Allez Justine!

I predict either one cause it will come down to a few keys
Serena-injuries/tired and her serve
if she's not tired or injured and her serve is on then she will win it

but if she's off and tired then justine it will get it

but even a tired not 100% serena is dangerous

and we don't know how henin will react playing in the final, how is she phyically?
so we it can go either one, it will depend on the ladies and what they bring to the final sat, still will be a great final.

I want: Serena in 3, her matches are always up to her, she's on and justine doesn't have a chance

Serena has largely been losing the rallies in her most recent matches, against weaker players than Henin. If Li Na had kept the unforced errors down she might have won in straights. Before the quarters I wouldn't have given Henin much chance in the final but now I think it will largely come down to how well she serves. If she can serve well and keep Serena from winning rallies on the return then I think Justine will win. She's got a stronger ground game and should be in better shape at this point.

So....will Justine cheat like she has all tournament in the final too by having her coach signal her telling her what to do whenever she's in trouble??? Its against the rules, hence its illegal...hence SHE's A CHEATER!!

I can't believe AO is letting her and her coach get away with it. Pathetic!

If Serena is on her A game, then I dont think that Henin will have a chance. Now Henin is a really tough player and has a strong game, but when Serena is On, she is On. I wish both players the best on luck and can't wait to see the match. I do wish though that Serena would pull out of the doubles so that she can get the proper rest that her body will need to go against Henin.

The fact that it will be harder to win a slam now that 2 former number 1 players have return, is one reason Why I would like Serena to win the AO. It will be an
all out fight this year . Even if Serena looses she will not lose too many points.

If all the superTeens thought it was hard to break through before, it will be
dern near impossible now. Remember they made all their advancements while Kim &
Justine were gone. So now they will have less of a chance to get thru.
Go Serena make history!

Serena was tired last night from playing back to back game and also a double. Henin was well rested so that is why her score was higher. I respect serena so much. Althought she was tired she went on to win both games. That is what a true champion does. She and and V also won the double. They are on their way for a single and double title. I do not have anything against henin I think she is a great player, but I just prefer serena. You guys needs to stop the hate of the tennis players who you do not know anything about. Too many people hate serena, and they know nothing about her. She is one of the greatest female player of all time.

It's interesting how this site always focuses on Henin's losses, though she was in a major physical an mental slump in 2008, having trouble in every event, losing to people llke Schiavone, but you ignore that Henin has a 4-2 H2H against Serena in slams, incluing the last three in a row. When she was healthy, in 2007, she blew out everyone, yet I rea articles here how she is "vulnerable to large players" (which is nearly the entire top 20), that Zheng (who serves at 80 mph on her FIRST serve is going to beat Henin, that she is constantly coache, without a scintilla of evience pointing to any specific facts. Carlos raises his fists an that's "coaching", but if Oracine raises her hans, that's concern for Serena. TV has the same hate of Henin that I see here, as well as the constant focus on her losses, instea of her wins. I've been reaing this stuff for four years an it never changes. Serena an the other QF players playe total cupcakes until the quarters, but once they ran into an actual player with talent, they struggle. Enough is enough. This match is on Henin's racquet, unless Serena serves absolutely lights out. Also, enough with this "physical" nonsense. Neither player has any serious problem. As for fatigue, the men play far more tennis, an females have as much enurance as men, if they train. I seem to recall several tens of thousans of women running marathons. The anti-Henin atmosphere from this site is reaching new highs. It's frankly sickening.

Bob, stop the hate. she does even know you exist. you getting upset over nothing. relax. we stressing ourselves, and these player are living a life of luxury and you getting yourself upset over people who don't even know you., ha ha ha

All the slams want the sisters and other high profile players to participate in double but they need to have a better schedule if they want them to participate, it's too much for a player to keep up. I have no clue how Serena is doing it, i would have pulled out of double and get the rest she will need for the single final, but i'm guessing she feels capable, if not, i doubt she will be playing. This won't be a good single final physically for serena while her opponent is super rested but it not justine's fault.

