Stuttgart: Justine Henin was inspired to return to tennis by Roger Federer and the decision was rewarded on Sunday when she beat Australia’s Samantha Stosur in the final of the Stuttgart indoor tournament for her first title since her comeback.

It was the Belgian’s first tournament on clay, her favoured surface, since she ended her 19-month self-imposed exile at the start of the year.

Henin won 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 to end Stosur's 11-match winning run. “When I saw Roger Federer winning the French Open (in 2009), I had a lot of respect. That brought back the fire that wasn’t there any more, ”said Henin.

A break in the fifth game was enough to give wild card entry Henin the first set against the world No. 10.

In the second game, Stosur saved break points in the third and fifth games as the Belgian threatened to walk away with the match. Instead, Henin’s serve briefly went to pieces and Stosur broke twice in a row to fight her way back into the match.

The third set was a different story as Henin pulled herself together and never looked back. (Reuters)