Justine Henin-Hardenne
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| Country: | Belgium | |
| Residence: | Monte Carlo, MON | |
| Height: | 5'5 3/4" (167 cm) | |
| Weight: | 126 lbs. (57 kg) | |
| Plays: | Right | |
| Turned pro: | 1999 | |
| Highest singles ranking: | 1 (10/20/2003) | |
| Singles titles: | 24 | |
| Career Prize Money: | $9,187,962 | |
| Grand Slam Record Titles: 4 | ||
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| Australian Open | W (2004) | |
| French Open | W (2003, '05) | |
| Wimbledon | F (2001) | |
| U.S. Open | W (2003) | |
Justine Henin-Hardenne (pronounced joo-STEEN EN-ah ar-DEN Template:Audio) (born June 1, 1982, Liège, Belgium) is a former World No. 1 ranked tennis player from the Wallonia (francophone) region of Belgium. She is well known for her marvelous one-handed backhand, a stroke that John McEnroe has called the best backhand by any player in the world, female or male.
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Family life
Her official name was (and still is) Justine Henin before her marriage with Pierre-Yves Hardenne on November 16, 2002, in the Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne. She uses the name Henin-Hardenne on the tennis court but as Belgian law does not provide for a wife taking on the name of her husband, she legally still is Justine Henin. They live in Monaco, when not on tour.
Her late mother, Françoise Rosière, was a French and History teacher. She died of intestinal cancer when Justine was only 12. Justine has two sisters : Sarah and Florence (deceased) and one brother: David. Her father is José Henin.
Tennis career
Justine, known as Ju-Ju to her many fans, has been coached by Carlos Rodriguez since she was 14. She regularly reached late rounds of international competitions and won five ITF tournaments by the end of 1998. She started her professional tennis career in the WTA tour in May 1999 as a wildcard entry in the Belgian Open at Antwerp, and became the fifth player at that time to win her debut WTA Tour event.
Justine established herself as a major competitor in 2001. She reached the semifinals of Roland Garros, the final of Wimbledon and was ranked number seven by the WTA at the end of the year, with three titles to her name.
In 2002, she won two more WTA titles, reached four finals and finished the year as a top 5 player. Her German Open victory in May 2002 was particularly noteworthy, as she beat Jennifer Capriati in the semi-final and Serena Williams in the final.
2003 was the year when Justine asserted her dominance on the WTA tour. On June 7, 2003 she won her first Grand Slam tournament, the French Open, defeating her Flemish compatriot Kim Clijsters. On September 7, 2003 she won her second Grand Slam tournament, the US Open, once again against Kim Clijsters. She reached the final by defeating American Jennifer Capriati in a semi-final battle of extremely high quality, winning 7-6 in the final set. In that match, which finished after midnight in New York, Capriati came within 2 points of victory no less than 11 times, but Justine refused to be beaten. On October 19, 2003 she achieved the number one ranking on the WTA list, taking over from Kim Clijsters. She was named the International Tennis Federation's women's singles World Champion for 2003.
Before the 2004 season, Justine again trained with strength and conditioning coach Pat Etcheberry, who in the past has been the fitness guru for other world-class players like Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Jennifer Capriati. On January 31, 2004 Justine won her third Grand Slam at the Australian Open, again defeating Kim Clijsters in a three-set final. She confirmed her world number one form by winning two more tournaments in February and March 2004. Unfortunately, Justine's health was then devastated by a strain of cytomegalovirus, whose effect was further complicated by an immunity problem. She often slept up to 18 hours a day and barely had the strength to brush her teeth, let alone play competitive tennis. She was seeded first for the May 2004 French Open, but still ill with the viral infection, she lost her second round match against a much lower-ranked player, Tathiana Garbin. Justine subsequently had to withdraw from the upcoming Rosmalen and Wimbledon 2004 tournaments.
Justine came back in August, 2004, somehow finding the strength to win the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, defeating Amélie Mauresmo of France. On the way to the gold, Justine rallied for a miraculous win against Anastasia Myskina of Russia in a semifinal match. After falling behind 5 games to 1, Justine found a way to win the final set 8-6, confirming her reputation as a great fighter on the court. In September 2004, Justine attempted to defend her U.S. Open title. However, she remained weakened by the cytomegalovirus and lost to Nadia Petrova in the 4th round. As a result, she lost the number one ranking that she held for 45 straight weeks. Justine then withdrew from the rest of the tournaments in 2004, to recuperate from the infection. Her plan to rejoin the tour in the beginning of 2005 was delayed when she fractured her kneecap in a training session in December, 2004.