If Serena wins this one, it will only show the champion she's.

Henin is great but she can chocke, her first final coming back and first final vs serena and we don't know how she will hold up in a tough match, serena can depend on her serve and get free points.

i'm sorry but i cant watch it live, i will have a heart attack lol, i will record it and only watch it if Serena wins it.

Sue: Now an then, we have to have a reality check, an look at how the press treats players, particularly Henin. That's all I'm posting. It really goes over the top here, in the face of a remarkable comeback effort by the player with the most beautiful female game in history.

Yes, there's 100% chance Justine will cheat in the final.

Bob...i think Justine's game is BEAUTIFUL!! She's amazing as a player and i dont question her wins.

BUT.....if you have been watching AO 2010 this past week you will see her coach is clearly giving her signals. ALL the ESPN commentators talk about it...but they just laugh. Even on Tuesday Azarenka was asking her box to speak louder so she could hear what they were saying....its sad...but the WTA or AO isn't doing anything about it. Is just plain wrong. You dont break the rules....

So yeah...when Carlos clearly signals her (which even ESPN acknowledges is happening and even i as simple viewer can see happening) it pisses me off...b/c i know Justine is BETTER than that.

well, i blame both carlos and justine for the coaching. carlos should know better and if he's going to do it, he should not be so careless..lol..he doens't even hide it anymore, he just go ahead and do it...and if justine will knows better, she will tell carlos to stop doing it cause it's hurting her reputation or to do it less obvious..it's just wrong and there are rules that said it shouldn't be done but i guess it's justine comeback story that matter and the wta or anyone is doing nada. shame on them. I wont be shocked if in the future something else come out of the relationship between carlos/justine(affair), i'm just saying cause i have never seen a top player who is so great to depend so much on her coach, justine doesn't do anything without getting approval of carlos, she's like in life support and need him to breathe, i mean, we all need support but they go too far. but hey, if they can keep doing it, winning and getting away with it then why not..still dead wrong

i predict if Serena plays the best to her best, which means serves aces and aces. Hits winners off of her backhand, and winners off of her forehand. And then wins at the net time after time,she's going to win. If not then, she's off and tired, and she's got those bandages to remind us all she is hurt. Wait what if Justine plays her A game, you know like the she did in beating serena at the french, Wimbledon, and u.s. open? No way, if Justine wins serena was hurting, and if serena wins, well that is what should be. Justine can't ever serve at 60% and hit winners off of her forehand and backhand, and come to the net, and run down balls. Nope, can't happen, wait didn't serena just get beaten at the last grand slam, and couldn't take even a set off of kim? So if Justine wins it's not that she is better, because in her first tennis life, she never actually beat serena, so she sure isn't ever going to be better in 2.0

even if juju loses,she's not gonna be deterred by it for it is only her second tournament in her second career!! She's only gonna improve in the weeks to come!! Allez Juju!!!

And plz stop talking shitty things about Juju!She's one of the best ever!!

...And Oracene yells: "get out of Melbourne" to Serena. And Serena maybe "feigns" being injured -is this cheating, disinformation? When Oracene touches her sunglasses, is this a signal? Does her team have an elborate baseball-style signal system worked out? Half the women have ongoing conversations in russion, polish, or chech -is this cheating? Cheating that could really change the outcome of a match? Doubtful. But if it's Carlos and Justine -the great threat to the intergrity of tennis, then of course, it's cheating. Puh-Lease. You want to ignore fault faults, but a signal to step into the court, drink something or eat a banana is cheating. Nope, not buying it. Just let 'em play. Coach, yell, scream from the side lines the this lame speculation ends.

Daryl

Nobody is saying Justine cannot beat Serena when she's playing well. She had an amazing 2007, and beat Serena three times. The thing is we have never seen both players at their best at the same time. So we don't know how that would stack up. Everyone is always going on about Serena's resolve, which is nothing short of steely, but maybe she is afraid of playing Henin too so that could have a factor. People take it for granted, but even Serena Williams gets nervous. However, the perspective you almost have to take is that she is pretty hard to beat when she's playing her best, because we haven't seen it happen much.

