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WIMBLEDON


June 27, 2001


Justine Henin


WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It looked at a point out there that you were in severe danger of going out.

JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, I think that I'm happy that I am still in the tournament now, and, you know, sometimes it's like that. Today maybe I was a little bit tired. I play against a grass court player. So it was difficult to find my game, and I think it was 7-5, 4-1 and break point against me. So now, yeah, I'm happy that I'm still in the tournament.

Q. Is this a little bit of a reversal from what happened in the French Open where you were in control of the match and then --?

JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, it's different. It's also, you know, I am happy to win a match like that. You know, when you win the match but when it's 6-love, 6-1, okay, you happy. But it's different victory today. In the French I had to win and I lost. Today, maybe it was different. So it's nice also to be in this situation and to go to the third round. That's the best important for me.

Q. I also wanted to ask, you said at the French that you were going to have to take some time to think about that switch and I was wondering if today helped you?

JUSTINE HENIN: I took only two days of break after the French because I had to do my preparation for the grass, and I had to play Rosmalen. After that, I had a great motivation to go far away and to practice and to work, so I didn't have really the time to think about that. But I think today I won a difficult match, and that's for me the best important.

Q. Do you change your mental approach to the game after Paris? If so, did that help you today?

JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, for sure. I think it helped me because today maybe I had to lose this match, I didn't think that I could win when it was 4-1 in the second. And I think, yeah, I change a little bit my mentality. I try to be more positive. Today was difficult, I think. I was a little bit tired and I play a lot of matches in the last weeks, so I think that's normal that in a match you have -- you be down. So I think that's normal. But that help me today to win this match in the third for sure. It's also important for me that I win in three set, I think. That's for the confidence, it's good.

Q. You indicated in Rosmalen that you do have a game that can be successful on grass. Do you like the surface, and do you think you can go on to achieve even greater things?

JUSTINE HENIN: I like the surface. I think I have a good game to play on grass, and I try to be aggressive. But when you're a little bit tired, it's difficult to go to the net and to -- I think that today Boogert played also a good match and she was really aggressive on her serve and returns. I think, yeah, I won in three sets today but I can still say that I am a player to play on grass court.

Q. Wimbledon produces a lot of money for tennis in this country. The women's game is in a bad way, all the women are out already in the singles. How do you think it is that a comparatively small country such as Belgium can produce such players as you and Kim?

JUSTINE HENIN: I think it's like that. We had two great champions with Dominique and Sabine. We have a good Federation that help us, good mentality also. We want a lot of victories, and we work very hard. We want a lot of things. So now to have two young players in the Top 10, it's unbelievable for a country like Belgium. I think that maybe we'll never have players like us in the top. I hope - I hope that there will be, but it's difficult sometimes.

Q. Did you have to travel quite a lot, the pair of you, to play international tennis when you were younger?

JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, I had to travel a lot. I came in England a lot when I was young. You have to play in the world, so I had to travel. And my Federation paid everything for me, so the Federation helped me a lot.

Q. We, in America, are known for our lack of knowledge of European languages and geography. Could you tell us a little bit about your region?

JUSTINE HENIN: What do you want to tell you? It's a fantastic region. I love it. It's not the city, I don't live in the city. I don't like the city. So it's the country. And when I want to go to home, I have woods and everything. So that's good.

Q. What about the people in the area aren't really that friendly with the Flemish, and the Dutch and the Belgians aren't actually pals. Can you talk about that?

JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, I think it's different mentality from American people. I think maybe it's more like in Canada, Belgian people are very friendly. Flemish or French part, I think for me it's the same.

Q. The draw's opening up a little bit with Martina's defeat. Does her loss give you extra incentive or encouragement?

JUSTINE HENIN: Nothing, no. I think I have difficult match today and I will have another one in two days, so I try to be focused on the next one. And, you know, if Hingis lost, the other players play well also. So I don't think about that at this time.

Q. You mentioned that other game in two days. It's Lisa Raymond. Will you have to change your tactics to cope with her?

JUSTINE HENIN: I will have to play better tennis. I think I will have to play good game to win against Lisa Raymond. I think it was good today to play a grass court player, against Boogert, because Raymond play a little bit like her, so she will do a lot of serve and volley and she has a good return. She is playing well on grass. She was in the quarters last year, so it's another match and we're gonna see what's gonna happen. I have to play a good match and be aggressive and do my game.

Q. Is Wimbledon on TV in Belgium the whole fortnight?

JUSTINE HENIN: Yep.

Q. One channel?

JUSTINE HENIN: Yep.

Q. What do you find hardest about playing on grass?

JUSTINE HENIN: It's very fast, I think. More in Wimbledon than maybe in Rosmalen. Rosmalen, it was very slow. Here, it's faster. So you know when the other player is playing very aggressive and fast, it's difficult to have a good defence. We play two or three shots, and sometimes it's difficult.

End of FastScripts….

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