The Hindu : Sport : Henin can go on and win: Petrova

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Wednesday, Jan 27, 2010
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Henin can go on and win: Petrova

MELBOURNE: Nadia Petrova has a unique perspective on the recent comebacks of the once-retired Belgian champions Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, having defeated one and lost to the other at this year’s Australian Open.

Petrova’s run to the quarterfinals included victories over two reigning Grand Slam champions: U.S. Open titlist Clijsters and Roland Garros winner Svetlana Kuznetsova.

But she tips her hat to Henin, who defeated her on Tuesday and has now won 13 of their 15 matches — all but two of them before Henin retired in May 2008. Returning to the tour this month, seven-time major winner Henin is unseeded and unranked in Melbourne but has already advanced to the semis.

Petrova acknowledged the changes in Henin’s style, saying she was much more aggressive.

“She’s playing closer to the line, she tries to take time from you,” Petrova said. “She really tries to rip the ball. She doesn’t stick into long rallies like as she used to, to really run everybody. She really tries to go for the winners.”

Petrova said Henin’s game was much more varied than that of Clijsters. Petrova crushed Clijsters 6-0, 6-1 in the third round here, the Belgian’s worst defeat. Clijsters, who took two years off to get married and have a baby, returned to tennis last year and won the U.S. Open in her third tournament back. Petrova had lost all four of her matches against Clijsters but, until last week, hadn’t played her since her comeback. “Justine is a little bit different compared to Kim,” Petrova said. “The variety of game she has — that one-handed backhand, the slice, you know, with her you really have to mix it up much more than against Kim...You never know what’s coming.”

The 19th-seeded Russian can see Henin taking the Australian Open title in Melbourne.

“She has a good shot,” Petrova said. “She has a really good round in the semifinals. Whoever she’s gonna face in the final, I’m sure she has a good shot at it.”

The Woodies honoured

Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde — the most successful doubles combination in tennis history — say their induction into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame is the greatest honour of their careers. The pair — nicknamed the Woodies — won 11 Grand Slam titles, 61 ATP doubles titles and gold and silver Olympic medals in their nine years together, starting in 1991 and ending at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, where they took home the silver.

“It’s such an incredible honour and probably equal, if not better, than winning the Wimbledons and the Olympics,” Woodforde said. “I think it just reflects back about how well you succeeded in the sport.”

Bronze busts of the pair were to be unveiled before the night session Tuesday, which is Australia Day, and will be installed in the Garden Square alongside other Australian tennis greats. — AP

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