On March 25, 2005, after more than six months of inactivity, Justine returned to the WTA circuit at the NASDAQ-100 open in Miami. She lost a hardcourt match to the new Russian star and world no. 2 Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals. Remarkably, she captured a title in her very next tournament, winning on clay at the Family Circle Cup Tier-1 event at Charleston, posting a victory over world no. 1 Lindsay Davenport, and besting 2nd seed Elena Dementieva in the final. Later in April 2005, she captured her 21st career title by winning the J&S Cup in Warsaw, defeating 2nd seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final.
In May, 2005, she avenged her loss to Sharapova, convincingly defeating her in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the German Open, a tournament she went on to win over Nadia Petrova. It was her 3rd straight title on clay, making her a top contender for the 2005 French Open. She was the 10th seeded player in the tournament, and on June 4 defeated the French player Mary Pierce to take her second title at Roland Garros; the win was also Justine's 24th straight match won on clay and her 10th consecutive final win, a streak stretching back to Zurich in October, 2003. In capturing the title, Justine managed a fantastic fourth round comeback win over Kuznetsova, saving two match points. She then demolished Sharapova in the quarters and Petrova in the semi-final, leaving no doubt as to who was the best woman on clay. With her French Open victory, Justine moved to number seven in the world rankings. She joined Monica Seles as the only two currently active players on the WTA Tour to have won the French Open at least twice.
At Wimbledon 2005 Henin-Hardenne's winning streak of 24 matches was snapped in the first round by Greek Eleni Daniilidou (6-7, 6-2, 5-7). By this defeat she became the first French Open champion in the Open Era to lose in the opening round of Wimbledon.
Awards
- 2003: Belgian Sportswoman of the Year
- 2003: ITF World Champion
- 2004: Belgian Sportswoman of the Year
- 2005: Family Circle/State Farm "Player Who Makes A Difference"
Grand Slam titles
2003 French Open Kim Clijsters 6-0, 6-4 2003 U.S. Open Kim Clijsters 7-5, 6-1 2004 Australian Open Kim Clijsters 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 2005 French Open Mary Pierce 6-1, 6-1
Titles (25)
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (4) |
| Tour Championships (0) |
| Olympic Gold (1) |
| Tier I Event (8) |
| WTA Tour (10) |
Singles (23)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | May 10, 1999 | Antwerp, Belgium | Clay | Sarah Pitkowski-Malcor (France) | 6-1 6-2 |
| 2. | Jan 1, 2001 | Gold Coast, Australia | Hard | Silvia Farina Elia (Italy) | 7-6 6-4 |
| 3. | Jan 8, 2001 | Canberra, Australia | Hard | Sandrine Testud (France) | 6-2 6-2 |
| 4. | Jun 18, 2001 | 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands | Grass | Kim Clijsters (Belgium) | 6-4 3-6 6-3 |
| 5. | May 6, 2002 | Berlin, Germany | Clay | Serena Williams (USA) | 6-2 1-6 7-6 |
| 6. | Oct 21, 2002 | Linz, Austria | Hard | Alexandra Stevenson (USA) | 6-3 6-0 |
| 7. | Feb 17, 2003 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Monica Seles (USA) | 4-6 7-6 7-5 |
| 8. | Apr 7, 2003 | Charleston, USA | Clay | Serena Williams (USA) | 6-3 6-4 |
| 9. | May 5, 2003 | Berlin, Germany | Clay | Kim Clijsters (Belgium) | 6-4 4-6 7-5 |
| 10. | May 26, 2003 | French Open, Paris, France | Clay | Kim Clijsters (Belgium) | 6-0 6-4 |
| 11. | Jul 28, 2003 | San Diego, USA | Hard | Kim Clijsters (Belgium) | 3-6 6-2 6-3 |
| 12. | Aug 11, 2003 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Lina Krasnoroutskaya (Russia) | 6-1 6-0 |
| 13. | Aug 25, 2003 | U.S. Open, New York, USA | Hard | Kim Clijsters (Belgium) | 7-5 6-1 |
| 14. | Oct 13, 2003 | Zurich, Switzerland | Hard | Jelena Dokic (Serbia & Montenegro) | 6-0 6-4 |
| 15. | Jan 12, 2004 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Amelie Mauresmo (France) | 6-4 6-4 |
| 16. | Jan 19, 2004 | Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia | Hard | Kim Clijsters (Belgium) | 6-3 4-6 6-3 |
| 17. | Feb 23, 2004 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) | 6-3 7-6 |
