The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Belgians hold centrestage again

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Thursday, May 05, 2005

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Sport - Tennis

Belgians hold centrestage again

If what we desire from sport is theatre, rivalries, diversity, skill, beauty, competition, then women's tennis is almost unmatched in the professional arena. The case for unequal prize money has a fresh argument: perhaps the women deserve more.

There is fashionable muscle (Serena) and model grit (Sharapova), kinetic kids (Tatiana Golovin, 17) and pleasing pensioners (Navratilova, 48). There are heavyweight hitters (Clijsters), heavyweight grunters (take your pick) and those who literally strive just to be heavyweight (Hantuchova). There is the Williams warfare, the Belgian battle, the Russian revolution, and even a tennis player who makes more money by incredibly not playing tennis (Kournikova).

Indeed so varied is the tour's appeal that the absence early this year of two former No.1s barely even registered. But their return unquestionably has.

Sublime form

Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne are both from Belgium, under 23, coming off tough injuries (Clijsters wrist, Henin knee/virus), and staggering us with their sublime form on return, having won four of the last five WTA tournaments between them. It is about as much as they have in common.

Clijsters' first language is Flemish, Henin's French, and on court they speak dissimilar languages as well. The bruising Clijsters reminds one of an artillery regiment, the elegant Henin of a sword-brandishing cavalry.

Clijsters is tennis' most graceful woman, Henin its most graceful player. The former puts smiles on faces, the latter, using a backhand the Louvre should bid for, takes grim pleasure in wiping them off. Perhaps it is why Henin defeated Clijsters in three Grand Slam finals (French, U.S. 2003, Australian 2004).

Nevertheless, as the French Open edges closer, women's tennis is better for their presence for both have something to prove.

Henin's illness

Without demeaning the Russians who won the last three Grand Slam titles last year, their success was partially due to Henin's illness. Having won the 2004 Australian, and two of three slams before that, Henin was comfortably the best player on the planet. Then a virus grounded her. Now she wants her crown back.

Henin eats adversity for lunch and appears more intent on making history than friends. At 12 she lost her mother, at 17 she was estranged from her father, but she has not diverted from her dream. As a young player she seemed too slender for success, as if inappropriately armed with a peashooter for a gunfight. But having embraced a punishing training regime, she added muscle and wrought a stylish havoc. Of Henin's mind no questions remain, of her body's ability to take sustained punishment we shall see.

Mental flaw

Although a wrist injury derailed her, Clijsters' predicament is the reverse: muscle is not her concern, a mental flaw is, and she is in the achingly uncomfortable position of having been No.1 without a Grand Slam title, having lost four Grand Slam finals and a 2003 Australian Open semifinal against Serena when 5-1 up in the third.

If Jimmy Connors occasionally stepped deliberately on moths during matches, Clijsters would probably dial the RSPCA from court, and it is suggested there is too much smile and too little snarl in her to win a big one. As a theory it appears nonsensical, for decency and triumph are scarcely strangers, and Patrick Rafter and Stefan Edberg for all their saintly manners were not quite forgiving on Grand Slam Sunday.

For whatever reason, a faint short circuit occurs in Clijsters' brain on big final days and inconsiderate or not it has earned her the tag of choker. At press conferences she has faced such harsh queries with an amiable patience, but winning the French Open would be a particularly emphatic reply.

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