S. Open last September in only her third tournament out of retirement inspired Henin’s comeback.

Clijsters, who beat Henin in the final of a warmup tournament at Brisbane on Jan. 9, won her first-round match 6-0, 6-4 over Canadian qualifier Valerie Tetreault.

Sharapova, the last person to beat Henin at a major, played her first match here since winning the 2008 title on Monday, and recorded her earliest exit at a major in seven years when she lost 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4 to fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko.

Sharapova was unable to defend her title last year after undergoing shoulder surgery that kept her off the tour for 10 months.

Dinara Safina, who lost last year’s final to Serena Williams, and No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova, the reigning French Open champion, advanced in straight sets.

Henin comes across as more relaxed, more content in herself. She’s more inclined to talk openly about issues beyond the court, comfortable laughing out loud.

“First round in a Grand Slam is something that I hate, and usually the first week. But this week is going to be special,” she said. “I don’t live anymore like in the past — it’s very good because that doesn’t help in life.”

On a gray, rainy day in Melbourne, only 26 of the 64 scheduled matches were completed — another 12 matches started but were suspended.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal was among the last to finish, coming back from a break down in the first set to beat Australia’s Peter Luczak 7-6 (0), 6-1, 6-4. Now that his photograph is on the wall of champions here, he’s assured of a match on the covered courts and there’s little risk of his matches being postponed from one day to the next.

“I feel lucky to finish my match today,” Nadal said. “That’s important. I was a lot of times in the other situation.”

Nadal beat Roger Federer in five sets in the final here last year to claim his sixth major and his first on hardcourts. He hasn’t added one since, while Federer won the French Open and Wimbledon to surpass Pete Sampras’ record of 14 career Grand Slam singles titles.

He was a win away from a 16th, too, until Juan Martin del Potro’s surprising win over Federer in the U.S. Open final.

The 21-year-old del Potro, coming to a major as a reigning champion for the first time, ignored the pain of a sore wrist and a disagreement with the chair umpire in a 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win over American Michael Russell.

No. 5 Andy Murray advanced in straight sets over South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, No. 7 Andy Roddick beat Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, and 2007 finalist Fernando Gonzalez of Chile also advanced.

Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic ousted No. 13 Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic.

Roddick’s friend and former housemate Mardy Fish was hoping his recovery from a knee injury would be aided by the typically hot conditions in Melbourne. But on a cool, windy and wet day, he was blown out 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 by wild-card entry Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan.

Federer is in action Tuesday against Igor Andreev of Russia at Rod Laver Arena, while 2008 champion Novak Djokovic has the last of five scheduled matches at Hisense Arena, the second covered court at Melbourne Park.

Serena Williams will open her title defense against Urszula Radwanska.

With Clijsters and Henin back in the draw, there’s more competition for Williams. Potential for more tension.

Henin said she had success at a young age because she was so disciplined and regimented in her preparation, but the narrow focus cost her.

“At 25 I was feeling at the end of my first career quite, whew, tired and I need some air,” she said. “You’re not able at that age to take the distance you need to understand that, yeah, there is something else than tennis, really to find a good stability.”

Clijsters and Henin both quit the tour prematurely. So when Clijsters won the U.S. Open, only three tournaments into a comeback after more than two years off to get married and have a baby, it wasn’t long before Henin decided it was time to rejoin the tour.

Her wins over Clijsters in the finals of the French and U.S. Opens in 2003 and the 2004 Australian Open gave Henin her earliest Grand Slam prizes. Now she wants a shot at Wimbledon, so her game is evolving along with her whole attitude.

She’s coming to the net and ramping up her first serve in a bid to win points quickly and not have to endure so many grinding, energy sapping rallies.

“I want to improve my game and get better than the past because I love challenges,” Henin said. “The good thing is that I don’t feel old yet. Even if when I came here I realized it was six years ago I won the Australian Open. It did hit me a little bit.”