NASDAQ-100 OPEN

March 29, 2005

Justine Henin

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, I think it's been great fight. I mean, it was good match. It's true that the beginning of the match -- it's long time I didn't play this level so I needed a little bit of time to get used to this rhythm and everything. She was playing great in the first but I wasn't aggressive enough. Then, yeah, I saved three matchpoints, played unbelievable tennis at the end of the second set. In the third set, both of us were pretty tired. But what I did after seven months off, it's good. I mean, it's very good for the future. I showed that I'm back. I'm so happy to be back on the courts. I know I need matches, I need more competition, but it's very good for the next tournaments.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, I think so. I had the same feelings. I was feeling like before my illness. That's very good. A year ago we discovered I had this virus. Now I'm back, I played this level, I fighted a lot with the No. 3 in the world, which she's probably going to be No. 2 very soon. So that's, I mean, it's pretty amazing. I couldn't imagine before coming here in Miami that I would play at this level, and I would have signed, you know, very, very quick. I knew it was going to be hard, and I did a good job. So it's good for my confidence.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Yeah, I think today in the first set, for sure, I wasn't aggressive enough. I played a tough match yesterday, too, so I had to come back in the match. That was very hard, and I had a lot of opportunities, but then she broke me at 1-Love in the third set. That didn't help me at that time. But that was good job.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I was just trying to be more aggressive, just go little bit more to the net, take the ball a little bit earlier. But she was playing unbelievable tennis. She's covering a lot in the court. I mean, she's tall and she's powerful, so she is great player. But she's probably -- she's in great shape now, and that's my first tournament in seven months, so that's very good for me.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I'm play in Charleston on clay. I'll go back to Saddlebrook and prepare the clay court season, which is probably my favorite part of the year, so I'll try to enjoy it.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think probably I'm going to play Charleston, Warsaw and Berlin. That's right now my schedule, but we have to see how it's gonna happen. That's what I want to play before the French Open. I hope I can get a lot of matches to get in confidence and find my game on clay court. After my injury I practiced for three weeks on clay because it was better for my knee. I was feeling pretty good this surface, so I hope it's gonna be good.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: I think I can come back. What I showed this week, I mean, it's very good. Like I said, in seven months -- and in a year, it happened a lot of things. I lost a lot of confidence. First tournament I'm back, I'm playing my game. For sure I'm disappointed that I lost today because every time I go on the court, it's to win. But I have to be, you know, patient and take my time, go step by step. I think it's been big step for me this week, and I hope I can keep going this way.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: Uh-hmm.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE: It's going to be hard for Belgium. For sure, Kim and me, we don't play, so that makes it very, very complicate for Belgium, especially with the United States team. So it's, you know, they all very young, they have nothing to lose, so they will go on the court and just try to show what they can do. We all behind them. But it's going to be a very tough mission.