By Julian Linden
MELBOURNE, Jan 28 - Justine Henin has fallen in
love with tennis all over again.
Tennis was always the Belgian's first love but her devotion
to the game became so overbearing that she had to split from the
sport in 2008.
She was still at the top of her game and ranked number one
in the world but the relentless grind of playing, training and
travel had taken its toll so she just turned her back and walked
away.
"I had to forget a little about tennis and just get some air
and breathe differently," she told a news conference after
beating China's Zheng Jie 6-1 6-0 on Thursday to reach the final
of the Australian Open.
"Tennis has been my whole life (but) I think there is
something else than that. It's more than answers. It's just time
to get open to different kinds of things.
"I had different kinds of projects, I met a lot of people.
"The answer I got is that I started to trust myself much
more as a person and I realised I could exist without tennis. So
that was an important step for me."
Tennis was the last thing on Henin's mind during her break
from the game.
She began working as an ambassador for Unicef and starred in
her own reality TV show. She travelled to places she had never
been, to Cambodia and Congo, far away from the bright lights of
New York, London, Paris and Melbourne.
It was a spiritual journey that changed her entire outlook
on life.
"I just learned a lot of things and grew up," she said.
"Maybe I'm a little older, more mature because of being away
from the tour.
"I got off my bubble. It was really important for me, as I
feel more in peace now. That's important."
But as time passed, Henin realised she still missed tennis.
Not the glamour or the money but the game itself.
So she decided to make a comeback. She hit the practice
courts last year then returned to competition this month, making
the final at a warmup event in Brisbane and now in Melbourne
Park.
Her fairytale comeback has captured the imagination of
tennis fans the world over but Henin admits she was unsure about
how she would feel about returning to the court and dealing with
cooker-pressure atmosphere of grand slam tennis.
Regardless of whether she wins Saturday's final against
Serena Williams or not, she has rediscovered her passion and is
loving every minute of it.
"It is a privilege," she said. "At 27 years old, to get all
these experiences is just fantastic.
"I think being an athlete, sport is the best school of life.
I learned a lot of things, how to push my limits, to get the
determination, to know that things are hard when you want to do
it.
"I'm still very proud of what I'm doing. That's a good
thing."
(Editing by Sonia Oxley; To query or comment on this story
email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)