Spotlight stays firmly on timid and reserved Justine

JUSTINE Henins travels through Congo and Cambodia didnt begin as a spiritual journey but ultimately set her on the path back to tennis....

Justine Henins travels through Congo and Cambodia didnt begin as a spiritual journey but ultimately set her on the path back to tennis. Now that she has returned,Henin says she recalls images of those travels daily: the African baby who took her hand and wouldnt let go,the Congolese girl who pleaded,Take me back with you to Belgium, the children who delighted at seeing their faces in her digital camera.

At 27,Henin speaks of her life as having a before and an after. Her first career was what came before May 2008,when the seven-time Grand Slam winner jolted the tennis world by retiring while ranked No.1.

And theres her second career, which is off to a stunning start. Henin advanced Tuesday to the semi-finals of the Australian Open,her second tournament out of retirement,beating Russias Nadia Petrova 7-6 3 7-5. She mesmerised the crowd with her sublime one-handed backhand,her amazing speed and endless determination. There is little doubt,that she has a renewed passion for the sport,which she started as a child prodigy but was slowly suffocating her.

Tennis took everything

I had so much inside me that I couldnt express because there was my tennis,and it took everything. It took everything out of me. I didnt know myself enough anymore, Henin said in an interview. Im so happy that I stopped playing tennis two years ago. For me,these two years were the richest years in my existence,because I think it marked my passage to adulthood. Indeed,Henin has changed and matured. She was always introspective and spoke from her heart but was also guarded and tense.

She once described herself as the oldest 24-year-old on the planet.

Now I feel like a young 27, said Henin,who is much quicker to smile.

Seated in the players lounge at Melbourne Park,Henin spoke passionately in her native French about her work abroad as a UNICEF ambassador and other projects at home that included a reality TV show called,The 12 Labors of Justine Henin, in which she undertook a different challenge for each episode. What interested me was the aspect of the challenge, she said. It was to do things,nobody thought I could do. I did comedy,I sang,I played football with star Belgian football players.

Story continues below this ad

Its a paradox. Im very timid and very reserved,but I chose a career that puts me in the spotlight, she laughed. So there must be a part of me that needs that. Its about finding equilibrium. AP

Zheng draws on experience

Zheng Jie was overawed during her first grand slam semi-final at Wimbledon two years ago but after making her second at the Australian Open on Tuesday she feels capable of winning the title.

The diminutive 26-year-old became Chinas first Grand Slam semi-finalist at the All-England Club in 2008,a feat that shocked the world and marked another milestone in the countrys rapid improvement. I feel a bit calmer than the last time I made a semi-final, said Zheng,after thrashing unseeded Russian Maria Kirilenko 6-1 6-3 to set up a clash against Henin.

At Wimbledon,I didnt have enough confidence. I didnt have that must-win attitude8230; I didnt think it was possible for me to make the last four and meet the best players. Now,its different,its not like last time where I was ugh,I dont know what to do,but Ill just do it. Now,I feel like whoever makes the last four has a chance of winning it.