2005 French Open News
By Eleanor Preston | June 04, 2005
Henin-Hardenne Pierces French Hopes
 Tennis has a habit of creating comeback stories and yesterday
Justine Henin-Hardenne created one of her own by winning
the French Open title with a 6-1, 6-1 rout of Mary Pierce.
Although, just twelve months earlier Henin had been so
ill that she could barely get off the couch.
Henin-Hardenne's fourth career grand slam was arguably
her most surprising, given that it came after a 2004 season
blighted by a debilitating bout of mononucleosis. "This
is a big satisfaction for me" she said. "It's
been a difficult time for me with a lot of questions and
now I have an answer. I didn't know if I was ever going
to get back to my best level again. I think I've proved
in the last few weeks, with the matches that I've won,
that I am back."
She dominated the women's game during 2003, when she was
undisputed World No.1 and racked up three grand slams in
eight months, and now admits that she worked so hard that
she burned herself out and left herself vulnerable to the
virus that could have cut short her career. Her doctors
and physios have decreed that she should not play more
than three weeks in a row, so much so that she will head
to Wimbledon without grass court practice after choosing
to miss the traditional warm-up at Eastbourne.
"It's not just about the illness it's also about
burn-out," she said. "For a long time I worked
and worked every week and never had time to rest and I'm
glad because it brought me success, but I am not very big
and I am not very strong and now I have to be careful.
My fitness trainer (Pat Etcheberry) and my doctors do not
want me to make the same mistakes again."
Henin-Hardenne will at least take a 24-match winning streak
to Wimbledon, the only grand slam she hasn't yet won, and
the knowledge that she is still capable of being the player
she was before the illness struck.
 "This is a big satisfaction for me," she said. "It's
been a difficult time for me with a lot of questions and
now I have an answer. I didn't know if I was ever going
to get back to my best level again. I think I've proved
in the last few weeks, with the matches that I've won that
I am back."
While she celebrated a second Roland Garros title, Pierce,
having been humiliated in front of her home crowd, could
do nothing but sob uncontrollably at her own disappointment.
At 30 she knows she may not have many chances left to add
to the 1995 Australian Open and 2000 French Open titles
and while she has proved that she still has much to offer
the women's game, Henin-Hardenne was simply too good.
America's Bryan Brothers narrowly missed out on picking
up their second Roland Garros title on Saturday. The twins,
who won the Parisian grand slam doubles trophy in 2003,
lost 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 to Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi in
a rain-delayed final.
Bryans, like Pierce, ended up being little more than supporting
players as Henin-Hardenne once more stepped into the spotlight.
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