Henin-Hardenne doesn’t think she has played ‘perfect tennis’

Justine Henin-Hardenne has endured so many injuries and illnesses during her career it is always a surprise to see her arriving on court by foot rather than by stretcher. But just recently the Belgian has been enjoying an untypical run of perfect health, and has capitalised on it by winning 23 matches in-a-row.

The most recent took place on the centre court at Roland Garros Thursday, and carried her into her second French Open final. Henin-Hardenne, seeded No. 10 here, beat Nadia Petrova, the Russian seventh seed, 6-2, 6-3, barely breaking sweat in the process.

Nor did she break anything else, which given her record is just as well? Since her first appearance on tour, she has suffered from injuries to her ankles, wrist, fingers and toes ? not to mention bronchitis, flu, hypoglycemia and a fractured knee. She is a tremendous tennis player, but a medical insurer’s nightmare.

Despite all these problems, Henin-Hardenne has achieved much in her career. She celebrated her 23rd birthday on Tuesday, yet has already won here, at the Australian and US Opens, and twice been a semi-finalist at Wimbledon. This, though, is the tournament that means most to her.

“I was saying to my coach and husband before coming here, if I had only one more Grand Slam final, I wish it would be here,” Henin-Hardenne said after her match. “This one is very special.”

With luck Saturday’s final, pitching her against local favourite Mary Pierce, will be special. But it would be hard to describe Thursday’s semi-final as such, with Petrova seeming to have sent along her non-tennis-playing twin.

The fact that the Russian, who has never won a ranking tournament, was the highest seed left here tells a sad story about the women’s game. It is in a bit of a muddle at present, with the Williams sisters off the boil, the Belgians (Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters) injury-prone and, further down, a legion of Russians yet to prove their credentials.

Petrova is an imposing figure, six inches taller than her slight opponent, but Thursday she was never able to dominate. Henin-Hardenne may be small, but she has one of the fastest serves in the women’s game, and her stature means that the ball skids low and is difficult to return.

She was never at her best Thursday, but she seems to reserve that for more challenging opponents. Against Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova, in Tuesday’s quarter final, she was majestic. Thursday she barely needed top gear, her fabulous backhand a weapon against which Petrova had no answer.

“I don’t think I have played perfect tennis,” Henin-Hardenne admitted. “I think I made some mistakes, but I made a lot of winners and I’ve been aggressive and patient when I had to.”

Petrova, 22, found it hard to draw positives from her second Grand Slam semi-final (she lost at this stage here in 2003). She emphasised her very good first serve, although Henin-Hardenne was able to whack the ball pretty much wherever she wanted.

“She was really going for her shots, keeping me in trouble,” Petrova said. “She didn’t give me time to adjust or change things. She was just making winners and making me run.”

That is the Henin-Hardenne way, and she is developing new techniques. Her serve is strong and her backhand a byword for beauty and power, but Thursday she unveiled a new move ? the “inside out” forehand, where she steps around a ball that might more normally be played with her backhand.

Henin-Hardenne’s 23rd birthday party was apparently a quiet affair, but since she has now gone 23 games unbeaten, the number appears to suit her well. A 24th victory would distort the symmetry somewhat, but you sense she wouldn’t mind too much.