Henin Figures She’s Ready for Center Court Matchup

Justine Henin was a 16-year-old waif when she served for the match in the third set against Lindsay Davenport at the French Open two years ago. The intense effort drained her and Henin eventually lost.

Henin was almost relieved.

“I don’t want to do things too quickly,” she said.

Her game has caught up with her mature attitude. Henin will play Belgian countrywoman Kim Clijsters today in the French Open semifinals.

In 1992, Henin attended the French Open final between Monica Seles and Steffi Graf and made a vow.

“I was sitting there with my mom and I told her, ‘You see, Mom, one day you’ll see me playing on this Center Court.’ It did happen.”

Sadly, Francoise Henin died almost three years later of intestinal cancer. Henin, then 12, said she became “the oldest woman in the household” and noted how life was already cruel.

“She always believed in me,” Henin said. “I know she’s quite aware of what I’m doing now. She knew my ambitions. She knew that I really wanted to win. She was convinced I would succeed.”

It hasn’t gotten much easier. Henin’s father, Jose, isn’t part of her life either. Belgian journalists say she has no contact with him because she felt he put too much pressure on her to succeed.

Henin had her first big moment at the French Open against Davenport. Shortly thereafter, Clijsters made her name at Wimbledon in 1999, losing to her idol Graf in the fourth round. She is also well-known for being the girlfriend of Lleyton Hewitt.

Clijsters and Henin are friendly, though there is a language barrier. Henin speaks French and Clijsters does not. When Henin turned 19 on June 1, Clijsters gave her a pullover for a present. Clijsters’ 18th birthday is Friday.

“We’re tennis players and rivals at the same time,” Clijsters said. “It’s very important that you make the difference on the court and once you get off the court you’re friends again.”

Henin, seeded 14th, is 2-1 against the 12th-seeded Clijsters, but Clijsters won their last match at Indian Wells in March.

In the second semifinal, top-seeded Martina Hingis of Switzerland will play No. 4 Jennifer Capriati. Capriati, the Australian Open champion, is in the semifinals here for the first time since she was 14 in 1990.

“I’ve had to work so hard to get here,” Capriati said. “It’s just made it that much sweeter for me. Everything is different. I’m a lot older. I have a Grand Slam already. Maybe now I feel like I can win it more than back then.”

Hingis is 5-2 against Capriati, losing the last two matches, in the Australian final and the Charleston final on clay in April. Said Hingis, who has lost one set in five matches here: “It was nice to go through a draw like this. It doesn’t have to be like every year, every time, like in Australia that I’m exhausted before I even walk on the court for the finals.”

A contrite Andy Roddick met with a group of reporters and admitted he had made some mistakes in handling his new-found fame, saying, “It went from good to bad really quickly. . . . Maybe I could have done a much better job of handling it.”

Roddick and his advisors were criticized for not releasing the results of an MRI of his strained left hamstring. There were also reports he went out dancing--which he denied--after the injury. He retired in the third set against Hewitt in the third round.

“It was the first time in my career anybody was interested in me and I didn’t handle it in the best way,” said Roddick, 18. “But it wasn’t on purpose. It was a lack of experience.”

He said he is still planning to play a Wimbledon tuneup next week in London and that his leg is much better.

Grand Slam tournament officials will meet today to discuss a proposal to seed 32 players at the U.S. Open, instead of the traditional 16. Apparently the only marked resistance is coming from French officials.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Women’s Semifinalists

Previous meetings of women’s semifinalists, who play today:

MARTINA HINGIS (1) VS. JENNIFER CAPRIATI (4)

* 1997 Sydney, hard-outdoor finals: Hingis wins 6-1, 5-7, 6-1.

* 1998 Hamburg, clay-outdoor quarterfinals: Hingis, 6-1, 6-3.

* 1999 Filderstadt, hard-indoor round of 16: Hingis, 6-4, 6-0.

* 2000 Hertogenbosch, grass-outdoor semifinals: Hingis, 7-5, 6-2.

* 2000 Zurich, hard-indoor semifinals: Hingis, 6-3, 6-2.

* 2001 Australian Open, hard-outdoor finals: Capriati, 6-4, 6-3.

* 2001 Charleston, clay-outdoor finals: Capriati, 6-0, 4-6, 6-4,

KIM CLIJSTERS (12) VS. JUSTINE HENIN (14)

* 1998, Israel, hard-outdoor quarterfinals: Henin wins, 6-1, 7-6 (3).

* 1999, Reims, clay-outdoor finals: Henin wins, 6-4, 6-4.

* 2001 Indian Wells, hard-outdoor round of 32: Clijsters wins, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.