http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/sports/tennis/31tennis.html
Williams Outlasts Henin, Taking Australian Open
By JOE DRAPE
Published: January 30, 2010
MELBOURNE, Australia — As Serena Williams collapsed on the court Saturday, weary and elated after capturing her fifth Australian Open title, those who follow tennis, or perhaps sports of any kind, knew they had witnessed the performance of a great champion. She had turned back a pretty good champion in Justine Henin for a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory.
Serena Williams says one of the keys to her winning majors, and her fifth title in Melbourne, is “I get up for the big ones.”
It was Williams’s 12th Grand Slam title, which matches Billie Jean King’s total and is six behind Chris Evert’s. Williams is halfway to the record for major titles held by Margaret Court, who was at Melbourne Park to present the championship trophy.
Williams, 28, fought through pain to earn it — her right thigh and left knee and wrist were wrapped, as they have been for the past two weeks. And her grimaces and hobbled steps as she battled Henin further betrayed her distress.
Williams’s ability to endure is one of her vital intangibles, as is her ardor for the competitive part of the game. She played doubles here nearly every day, and she and her sister Venus won their 11th major title on Friday. These are only part of the reason Williams is the only active women’s player who owns a career Grand Slam. Yes, she has a thundering serve, a ballistic forehand and the ability, as Henin put it, “to hit the right shots at the right time.”
But mostly, as Williams said, “I get up for the big ones.” She demonstrated that early in the third set.
In the previous set, Henin used a symphony of shots to save two break points and held for 3-3, then won 13 of the last 14 points. Henin was a maestro, waving her racket and calling in every section of her orchestra — booming forehand winners, tinkling backhand slices that Williams could not run down — and controlling the rhythm of the game.
When Henin held serve to go up, 1-0, in the third set, Williams looked at her racket, and gave it and herself a talking-to.
“I thought I was just giving her too many points,” Williams said. “She was playing well, but I knew I could play better so I literally told myself, ‘I need to man up.’ ”
Williams leaned on her big, deadly and accurate serve to dish out 12 aces, then broke Henin’s serve three straight games and left little doubt that she was the best women’s tennis player in the world right now.
A couple of others emerged as winners from Rod Laver Arena.
Henin, for one. Her second tournament since returning to tennis after a 20-month retirement went almost perfectly. A wild-card entry, Henin was the emotional touchstone. Williams suggested that having Henin back, and defeating her, made this title a little more precious. And Henin was happy to be back.
“I felt like we both were out there trying to kind of prove something,” said Williams, who was fined $92,000 for losing her temper during a semifinal match at last year’s United States Open. “I think we both did at the end of the day.”
Henin rediscovered the magic that propelled her to seven Grand Slam titles. She matched shots and grit with the champion in ways Williams said she had not seen of late.
“As you saw today, she took me to the umpteenth level,” Williams said. “She clearly hasn’t, like, lost a step at all since she’s been gone. So I feel like I played a girl who’s been on the tour for the past five years without a break. I think her game is definitely better. I mean, it was excellent before she left. But, you know, I think she’s added a lot to it.”
The biggest winner perhaps was the women’s game. The last time a Grand Slam women’s final went three sets was at Wimbledon in 2006, when Henin lost to Amélie Mauresmo. Henin’s return, as well as that of her fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters, puts some heat on Williams and adds sizzle to the sport. Clijsters won the 2009 United States Open after taking time off to have a child.
Henin, 27, is seeking a career Grand Slam of her own, and will aim for it at Wimbledon this summer. In addition to 2006, she made the final there in 2001, losing to Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon winner. Serena Williams is the defending champion.
On the strength of her performance here, Henin has to be among the favorites to win her fifth French Open.
“Winning big tournaments — that’s my motivation,” Henin said, sounding much like Serena Williams.
Other players with major titles could find their way to the top of the rankings. Svetlana Kuznetsova won last year’s French Open to go with her 2004 United States Open title. And Maria Sharapova, who was upset in the first round here, has won Wimbledon and the Australian and United States Opens, and is capable of big performances.
Some intriguing talent entered the picture here when Li Na and Zheng Jie made the semifinals, the first time two Chinese players of either sex made it to a Grand Slam semifinal.
For now, however, the world’s No. 1 ranking belongs to Williams.
