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 Henin: Superb, but is she having fun?Continued
But Henin was the only world champion not to show. She recorded a short video that was played at the event, at which she said she was sorry not to be there but that she was still in the tournament and had to prepare for her semifinal. The same could be said for Roger Federer who had put on his dark suit and black tie for the evening and was also in the tournament and preparing for his semifinal. It didn’t look good for the Belgian and many of her country folk attending were somewhat embarrassed. Of course a black tie dinner isn’t everyone’s idea of a fun night out, but the thought has struck a number of tennis watchers that another 10 years from now Henin might look back on her career and, while admiring her achievements, wonder whether she really enjoyed it all. Part of it is superstition – she has the same meal (chicken and potatoes) every evening at Roland Garros, agreed to do pre-semi interviews on the basis of which she had done at the same stage in 2005 and 2006, and asked for Manuel Rodriguez, the eight-year-old son of her coach Carlos Rodriguez, to be allowed off school as she always wins when he’s at her matches. But is there any room for fun in her life? It doesn’t look like it. Henin’s sad eyes – no doubt a remnant of the loss of her mother at the age of 12 and the subsequent feuding with her father, brother and sisters – has made it hard for her compatriots to warm to her. And with the comparison with the ever smiling Kim Clijsters all too easy to make, Henin always seemed to be second-favourite in the hearts of Belgian tennis fans. All that may be changing a little. Since the break-up of her marriage to Pierre-Yves Hardenne at the start of the year, Henin has spent more time back in Belgium rather than her tax haven home in Monaco, and has made tentative overtures to her father. That has gone down well in Belgium, and alongside the forthcoming marriage of Clijsters, Henin’s affection level is rising again. Clijsters and her basketballer fiancé Brian Lynch have chosen the day of Belgium’s Fed Cup play-off tie against China for their wedding, and with Clijsters wanting Caroline Maes to be there, she is robbing the Belgian team of one of its players. That has not endeared the newly retired Clijsters to Belgian tennis fans, and Henin is profiting, if only by default. With Henin now at the mid-point in her career, maybe the time has now come for her to look to show a bit more fun and happiness on court. As with Federer, the fear of doing so is that she would lose the thread of matches, become less focused, and risk losing winnable matches. It is indeed a risk, but perhaps the strategy of continuing with an uncompromising work ethic also carries its risks. The Roland Garros crowd loves watching Henin play, as do most tennis fans. They will most likely revel in her fourth French Open title on Saturday, when she faces the 19-year-old Ana Ivanovic, who capitalised on Maria Sharapova’s error-strewn nightmare in the first of Thursday’s two semis. Yet a feature of Ivanovic is that she is constantly smiling, so any joy at an Ivanovic title will be much greater compared with the admiration of another Henin triumph. If girls just wanna have fun, Henin may need to rediscover a little of the girl within.© TennisReporters.net 2007
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