BillyBob,

The reason everyone is so chagrined by Justine's actions is because she is such a great champion. Her coach CLEARLY signaled which direction she should move in for a serve against Petrova. She couldn't read that herself???? That is particularly egregious because reading the serve is one of the most integral parts of adjusting in a match. And yes, much of the WTA receives coaching. It's abhorrent, and it is certainly NOT an excuse for Justine to do it, especially having 7 slams in her bag.

History at stake Serena:
A Henin win would raise the question: Who is the REAL number one?
last year, Serena said that Safina wasn't, and she was. If she loses at another consecutive slam to a come-back Belgian, that could mean that she was only the replacement number 1, when the real ones were out of the game. I cannot imagine Serena accepting this

Anon,

So you're saying Carlos can predict what serve Petrova or any other opponent is going to make and he get that message to Justine before it happens. That's very impressive on his part, but somewhat distracting right beofre a serve. He could maybe indicate move right for a slice, but that's about it. That the same as Oracene yelling "get out of Melburne" -it just means move in. I would hardly call it egregious in either case.

Me
"Nobody is saying Justine cannot beat Serena when she's playing well." I respectfully disagree. Plenty of people have and do. Cliff D. last night was the first this time to say it. "It's all in Serena's hands." I would like to find a time when Pete or any of the announcers on tv from the u.s. have ever said going in to a match it's justines to win or lose against serena? Even on clay at the french 2007, it was if serena serves, she is going to win. I understand that if serena serves, ace after ace, she can win. Look at what Petrova did to Kim, but isn't that just someone playing in the zone. If Serena searves at her usual level, which is very good, and I assume she has at some point in her head to head with justine, Henin is still going to be able to compete. It just seems to me that Justine has lost matches in grand slams(Sharapova, Meressmo, venus, serena) but when has justine ever really gotten full credit for beating serena. Not in french 2003(she cheated), or any of the 2007 matches(serena wasn't healthy)

No, what CliffD and others say is that when Serena is at her BEST she is practically unbeaten. The reason they say this is that when Serena is playing at that level, an opponent feels like there is nothing they can do except compete well and hope her level comes down. On the other hand, whenever Serena lost to Justine, there is no doubt she was not playing her best, and thus the match always FEELS like it's in her hands. That's not to say when she plays WELL Henin can't beat her, because she has. I think what everyone is really trying to say is that Serena's highest point is higher than Justine's. But tennis matches aren't played at highest points, they are played in the here and now. And in the here and now, Justine has been quite close (7-6) to being better than Serena.
As for the excuses, I think everyone has bought the hype Serena gives herself. It's almost like she established a reputation, then she magnified it herself, and now it becomes a self fulfilling prophesy because everyone takes it for granted to be true. (As an analogy to this, think of how Michael Jackson's people dictated he be called The King of Pop. He wouldn't give an interview unless the press called him that and before long, it stuck and it started to ring true.)

Reading a serve means being able to determine the opponent's trends in certain situations e.g. on break points Nadia tended to go down the T. Up to that point, there had been no indication that Justine had noticed that. But once Carlos motioned to her, she leaned in that direction a lot more and viola, her BP conversion was much better. That makes a big difference in a match, because I have watched several women's matches where a player is not really able to get a read on what the opponent's trends are even though they are clear to everyone watching. Justine tends to go down the lowest part of the net a lot these days and if Serena can't tell that, but her mother motions her to move more in that direction, you don't think that won't make a difference?

blah blah blah and more blah blah...
The reality is that nobody can be Serena at her best, not even justine, most players can be beaten even when they're playing at best, that's not the case when it comes to serena. Find me any time Serena lost when she was at her best? Serena at her best can't be beaten, and she still win when she's half her best cause she's a fighter and never give up, i can't recall how many matches serena walked away from unless she was half dead in the court and that's what champion do, they fight till the end.

justine better pray serena is off, tired, injured and not her best cause if serena plays like she played the last set and half against Azarenka, then justine will not win and i guess she can get even at the french, the only place where justine has a chance to even beat serena when serena is at her best.

