http://0rz.tw/532JD Joy and pain for Henin By Clive White Last Updated: 10:43pm BST 23/06/2007 Not unlike a lot of players, indeed most players, Justine Henin finds the change from clay to grass a tricky one to negotiate, not least because it comes after the exhausting marathon known as Roland Garros. Although she has twice made the final at Wimbledon, it's been more a case of staggering towards the finishing line rather than arriving there raring to go. Her success in the French Open, which she has won four years out of the last five, has been both her joy - and as far as Wimbledon is concerned - her pain. Now, reunited with her family after a seven-year feud, the world's No 1 player feels mentally and physically in better shape than ever to win the one Grand Slam title that has eluded her. "This year the French hasn't been as hard for me, physically and mentally," she said. "I didn't push myself too far." That pronouncement was made before Friday's draw which set her on a collision course - and a rematch -with Serena Williams in the quarter-finals, but that won't have made the slightest difference to this feisty, classical player. When you have been through what Henin has in her life, the powerful, daunting frame of the American facing her on the opposite side of the net is nothing to fear. As the little Belgian told the Sunday Telegraph: "When I want something pretty strong I usually get it." The question is, how badly does she want it? The way she has managed to put the trauma of her separation from her husband, Pierre-Yves Hardenne, last December behind her is a testimony to her fierce determination to succeed against whatever life happens to throw at her. In her case, that has involved the death of her mother Francoise with intestinal cancer when she was 12 and the break-up of her family. She also suffered a serious virus three years ago which threatened her career and almost certainly cost her another French Open title. Oddly enough, she puts her sharp recovery in form this year down to last year's Wimbledon final which she lost to Amelie Mauresmo after going a set up. "Everything more or less started here [in England],'' she said. "I started to play a different game, also on hard court and clay. It was very important that I move forward a little bit more on the court and be more aggressive. Now I'm not scared of going to the net. My serve has had its ups and downs but it's getting better." Henin, one sometimes thinks, thrives in adversity. She's a very emotional person. Having her brothers and sisters with her again was a powerful motivating force for her at Roland Garros. Her father Jose watched at home on television. "I just wanted the victory so much for them, but I just saw it as a positive thing. It gave me so much force, so much energy. I had a tough first week, a lot of pressure. As soon as my match against Serena came [also in the quarter-finals], I was so happy to be there, every point was important to me and I wanted the other players to know it.'' It's well documented that the reunification with her family came after her brother David had been involved in a serious car crash, but she hasn't until now revealed too many of the details. "I was just back from the Laureus awards in Barcelona when my sister left me a message to go to the hospital before it was too late - now he's fine," she said. "I saw my two brothers and my little sister at the hospital and then my father two days later somewhere else. And yeah, it was great from the first few minutes. It's tough after seven years and then after 15 minutes it's been like we had never stopped seeing each other." She had had to miss the Australian Open in January because of her separation and didn't rejoin the Sony Ericsson WTA tour until February, having not played in three months. Talking about the separation is still hard for her. "I just had to find a good balance, keep everything under control and it's not easy for a woman of 25 years of age. It's a lot of things to deal with. "That gives you so much power when you can take a decision and move forwards. When you take a decision, you always think it's for the best but only time tells you whether it is. I was pretty confident from the beginning of the year but I was still a little bit surprised how I could forget about this and just get focused on my tennis. I was just so happy and that helped me to have a good game on the court." Tennis is supposed to be an individual sport but as far as Henin is concerned it's a team one - for herself and her coach for the last 11 years, Carlos Rodriguez. During the French Open final he gave her three little letters to read, two tactical and one "very personal". Her poor opponent Ana Ivanovic must have felt very alone. "I couldn't see myself on the Tour without Carlos," she said. "He's part of my life and my career. And I've done this [achieve what she has in tennis] because we're a team, so I'm not alone on the court. I need someone, I'm like that. "We've had our ups and downs but we always maintain communication and respect for one another. Sometimes I see players and coaches but there is no respect in their relationship. I understand every time he's pretty tough with me he wants me to be happy and to move forward and take responsibility in my life. I have a feeling that every day he's teaching me something new. He knows me so well, like no one else probably. I enjoy my life on the Tour because he is with me." www.telegraph.co.uk/cwhite --

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