Williams Outlasts Henin, Taking Australian Open
By JOE DRAPE
Published: January 30, 2010
MELBOURNE, Australia — As Serena Williams collapsed on the court Saturday, weary and elated after capturing her fifth Australian Open title, those who follow tennis, or perhaps sports of any kind, knew they had witnessed the performance of a great champion. She had turned back a pretty good champion in Justine Henin for a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory.
Serena Williams says one of the keys to her winning majors, and her fifth title in Melbourne, is “I get up for the big ones.”
It was Williams’s 12th Grand Slam title, which matches Billie Jean King’s total and is six behind Chris Evert’s. Williams is halfway to the record for major titles held by Margaret Court, who was at Melbourne Park to present the championship trophy.
Williams, 28, fought through pain to earn it — her right thigh and left knee and wrist were wrapped, as they have been for the past two weeks. And her grimaces and hobbled steps as she battled Henin further betrayed her distress.
Williams’s ability to endure is one of her vital intangibles, as is her ardor for the competitive part of the game. She played doubles here nearly every day, and she and her sister Venus won their 11th major title on Friday. These are only part of the reason Williams is the only active women’s player who owns a career Grand Slam. Yes, she has a thundering serve, a ballistic forehand and the ability, as Henin put it, “to hit the right shots at the right time.”
But mostly, as Williams said, “I get up for the big ones.” She demonstrated that early in the third set.
In the previous set, Henin used a symphony of shots to save two break points and held for 3-3, then won 13 of the last 14 points. Henin was a maestro, waving her racket and calling in every section of her orchestra — booming forehand winners, tinkling backhand slices that Williams could not run down — and controlling the rhythm of the game.
When Henin held serve to go up, 1-0, in the third set, Williams looked at her racket, and gave it and herself a talking-to.
“I thought I was just giving her too many points,” Williams said. “She was playing well, but I knew I could play better so I literally told myself, ‘I need to man up.’ ”
Williams leaned on her big, deadly and accurate serve to dish out 12 aces, then broke Henin’s serve three straight games and left little doubt that she was the best women’s tennis player in the world right now.
A couple of others emerged as winners from Rod Laver Arena.
Henin, for one. Her second tournament since returning to tennis after a 20-month retirement went almost perfectly. A wild-card entry, Henin was the emotional touchstone. Williams suggested that having Henin back, and defeating her, made this title a little more precious. And Henin was happy to be back.
“I felt like we both were out there trying to kind of prove something,” said Williams, who was fined $92,000 for losing her temper during a semifinal match at last year’s United States Open. “I think we both did at the end of the day.”
Henin rediscovered the magic that propelled her to seven Grand Slam titles. She matched shots and grit with the champion in ways Williams said she had not seen of late.
“As you saw today, she took me to the umpteenth level,” Williams said. “She clearly hasn’t, like, lost a step at all since she’s been gone. So I feel like I played a girl who’s been on the tour for the past five years without a break. I think her game is definitely better. I mean, it was excellent before she left. But, you know, I think she’s added a lot to it.”
The biggest winner perhaps was the women’s game. The last time a Grand Slam women’s final went three sets was at Wimbledon in 2006, when Henin lost to Amélie Mauresmo. Henin’s return, as well as that of her fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters, puts some heat on Williams and adds sizzle to the sport. Clijsters won the 2009 United States Open after taking time off to have a child.
Henin, 27, is seeking a career Grand Slam of her own, and will aim for it at Wimbledon this summer. In addition to 2006, she made the final there in 2001, losing to Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon winner. Serena Williams is the defending champion.
On the strength of her performance here, Henin has to be among the favorites to win her fifth French Open.
“Winning big tournaments — that’s my motivation,” Henin said, sounding much like Serena Williams.
Other players with major titles could find their way to the top of the rankings. Svetlana Kuznetsova won last year’s French Open to go with her 2004 United States Open title. And Maria Sharapova, who was upset in the first round here, has won Wimbledon and the Australian and United States Opens, and is capable of big performances.
Some intriguing talent entered the picture here when Li Na and Zheng Jie made the semifinals, the first time two Chinese players of either sex made it to a Grand Slam semifinal.
For now, however, the world’s No. 1 ranking belongs to Williams.
