http://www.henin-hardenne.be/bin/index.asp?lang=en Surprising Myself 26/01/2006: Justine defeated Maria Sharapova 4-6 6-1 6-4 in a match that will no doubt enter the list of classic matches played at Australian Open. She's delighted, and even a bit surprised about how her return to the tour has turned out. How would you summarize your match today? "I think it was a great match. That's the only thing I can say 'cause it's been very intense physically and mentally. Maria, she played a great match the best I've seen her play since a long time. I think it was great. I was dominating the first set and then on my serve I lost a little bit of aggressivity. I was too far from my baseline, and she could take the first set. Then I tried to change that in the second set, so it made the big difference that I was just staying on my baseline, instead of being three meters behind my baseline. It was tough, very intense, even in the third set. But very happy the way it ended." Was there any aspect of your game that pleased you most? "I think that generally I can be very happy with the way I played. I'm very proud of myself because I never, you know ?? I kept fighting during the whole match, even the points were very long. I run like probably I never ran in the past on the tennis court. It's been very hard for me physically, but I could handle it and be stronger at the end." Was it difficult playing Maria today? "I think that today she was very solid, very consistent. She was hitting the ball very hard and she was covering the court pretty good. And the fact that she played very smart in the first set, because I was a little bit too far from my baseline and she wasn't going for the winners all the time. So when I was trying to mix it up, my game a little bit, she wasn't in the rush and she could make the point longer, and I didn't expect that at all." Tell us about your great relationship with coach Carlos. He's contributed a lot to you? "I think that it's pretty amazing because after almost ten years we still have so much respect for each other. I feel like he's teaching me something new every day. So especially mentally, I think he helps me to be stronger and believe in myself. There is a great confidence between us. We know each other almost perfectly. And that's great to have this kind of relationship. For me, it's so much important because I need to have people, you know, around me and feel their support. And Carlos is giving me a great support in this tournament, like he always did. So we talk a lot, we have great communication. That's very good after almost ten years that we can keep talking a lot." Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you didn't have Carlos? "I never thought about that 'cause I wish we could ?? I wish I can do my whole career with him, for sure. That's gonna be the goal. I think he's gonna be behind me for still a couple of more years, and that's a great story, too." Are you surprised to be in the finals? You came to Australia to get matches under your belt? "I was surprising myself for sure, 'cause when I arrived here I was coming to play a couple of matches and get my confidence back. When I see what I could do during this whole tournament, I think it's just great to come back this way. I think not all the players are doing that. I'm pretty happy about that. It's been tough for me to be injured for such a long time, and then coming back in my first Grand Slam, being again in the final, I think it's just an amazing feeling and I really enjoy that right now." Is there any added significance? You weren't able to defend your title last year? "I think I had maybe little bit of revenge to come here. I hope I can do it on Saturday because I didn't lose a match in Australia in 2004, and didn't lose yet any match here this year. I hope I can keep going this way. I love this tournament, and it's a lot of good memories, so I hope I can do it again." Justine will play Amelie Mauresmo in the finals. Check back for more information, and details about Justine, and her big day out on Rod Laver Arena this Saturday January 28, right here only at www.henin-hardenne.be --

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