P.S. Daryl, to illuminate this, I remember after USO2007, Serena's father kept circling rumours about how Serena had some issue that was really substantial and it was a wonder she even played the open. Next thing you know the gossip sites are claiming she's pregnant. And so now whenever Serena loses (or is outplayed as with Victoria Azarenka match), everyone expects injury related discussions, or about how something mysterious is happening. It's really smart by her camp to do that, because it keeps her aura alive and as we saw in the Quarter-finals, sometimes all you need is aura when the tennis racquet isn't enough.

Carlos an most coaches give encouragement all the time. (my key between C an E isn't working) If it's coaching, then we' see specific repeate gestures an Henin oing specific things afterwars. We never see that. ESPN is more anti-Henin than anyone. In the 2007 USO, they show Carlos in a close-up, where he looks about five feet away. He's talking in a normal voice. McEnroe claims that he's telling Henin what to o, when in fact she's about 150 feet away at the other en of the court, an Carlos is just a istant face in the mass of people. That was an amazing contention. Note also how they almost never focus on other coaches, even though we can clearly see that the player is having an actual conversation with them. They only focus on Henin. Clearly the facts are there. They can tape him an see if he repeats certain gestures, an what Henin oes afterwars, but they refuse to o this. They'll show him an he'll be pumping his fists or raising his han in encouragement, an that's automatically coaching. The rules are in place. The events have the technology to eal with coaching. It wouln't surprise me if now an then he suggests something, just as many other coaches o. Henin never took avantage of the permitte coaching in numerous events. If coaching was important to her, she' have one some of that.

The much more serious problems are the time violations. We have a clear rule that it's 25 secons. Why isn't there a time clock, as we have in every other sport, which the server can see an which isappears when the serve is hit? This is a basic rule of tennis, as is the rule that the returner will play at the server's pace, but they simply an totally ignore it, something unimaginable in football or basketball. If the player wants to waste time thinking about a challenge, then he's using that time. We nee to spee up the game. The Sharapova-Kirelenko match was so slow that I think everyone was bore. Either change the rules or enforce them. These are not matters of jugment. They are written rules an very clear. This constant toweling off has become riiculous. That's why they have wrist an hea bans. Most of us have playe tennis an that's all we nee. This is just a elay tactic most of the time. Henin uses her shirt. I never saw so many towels in my life. The towel expense must be astronomical. I think they ha to start selling them to avoi cutting the prize money. These are no longer just towels. They are security blankets.

It oesn't take a brain trust to recor signals an break any "coe" an o something about it. Absent such objective evience, I'm tire of hearing about it, an the contention that a player can hear a coach speaking in a normal voice from 150 feet away among 20,000 cheering fans is so silly that is says nothing about Henin, an everything about ESPN.

It wouln't bother me if the tournaments put cameras on coaches an impose sanctions for coaching. They simply on't care, which we clearly see as most players look at their box before many challenges. One also woners who is suppose to be watching this. The Umpire certainly oesn't have the time, even if (s)he can see the coach, an certainly can't hear him unless he shouts. Unlike the time rule, this is very subjective, but they coul at least vieo coaches over a series of matches, an give warnings an sanctions if it was clear that certain signals were being given. Frankly, most of the signals I've seen, from Carlos an others, are simply encouragement, from my point of view, an the refusal of ESPN to focus on any coach except Carlos is clearly bias. Recor him an other coaches consistently, an stuy the gestures an play, or they shoul shut up about it.

Me,

That's an interesting point you make about Serena selling her own hype and having it work against the other girls on tour. It's almost like an unchallenged statement:
"No one can beat Serena Williams at her best". Well what is Serena Williams at her best? AO07? 09? How many times in total have we seen that Serena? 4, 5 times? So the statement may be true, but the reality is that Serena comes out so rarely that what difference does it make? I also believe that Safin at his best was better than Federer. But who's going down as the best player ever? Not Safin, I can you that.

