Justine Henin’s Australian Open final starts and ends with a smile, despite the loss

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Henin’s comeback ends in Australian Open final

MELBOURNE, Australia — A smile spread across Justine Henin’s face as she walked onto center court Saturday and the thunderous applause of 15,000 people swept over her.

Henin had forgotten what it felt like to be in a Grand Slam final, and she allowed herself to take it all in. Perhaps, that was a mistake.

“It was emotional, of course. I was feeling nervous, of course. But it was great,” Henin said. “It was a bit harder after that. But at that moment, it was a very nice moment.”

The storybook comeback of Henin’s return to tennis after a 20-month retirement did not end with her winning the Australian Open. Not this year at least. Nor, could she match the feat of fellow Belgian and longtime rival Kim Clijsters, who won the U.S. Open after her return from a two-year leave to get married and have a baby.

Defending champion Serena Williams ended Henin’s journey with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win in the final that both players had rightly predicted would be as much a mental battle as a physical one.

Despite winning seven Grand Slam titles, Henin has always struggled with self-confidence. Her swift return over the past two weeks to the upper echelon of tennis surprised her but she was strict with herself about keeping her emotions in check.

“Overall, I think I managed my emotions more or less well,” said the 27-year-old Henin. “Except for tonight, when it was more difficult.”

“I wanted to win so much. The desire was there, and the motivation too. But maybe there was a small lack of confidence and that was what put the breaks on me tonight,” said Henin, who has won 41 career titles, including the Australian Open in 2003, the French Open four times and the U.S. Open twice.

Henin, who held the No. 1 ranking on-and-off for 117 weeks, was not at the top of her game Saturday. But her amazing speed and gorgeous groundstrokes had the packed Rod Laver Arena heaving collective gasps at times.

“I felt like we were both out there trying to prove something,” Williams said. “I think we both did it at the end of the day.”

It was the first time in the long and intense rivalry between Williams and Henin that the two played a Grand Slam final.

“She took me to the umpteenth level,” said Williams, who has won the Australian Open five times and 12 Grand Slam titles overall. “She clearly hasn’t lost a step at all since she’s been gone.”

Henin took her break from tennis to experience life. When she retired at No. 1 in May 2008, she said she had lost her passion for the sport she began as a child prodigy. She returned with a new perspective, mental freshness and additions to her game — a stronger serve and willingness to rush to net.

Williams sheer power and stunning serve were the dominant force of Saturday’s final, despite a list of minor injuries. She played with a wrapped right thigh to secure a hamstring pulled in Sydney this month, plus a taped left calf, ankle and wrist.

Emotion overtook Williams when she clinched the match, letting her racket fly and falling on her back in celebration. She went to the stands to hug her mother, Oracene Price, and sister Venus.

Henin retreated to her bench on the sideline and sat stone-faced until the awards ceremony started, and a smile returned.

As the runner-up Henin was called to the podium first, and the thunderous applause returned. She waited patiently at the microphone, again taking it all in and nodding her head in appreciation until there was silence.

“It’s been a very emotional two weeks for me,” said Henin, with a hand on her heart. “I thought it would never happen again. Finally, I could come back and enjoy the game.”