When the going gets tough...

I've tried to be a Justine Henin-Hardenne fan, I really have. It seems like it would be an easy thing to do, rooting for a tiny Belgian woman who saw that success over the new generation of female power hitters would only come through hard work and sheer determination, and then actually made it happen.

So when she retired from her Australian Open final against Amelie Mauresmo, I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Surely someone who's shown an ability to win big matches on willpower alone -- her back-to-back wins over Jennifer Capriati and Kim Clijsters at the 2003 U.S. Open being a paramount example -- wouldn't quit such an important match unless she had good, and painful, reason.

Then I caught her post-match press conference and I knew I could never be a fan of this woman again. Henin-Hardenne was self-centered, petulant and oblivious. Her reason for quitting really kept coming back to the fact that she knew she couldn't win, so why bother playing on? It was all about her -- not about the fans, the tournament or her opponent. She couldn't extend even a modicum of true acknowledgement to Mauresmo, who was playing beautiful tennis that night (and for the whole tournament). What's worse, she and her coach spent the days leading up to the final declaring she was feeling better than she had in years, but in the press conference she suddenly declared that she had been sick for at least two days.

She also said her stomach ache issues had nothing to do with the viral infection that knocked her out for much of 2004.

Hilariously, while providing commentary for the next day's men's final where a cramping Marcos Baghdatis soldiered through to the end, Dick Enberg slipped in an observation that the "ailing" Henin-Hardenne had not only made it through the trophy presentation, but was spotted leaving the tournament site ably carrying both of her big tennis bags without assistance.

I'm glad the tennis world for the most part has immediately declared that Mauresmo deserves the recognition of her first Grand Slam victory without reservation. I'm a bigger fan of her now than ever before. But as for Henin-Hardenne, now it's as easy to give up on her as it is was for her to give up on us.

Comments

[Jack]

My shock derives more from her personality obviously being quite different than I thought. Poutiness and ungraciousness are an unattractive combo. One or the other might be fun for entertainment value, but together both will be poison for endorsements, thankfully.
Keifer's behavior borders on mental illness. F**king craziness I can more easily forgive and possibly root for than Justine's meltdown.

[Mike]

I agree -- I used to be a J H-H fan...ok, fan is too strong a word, but I admired her competitiveness and talent. Now I don't care if she ever plays another WTA match again! She really should be embarrassed by her behavior.