I hope that Serena can move well and pull out the win in the final. Henin is an amazingly talented and determined player with a compelling story, but I just haven't been able to get behind her since the "incident" at the 2003 French. Maybe I shouldn't hold a grudge about it, but her actions and "not my responsibility" responses really turned me off. Go Serena!

Go Justine! The real world No.1!!!

A Henin vs. Williams final for the AO is the stuff of dreams and hope it lives up to the expectations. Queen Justine is marvelous to watch. Serena's power and ferocity is unmatched on the WTA. This should be a match worth taping for the ages.

Serena hit many deep penetrating shots into the corners against Li Na, but didn't move forward to hit the volley. Justine will move forward unlike Li Na after a deep shot, and actively seek to put the point away with a volley. This will help her win points on Serena's serve when she returns it. Justine's ground strokes don't have the depth and pace of Li Na, so they will not throw Serena off balance as much.

If Serena's movement is hampered, Justine will win. Justine also has the ability to block back Serena's serve rendering it not as powerful a weapon. It would be interesting to see Serena's aces, service winners and 1st serve points won in the previous Henin matches. Serena will wallop Justine's serve, and expect to see many double faults from Henin.

If Serena is 100% she's the favorite, but she needs to move forward to put away points. Justine, the Moxy Lady, needs to protect her serve to have a chance.

As for who will win, I on't know. Serena has the clear avantage on the serve, an Henin has the clear avantage once the ball is in play. Both are great uner pressure. Henin has the best return game in tennis, but she's not at all consistent on her serve, an nees a few more tournaments. Frankly, it might come own to Henin's serve, rather than the strengths of the players. Her lack of consistency has been a weakness. At 5-5 against Petrova, she was only serving at 29%. Her secon serve is not very attackable, but uner slam final pressure she coul have problems if she serves much less than 50%, an fins herself constantly hitting secon serves. I give her a slight ege, but it will epen on who is playing better that night.

"On the other hand, whenever Serena lost to Justine, there is no doubt she was not playing her best" I think this is where we differ. Can it be that if Justine plays at her best, she is in total control? In the years between 2003 and 2007 Henin was the number one for many weeks. In 2003 the u.s.open,french,and 2004 champion, she she held three titles out of the four. Beleive me living in the u.s. Pete and the rest of the gang still continued to say it is in serena's hands. Look back at the best players, evert maratina graff hingus monica, etc. Whenever they were the number one player,they were considered to be the one to have the outcome in control. So why is that whenever justine lost to serena there is no doubt she was not playing her best? How come for the first time in tennis history the best player at the time, isn't really the best player? I think Justine's best in those years were better than serena's best. But for some reason here in the states it was impossible for Justine to just be better than serena, even though justine in 2007 kept beating her. Maybe this year serena will be better than henin, but it never occurred to pete and the boys that it ever was the other way around.

When I am at my best I hit nothing but aces and return winners, and nobody can beat me.

What? Just because everytime I've played I haven't been at my best, doesn't mean the above statement isn't true.

::rolls eyes::

Bob, just to make it easier to read your posts perhaps you could put an un_erscore where the d is suppose_ to be. Just a thought!

I agree with Daryl.
Serena was definitely the better player in 2001- 2003, but Justine was definitely better in the second part of the decade. I am not a fan of either's personality, but clearly they are both great players with different weapons.

Neither of these players have anything to prove. They have ominate women's tennis for almost ten years, along with Venus on grass. The final will prove nothing except who is the better player that night. That's what makes the final so enticing; but putting importance on it (other than the normal importance of winning a slam) is unjustifiable. It's only Henin's secon event since she came back, an both of them are certifiable champions who have proven it against everyone in all circumstances.

