What's up with all these tennis players trying to get back on the playing field?First, Kim Clijsters. And now, Justine Henin? Do they miss the smell of Wimbledon grass? Do they wake up with nightmares of being caught up in a Roland Garros sandstorm (or claystorm, to be more accurate)? Before the world knows it, John mcenroe would join the bandwagon and swallow our TV sets with that cool cool hair.
For all of you newbies who do not know Justine Henin, I'm gonna bring you up to date and up to speed. For starters, she was tennis's female Roger Federer. Dominant, with good speed and technique, this tennis wonder fondly called 'Juju' by his fans (what the farts, i know!) was a force to reckon with. Armed with a good one-hand backhand and an even more wicked forehand, she steamrolled her way to 7 Grand Slam titles, 3 at the French Open, before she announced her retirement in 2007 due to injuries and fatigue (again, what the farts!) while still ranked no.1 in the world and was pegged to win the French Open for the 4th straight time in 2008. I look back on those times like the daydreaming fool that i am. Gosh, it was a beauty seeing her play. Well, for the underdog lover in me, it was a beauty seeing her lose, which was rare so i didn't really get much beauty from those times. There was fluidity and smoothness in her motions, a Roger Federer with boobies, which is a horrifying thought but you get what i mean.
Since her first slam title in 2003, she managed to snag at least one slam every year. She rarely lost. When she did, the opponent was tagged a fluke player pulling out a fluke win. Remember Marion Bartoli? Exactly. It was sad, really. But, you can't hate her especially when, despite her small frame, she could serve like Serena Williams, run like crazy, and whip forehands as if the ball had a line-hugging homing device taped in it.
She was good. No, good would be an understatement. Try phenomenal. However, in today's mix of talents and at an old tennis age of 27, can she follow the steps of compatriot Kim Clijsters and revive what had been an illustrious career cut short by,uhm okay we believe you, fatigue?
yes. abso-effin-lutely, despite how worried she looks here.
She left at a time when everyone was playing good. She lost to the best Maria Sharapova in the 2006 US Open. The Viches (Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic) were kicking their Serbian heels and mowing down the party. The Williamses, Venus and Serena, bootied their way in and out of trouble. During those times that every big hair and big wig was playing exceptional tennis, she was more exceptional than all of them. I could only remember one time she took a beating and that was that US open final against a Maria Sharapova who was 100 levels above herself that day. Other than that, she was having a good career and was projected to be one of the sport's greatest players of all time.
Fast forward to today's pool of players. Here's the lowdown of the kind of tennis she's gonna come back to. Number 1 Dinara Safina playing very uncharacteristic of her ranking. the Viches, God only knows what's happening to them. Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova could use a new limb and a better service motion, respectively. Questions about Kim Clijsters maintaining her good showing at the US Open. and, Serena, well, after pulling a hullaballoo in the US Open, she's kinda busy attending rehab sessions in the Center for Management of Anger against Line Judges. Sure, there are lots of up-and-comers like Caroline Wozniacki, Melanie Oudin, and Elena Dementieva who are expected to come with guns ablaze in 2010, but none of these can beat Henin any given day. Unless, of course, on that given day, she dies.
This is not to say that the above mentioned are chumps who could not play great tennis. They have proven time and again that they could and, with a dismal 2009 for most of them, they're hungry to prove themselves. Next year would be a war of the females and she-males(those Williamses. tsk.). It goes without saying (but, what the heck, im gonna say it anyway) that she should come in tiptop shape to be able to contend with the best of them, which should not be a problem for a freak athlete such as Henin. It was fortunate that henin was never plagued with serious injuries. She was never sidelined much or stricken with a career-changing injury.Her ex-husband gave her more problems than any of her body parts. That being said, I say Henin would get along with the girls just fine.
It would be a treat to see Henin play again. She was cool and collected, never throwing a hissy fit, even when she was losing. She always won convincingly, more often by playing amazing tennis and rarely by riding out poor play of her opponents. She was the only one who could play anybody. She could absorb the ground strokes of the power-hitting players, and keep up with the wheels and court coverage of the speedy ones. For years since she and Clijsters left, women's tennis has become either too unpredictable, with top-seed upsets here and there, or too predictable, with the Venus-Serena tandem taking much of the bling. It wasn't as hot as it used to be, not as competitive as it was in the middle years of this decade. The sport needs more like Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters who exhibit class on the courts and off it, who play with intensity and grit without going bazonkers and threatening to shove tennis balls down unsuspecting linesmen's throats. and, i daresay juju's (haha, that name just cracks me up!) decision to un-fatigue herself is a welcome treat to casual and hard-core fans, players and experts alike.
With Henin back for more, 2010 could just be a great year for women's tennis.
*Pictures and player profiles are from sports.yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment