Women's world No 1 Justine Henin shrugs off comparisons to male
counterpart Roger Federer and says she is giving little thought to
her place in sporting history.
Speaking to reporters on a free day after receiving a bye into
the second round of the Zurich Open, the Belgian added that the
defense of her 2004 Olympic title would be one of her main goals
for 2008.
"It's an honor to hear that kind of compliments," Henin said
when asked about the sporting comparisons being made between her
and Federer.
"But I never like to compare myself to anyone because I just
like to do my job the best I can. I do it for myself, the people I
love, my fans - but I don't really run after being part of the
history of the sport."
Henin, 25, has dominated the women's tour this year despite a
turbulent off-court season that has included a split from her
husband and a reunion with her previously estranged family.
Since skipping the Australian Open following the breakdown of
her marriage, the Belgian has gone on to win eight titles so far
this season, adding the 2007 French and US Open titles to her total
haul of seven Grand Slams.
She also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon - the only Grand
Slam title still to elude her - and is unbeaten in 16 matches since
then.
"I've been dominating the sport for the last few months, that's
for sure but it's hard to stay at your top all the time," Henin
said on Tuesday.
"I've been playing tennis for 20 years and giving everything for
it, so I'm not going to stop now because I still have the feeling
that there is a lot I want to do."
Unlike Federer, who is just two trophies away from equaling Pete
Sampras's record of 14 Grand Slam singles titles, Henin knows that
the corresponding record in the women's game is probably far beyond
even her agile reach.
Australia's Margaret Smith Court leads the way with a seemingly
unassailable 24 Grand Slam singles titles, 11 of which were won in
the Open era.
More recently, Steffi Graf accumulated 22 Grand Slam singles
titles with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova each collecting
18.
"When you see what the greatest girls in the sport, like Martina
Navratilova and Steffi Graf, have achieved then you have to think
that nobody is going to do that again in the women's game," Henin
said.
Golden slam
"It's a great feeling to be winning a lot of Grand Slams but my
motivation is just that I love so much being on the court and
competing at the highest level."
One achievement that Henin could still match is the "Golden
Slam" requiring a player to win all four Grand Slams and the
Olympic gold medal.
To do that in one year, as Graf did in 1988, Henin will have to
defend her 2004 Olympic gold at next year's Beijing Olympics and
finally add the Wimbledon title to her long list of victories.
"That's a tough, tough goal, so let's go one step at a time,"
grinned Henin. "I will definitely be at the Olympic Games which is
one of my main goals for sure. My win in Athens was the most
beautiful experience of my career.
"As for Wimbledon, I will do everything I can to win there. For
a little girl who dreamed of winning Grand Slams it would be a
great achievement if I could win the lot.
"But if I don't do it, I won't feel any less of a champion
because there are a lot of great players who never managed to win
all four."
(China Daily via Agencies October 26, 2007)