Well Bob, in winning 7 majors, Henin has had to defeat:
Kim (3X) -- not exactly the paragon of championship material
Mary Pierce -- also not going down as a great
Sveta (2x) -- headcase
Safina -- yeah, as I was saying

While there are some multiple grand slam winners in there, the pedigree is rather different than some of the players Serena has beaten in her finals, so I think Justine would want to win this one, just to prove she can beat a player of that calibre in the finals of a slam. Because Kim hadn't won a slam when she beat her, Pierce was way past her prime, and Sveta and Safina are not known for mental fortitude in finals. This is big for Henin.

oh dear, whoa, i didn't even realized who henin has beaten in finals at majors, i see your point..and that's exactly what i said earlier(without knowing the facts you just posted) that who knows how henin will react in a final vs. serena

However, let me mention that Justine has beaten great players en route to the finals of those majors so those majors were hard fought, just not in the finals. Her losses are as follows:

Venus (W01)
Mauresmo (AO06 and W06)
Sharapova (USO 06).

Did I miss any?

I still love Serena long time!

oh dear
In winning those titles she also beat serena, french 2003, us open2007, and venus 2007, us open. In pointing out who justine beat, who else is there except serena and venus left. so doesn't that mean serena more or less had to beat those awful people too?

I did mention that in my 2:51 post. She did the majority of her magnificent work before the final because she often beat the greats before the finals. As for her record in finals, once she wins the first set, she pretty much wins the match.

Well, what you forgot to mention was that in winning 7 majors, Henin defeated Serena multiple times EN ROUTE to the final. She doesn't have anything to "prove." She's already beaten players of that calibre. And regardless of whether her opponents are going down as great or not, they clearly were good enough to defeat everyone else to get to the final during THAT major. Are you expecting Henin to be able to pick who she plays in her finals, so people like you won't try to hold it against her?

I love the players listed as having poor pedigree:

Svety Kuznetsova won 2 slams, lost 2 slam finals, so far
Kim Clijsters won 2 slams, lost 4 slam finals, so far
Dinara Safina lost 3 slams, so far
Mary Pierce 2 slams lost 4 slam finals, retired, I think

Hmmm... at least 3 of those look like they're on the Hall of Fame bubble, or soon to be in. Does a slam only count as a worthy victory if the final is against a Williams sister?

Regardless of signs and signals from coaches are helping or not, this is not LEGAL! I really think the ATP and WTA should enforce the rule. Why don't move the coaches further away from the players? One thing that attracts me about tennis is how one can faces the tides of adversity and still comes through...or not. It showcases the mental strength of a particular person, or lack of. I always associates Justine as the female Nadal (not the Nadal now), so I don't understand why her coach has to signal her to do these things? People who claim eating a banana is nothing, should know better. Little things usually turn a match upside-down. If I'm Justine, I would tell him to stop immediately. It makes me feel that this is the same old Justine (personality-wise) as before. Also, TSN always bash the Williams sister, and Mary Carillo always has praise for Justine EnA (lol).

When Hénin is at her best, she'd easily beat Serena anytime.

Bob you must be inlove with henin, get over it. please I feel sorry for you. get a life.

Who has more grand slam title, serena or henin. Think about that. Just enjoy the sport of tennis and stop being bitter people. These people do not know none of you. Keep your energy for your family and kids. Lives the life of being a good person before them and stop all the hate about tennis player that we do not know.

Wow serena is looking alot slimmer without the old bodysuits. Why havent the young new guns taken over already? It seems that an old big serena and an old federer keep dominating. Where are all the new tennis stars to take over these aging relics?

One can only watch the same people win over and over and over so many times before it gets boring and you wonder where is all the talent around the world?

Can a 29 nine year old big woman really be the best that the womens game has to offer?

I hope not and i hope it changes soon with fresh new athlete skinny talent instead of old, seems to be out of shape but wins everytime, serena.

Serena has been the prime beneficiary of Justine's absence (3 more slams). There's gonna be some high drama in this match.

"I also believe that Safin at his best was better than Federer."

That's a good one. I guess Safin was at his best only 2 out of the 11 matches they played.

