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Henin-Hardenne fights the heartache for place in history
Paris, June 06 : Justine Henin-Hardenne will be fighting for her slice of history when she takes to thePhilippe Chatrier Centre court tomorrow against fellow BelgianKim Clijsters in the French Open women`s singles final.
Paris, June 06 : Justine Henin-Hardenne will
be fighting for her slice of history when she takes to the
Philippe Chatrier Centre court tomorrow against fellow Belgian
Kim Clijsters in the French Open women`s singles final.
Both 21-year-old Henin-Hardenne, who comes from the French-speaking Walloon region, and Clijsters, from the majority Dutch-speaking Flanders region, will be bidding to become the first Belgian grand slam champion. It is the second grand slam final for both, with Clijsters reaching the 2001 French Open final, and Henin-Hardenne , runner-up in Wimbledon the same year.
But as she eliminated world number one Serena Williams yesterday, Henin-Hardenne must have remembered the heartache of her first grand slam defeat to the powerful American`s elder sister Venus two years ago just hours after her grandfather suffered a massive heart attack and died. Henin-Hardenne was taken straight back to Belgium by Crown Prince Philippe and his wife, Princess Mathilde, who had watched the match from the royal box.
This time out the Belgian, who married boyfriend Pierre- Yves Hardenne last November and was the 1997 French Open junior champion, wants to fulfil her vow to her mother when she attended Roland Garros as a child, that one day she too would be holding the trophy.
"I used to say `mum, one day that will be me`", recalls the player, who standing 5ft 5in and weighing 57kg has proved that she is more than a match for her larger opponents.
Bureau Report
Both 21-year-old Henin-Hardenne, who comes from the French-speaking Walloon region, and Clijsters, from the majority Dutch-speaking Flanders region, will be bidding to become the first Belgian grand slam champion. It is the second grand slam final for both, with Clijsters reaching the 2001 French Open final, and Henin-Hardenne , runner-up in Wimbledon the same year.
But as she eliminated world number one Serena Williams yesterday, Henin-Hardenne must have remembered the heartache of her first grand slam defeat to the powerful American`s elder sister Venus two years ago just hours after her grandfather suffered a massive heart attack and died. Henin-Hardenne was taken straight back to Belgium by Crown Prince Philippe and his wife, Princess Mathilde, who had watched the match from the royal box.
This time out the Belgian, who married boyfriend Pierre- Yves Hardenne last November and was the 1997 French Open junior champion, wants to fulfil her vow to her mother when she attended Roland Garros as a child, that one day she too would be holding the trophy.
"I used to say `mum, one day that will be me`", recalls the player, who standing 5ft 5in and weighing 57kg has proved that she is more than a match for her larger opponents.
Bureau Report