| 18. | Mar 8, 2004 | Indian Wells, USA | Hard | Lindsay Davenport (USA) | 6-1 6-4 |
| 19. | Aug 16, 2004 | The Olympics, Athens, Greece | Hard | Amélie Mauresmo (France) | 6-3 6-3 |
| 20. | Apr 17, 2005 | Charleston, USA | Clay | Elena Dementieva (Russia) | 7-5 6-4 |
| 21. | May 1, 2005 | Warsaw, Poland | Clay | Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) | 3-6 6-2 7-5 |
| 22. | May 8, 2005 | Berlin, Germany | Clay | Nadia Petrova (Russia) | 6-3 4-6 6-3 |
| 23. | June 4, 2005 | French Open, Paris, France | Clay | Mary Pierce (France) | 6-1 6-1 |
Singles Finalist (10)
- 2001: Wimbledon (lost to Venus Williams)
- 2001: Hawaii (lost to Sandrine Testud)
- 2001: Filderstadt (lost to Lindsay Davenport)
- 2002: Gold Coast (lost to Venus Williams)
- 2002: Antwerp (lost to Venus Williams)
- 2002: Amelia Island (lost to Venus Williams)
- 2002: Rome (lost to Serena Williams)
- 2003: 's-Hertogenbosch (lost to Kim Clijsters)
- 2003: Leipzig (lost to Anastasia Myskina)
- 2003: Filderstadt (lost to Kim Clijsters)
Doubles (2)
| No. | Date | Partner | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | 2002 | Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) | Gold Coast, Australia | Hard | Åsa Svensson / Miriam Oremans (SWE/NED) | 6-1 7-6(6) |
| 2. | 2002 | Elena Bovina (Russia) | Zurich, Switzerland | Hard | Jelena Dokic / Nadia Petrova (SCG/RUS) | 7-6 6-4 |
Performance timeline
| Tournament | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | - | W | SF | QF | 4r | 2r | - | 1 |
| French Open | W | 2r | W | 1r | SF | - | 2r | 2 |
| Wimbledon | 1r | - | SF | SF | F | 1r | - | 0 |
| US Open | 4r | W | 4r | 4r | 4r | 1r | 1 | |
| WTA Tour Championships | - | SF | QF | QF | - | - | 0 | |
| Grand Slam Win-Loss | 7-1 | 11-2 | 24-2 | 12-4 | 17-4 | 4-3 | 1-2 | 76-18 |
| Tournaments played | 5 | 9 | 18 | 23 | 21 | 13 | 7 | 94 |
| Finals reached | 4 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 33 |
| Tournaments Won | 4 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 23 |
| Hardcourt Win-Loss | 3-1 | 31-2 | 44-7 | 23-14 | 31-10 | 23-8 | 2-2 | 157-44 |
| Clay Win-Loss | 24-0 | 4-2 | 20-1 | 16-4 | 18-4 | 3-2 | 6-2 | 91-15 |
| Grass Win-Loss | 0-1 | 0-0 | 8-2 | 7-2 | 10-1 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 26-8 |
| Carpet Win-Loss | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3-1 | 6-1 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 5-2 | 16-9 |
| Overall Win-Loss | 27-2 | 35-4 | 75-11 | 52-21 | 60-18 | 28-14 | 13-16 | 283-76 |
| Year End Ranking | 8 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 45 | 69 | N/A |
Famous Matches
- 2003 French Open semifinal against Serena Williams. Henin-Hardenne won the first set with 6-2 but lost the second 4-6 in the deciding thirth Henin-Hardenne showed all her talent and fighting spirit to prevail with 7-5. This win ended Serena's 33-match winning streak in Grand Slam events (after she had won the "Serena Slam"). In the final she trashed fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters with 6-0, 6-4.
- 2003 U.S. Open semifinal: Henin beat Jennifer Capriati in a final set tiebreak just to be carried away to hospital after the match due to fatigue. She won 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(4). Several times during the match Capriati was only two points away from victory. In the final the next day she yet again beat fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters.
Recent Matches
- 2005 Wimbledon 1st round. Coming from the French Open where she won the title, Henin-Hardenne had yet to play a single match on grass. Still she was seen by many to become the next Wimbledon Women's Singles champion. In a match where she had chances but couldn't make them, she lost to Greek Eleni Daniilidou in three sets: 6-7(8), 6-2, 5-7.
See also
External links
- Official site (http://www.henin-hardenne.be/)
- Profile on WTA website (http://www.wtatour.com/players/playerprofiles/playerbio.asp?PlayerID=80350)
- justin-henin.net: a fansite (http://www.justine-henin.net/)
- justinehenin.tk: a fansite (http://www.justinehenin.tk/)de:Justine Henin-Hardenne
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