Has Serena been subjected to a gender test yet? That's a monster of a person out playing aganst the ladies.

i wish JUstin HENIN will win and crush Serena william in the same way like KIM hammered her in US open 2009

Go Serena go! Get the doubles and the singles. You ARE #1. No hatred towards Henin. I just love Serena! and with Rafa gone the men's side is just not the same. Go Federer!

Serena is the best womens player because she is as big and strong as a man, and this allows her to hit with more deception and power. It is not her fault that nobody can beat her. In this contest between Justine the Cheater and Serena the Screaming Psychopath, I'm not going to watch but I hope that Serena loses it again and clocks Justine not with a forehand, but with a right hook to the temple which knocks Henin out cold.

bob, i'm enjoying your d-less posts...! don't change a thing!

Vamos Serena!

I don't hate Henin or Serena as people, but I hate Henin's brazen violation of the coaching rules and her bush league gamesmanship as much as I hate Serena's screaming to distract her opponent on every shot when she gets behind. It all boils down to a lack of sportsmanship and integrity by Henin, Serena, and many other women players who also scream. It's one reason I enjoy watching the men play instead.

Hey Me,

what hype does Serena want us to buy? Should we buy her hype about about being able to come from match point down over and over again to win majors? Or should we buy the hype about the 11 majors and multiple double majors she own? Should we buy the hype about the gold medals? Which hype were you writing about?

Who Henin beat in the slam finals is irrelevant. She went through all the top players to get to those finals. I on't recall her ever having a cake raw, though years ago I really on't remember. What we o know is that all the others in the quarters this year ha total cupcakes all the way to the quarters, an I think Henin's tough raw helpe her consistency on her grounstrokes, her return, an her ability to play against pace uner pressure, so necessity may have quickene her return to terrific form. Also, Kim is one of the most talente players in history. She won 34 titles by the age of 23 against a very eep fiel, an mae some slam finals, an went eep into most of them. She kept running into Henin in slams, or she might have won several more. When she was 16 she was serving for the match against Serena at the USO, in the thir or fourth roun, the first year Serena won it, an was serving against Serena for the match when Serena won an AO. She an Henin (an all the greats) isplaye their greatness very early. Kim was only 18 by a few ays when she beat Henin in the semis an lost a great final to Capriati at the 2001 FO. Henin was barely 19 then, an took Venus to three sets at Wimbleon. We've not seen that kin of talent from players for years. Sharapova was the last one, 6 years ago at 17, winning Wimbleon. Since then we've seen no new potential greats, though we have some angerous young players. Henin was serving for the match at 16 or so against avenport at RG. The commentators regar 20 year ols as young with amazing potential, but all the greats showe their stuff before they were 20, getting to finals or winning slams while beating the very top players on the way. If you haven't gotten to a slam final by 21, an beaten some top players, you're not going to be a great player, as a matter of history, almost without exception. You can be one of the top players, but not one of the great players with several slams. That's still holing true. Ivanovic an Kuz each won RG while Henin an Kim were gone, an Henin's retirement left a musical chairs of #1s, since she was so far ahea of everyone in the rankings, but that will be tougher now. I keep seeing tall young women who seem to have potential, but they seem to plateau at about 19-20, an while angerous, they on't have what it takes to win slams an play consistently. Henin will be the last small player to be a great, an the last one-hane backhan. There are only about 3 or 4 one-hane backhans in the top 50, I think, in the women's game. I can remember when Connors burst onto the scene with his two hane backhan. I starte playing that way immeiately, an it really helpe my game. It's much easier, which is why everyone uses it, but for a player who has power an timing, the one hane backhan is more versatile, an a more beautiful shot, an also permits much better volleying.

I kind of agree with most of the posters on here. I would much rather have seen Azarenka make it to the final and take the title (she was playing terrifically) or Petrova backup her demolition of Kim CLijsters and make a run for the title or at least the final (still just disgusted that she mentally caved to Henin). These would have been heart warming stories.

