Return of Clijsters, Henin good for women tennis: Monica Seles

Abu Dhabi: The women tennis has got richer and the WTA competition more challenging with the return of

Justin Henin and Kim Clijsters, says former star Monica Seles, who has no doubt that the former will be a contender at the French Open -- the next Grand Slam of the season. The two Belgian players recently came out of retirements to make a stupendous comeback to the competitive tennis. On her return, Clijsters became the first unranked player and wildcard to win US Open and the first mother to win a major since Evonne Goolagong in 1980. Henin too has proved that she is still the same force which she was before by reaching the finals of the Brisbane International and the Australian Open this year. "I think 2010 is going to be as good as it can get. With the two (Henin and Kim) pushing Serena, Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Dinara Safina, it is going to be really good. To me all this is going to be great as a tennis fan," Seles said recently at the Laureas Awards ceremony here. Now the clay court of the Roland Garros are awaiting Henis where she has triumphed four times -- including three consecutive title wins -- before. Interestingly, it was Seles only who won three French Open titles in a row in the open era before Henin equalled her record and the former World number one says the Belgian is there to grab the fifth trophy in May-June. "As a former player when I watch, I`d like the best players to play against each other. That`s where you see the highest level of tennis being played. The Australian Open was great. The French Open will be even more interesting. Justin will be the favourite to win the French Open," Seles said. The Hungarian-American player is eagerly waiting the second Grand Slam to unfold. "But Kim is a great mover and a fantastic player. I can`t wait for the French Open to start and watch Kim and Justine play," Seles, bubbling with joy, said. Seles, who was listed as 13th greatest player of all time by `Tennis magazine`, is amazed by the incredible comeback of the two Belgian players, who she says have become a source of inspiration for the women tennis players. "I think, for Kim to have a child along the way and come back and win a Grand Slam (US Open) last year is really amazing. The way she played with such mental toughness and conviction in the US Open will be an inspiration to any woman.” "And Justin`s comeback is great for the sport. She has already shown her mettle in the Australian Open this year. But she lost to Serena in the final," she added. Talking about Roger Federer, Seles said the Swiss star will set such records that would be hard to break for any tennis player in years to come. "It`s been an unbelievable year (2009) for him. After a brief bad period, how he came back to win the French and US Open was amazing. He is a great ambassador for the game not only on court but also off-court.” "Roger has dominated his sport to a level we have not seen before. He is going to set records which won`t be broken for a long time," Seles said. World Number one in 1991-1992, Seles was forced out of the sport for more than two years following an on-court attack by a German spectator, who stabbed her in the back. But the gritty player battled her way back to the courts and won the 1996 Australian Open, before announcing her retirement in 2008. Seles currently works on women issues and has got herself involved with various forums like Laureus. "I do tennis clinics for kids in USA as I like them to get involved in sports. I also give motivational speech for women on weight loss issues," said Seles, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. "I became an Laureus Academy member recently. I believe in their message. I have been involved in a project in South Africa and two different projects in New York. I went to White House this year to push in for equality for women sports," she added. PTI