GOLD IN POCKET, READY FOR New york

Rise of the non-machine: Henin-Hardenne feels lucky

By Matthew Cronin,tennisreporters.net

Photo: Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA Design: Ron Cioffi/TR.net

Justine Henin-Hardenne is focused on who she is Ä and defending her US Open crown.

FROM THE US OPEN – Before she contracted a debilitating virus that took her off the tour for most of the past four-and-a-half months, defending US Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne was about a tightly wound person as you could find. She defined the word intensity. She thrived on pressure. Small in stature but big in heart, she was always trying to prove herself against taller, more powerful and sometimes more glamorous players.

But Henin-Hardenne says that life in a pressure cooker is now over, because during her time off, she realized that merely having the opportunity to compete for Grand Slam titles made her fortunate, and that winning and chasing the golden goose week in, week out, is largely for the aimless birds.

"When you win a lot of matches like I did the last year-and-a half, you don't think anymore about the luck you had," said Henin-Hardenne, who won three out of four Slam titles between '03 Roland Garros and the '04 Australian Open. "When I came back. I felt lucky I could play and do what I love so much."

The Belgian returned with a vengeance at the Olympics, winning the gold medal. But she says she doesn't want to avenge anything anymore, and is just enjoying striking the ball, being enveloped in the beauty of the struggle … win or lose. "It was a very unique experience in Greece and I hope I'll have this feeling the rest of my career," Henin-Hardenne said. "It was really a pleasure to be on the court."

Even though she is attempting to employ a more carefree attitude on court and off, by nature, Henin-Hardenne is a fighter and fighters hate to lose. She is very much like two former male US Open champions in her demeanor and personality – Jimmy Connors and Lleyton Hewitt – who were always at their best when they felt the world was against them and they needed to crash thorough enemy lines. What Henin-Hardenne may mean when she said that the pressure cooker blew the steam out of her body is that she grew tried of fighting every day, and needs to conserve her killer instinct for the times that matter the most.

"What happened to me from the French Open until Indian Wells [where she won this March] was pretty amazing. I never stopped. But one day you wake up and you're sick, you're tired, you need something else. I don't want this to happen again. You cannot imagine the pressure, physically and mentally of how hard it is. Now I understand that. The pressure is there every day, even of you don't feel it. We are not machines. One day, you feel tired and you need to take a little time off. That's what I did."

SOUL SEARCH FOCUSED GOALS
Actually, it was Justine's body that took the time off, while her mind wondered what was going on. Her body shut down, a virus invaded it and she was forced to lay back and reconsider who she was and whether she was going about her career in the right way. But she didn't like all the wondering and the doubting. She began to lose her identity, which is why she tried to come back too early at this year's French Open and was upset in the second round.
When the virus finally disappeared about a month ago and she was able to start training again, she promised herself that she'd forget about defending her once beloved No. 1 ranking and come back and have a good time on court.

"I was feeling so bad I could think about [No. 1] anymore," she said. "I didn't know if I was going to feel like the same person again, not even the player before my illness. I was feeling different. So I took care of myself as a players and as a person. That's the most important thing."

Fresh perspective or not, the result was much the same in Athens for women's tennis most dominant player over the past 16 months. She ran through the field until the semis, when she won a marathon three-setter over reigning French Open champion Anastasia Myskina, much like she did in New York last year when she overcame Jennifer Capriati in an endless semifinal classic. The next day in Athens, she diced up No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo, who had serious designs on her top ranking. She did the same thing to Kim Clijsters last year in the US Open final and grabbed her countrywoman's No. 1 ranking.

Different attitude, but same razor sharp all-round game and the same result. "My level in Athens was very, very good," Henin-Hardenne said. "I played great against Mauresmo. I think I was at my best level, the level I was at last summer, that's for sure."

If that's the case in New York, Henin-Hardenne will be the player to beat all tournaments long. She has the toughest first-round match of any of the favorites, as she drew 15-year-old qualifier Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic, a tall powerballer who won Vancouver as 14-year-old earlier this month.

Henin-Hardenne's defense in New York won't be easy, not on her still recovering body or her mind in transition. But she's loving her opportunity to get on court and bump chests and see what the next stage in her career will bring.

"My coming back was better than I could imagine," she said. "I hope I can keep it going. Here it's another test to see if I can recover. A Grand Slam is another kind of pressure. I'll get a chance to see where I am with all these things."