As it is, we have Justine and Serena, the two best players of the past decade. Is it odd that we perceive them as not all that likeable personalities? I personally find Federer extremely arrogant, but having praise heaped on you day in and day out will do that - regardless, you almost never hear criticism of anything he does. Maybe not - some people on these boards seem to dislike Nadal's unrepentent physicality and warrior like disposition, personally I think it's great.

Seems to harken to the old adage that nice guys finish last. I myself am a self taught 5.0 player who runs a lot of balls down and spends most matches counterpunching. I've found that having that rock solid belief 'it's NOT over, I AM going to win this match' gets you through a lot of situations, even when you're down match point. Serena, Justine and Roger all have this mentality.

I guess my biggest surprise is how many superbly talented players got to the top of the tennis world w/o having that belief.

This is Serena's challenge. She's got to stay away from those long winded rallies. Then, too, Henin's strategy is to keep her running by hitting from side to side. Serena's had a busy time from day one Down Under, so here's hoping that she's not overly fatigued going into the final. And what is true about this final is that it'll provide an excitement level no other coupling could provide. It's then to the credit of the tennis authorities that they didn't jump on the dump Serena bandwagon. Believe me, this final is good for tennis and business. Come to think about it so was the semifinal between Serena and Li Na. China went bonkers, with millions of viewers. The East is rising again, and this can only mean good business for tennis.

I would hardly call the end of Li's run "anticlimactic." It's true that her classic problem with nerves got the best of her in the tiebreakers, but for the other games, she was spot-on. It was nice to see this really good player have a big stage to show off her game. If she can continue to work on the nerves problem, more people will get a chance to see what an excellent tennis player she is.

I figured Serena had this title, but then I saw the changes in Henin's game. If forced to make a prediction, I would now say Henin.

IIs Carlos coaching Justine during a match? What it the topic of the violation of coaching. Who is making this issue? I am in Europe following matches of Henin on TV. No one talk about the nonsense here. I don't see those coaching and signals, and that Henin tries to read those. I bet her eyes and ears are not that good. Any coaches speak or make some comments with trainers or their teams between points.... It is normal, isn’t it? Then players can hear what their coaches are talking about? If so, those players must train very well for their hearing then. How does it possible? You should try to do when you play in a match. In real and in science, it is very impossible to hear voices and even getting signals of their coaching in the distances. Players take some glances to their coaches and try to get some confidence. It is totally common to see during any matches. I really don't understand, there in USA, they overact too much on those things. It’s a big laugh. I am very disappointed that Tennis.com tries to make a big deal out of (what?) with ESPN--which people watch over there, I assume. Isn’t it a real violation? I am getting sick of those same issues and blah, blah, blah over there.
You know, those days, computer graphics are so advance that they can make anything they want to show. That's a bad thing of media. Also people tend to believe what the media try to make stories about of any matters.
About 2003 French Open, we have a DVD archive, there was no evidence that Henin raised her hand when Williams set her service motion, while it was half second before William tossed a ball. Yeah, they could make images as if Henin did at the moment. They could mimic it easily in several seconds by computer.
I want to say here, if you are really a tennis fan or a sports fan. Why don't you believe your own eyes at each moment? You evaluate those by yourself. Then appreciate what they are doing in front of your eyes. I guess, that is what Serena Williams and Justine Henin are looking for from you, tennis lovers. They are spiritually far ahead. Both will be rare players after several years. Now, you are seeing so gracious things that won't repeat again eventually!

Serena and Justine are both good players. Justine will win the final because her body is rested and Serena is still playing in the double final. If Serena was only playing in the single match I would give the win to Serena.

The article petered out before what I assumed would be the punchline: if Henin wins it reopens the possibility that she, rather than Serena, will ultimately prove to be the greatest female player of her generation. She would only be three grand slams behind, and she is a year younger.

Here's an unusual stat. The fastest serve hit in this AO by a woman was 204 kph (126.76 mph)by Na Li, who only average 155 kph against Serena, but sure came up with something that one time. Henin averaged 105.6/90.1 on her serves in the semis, while Serena average 106.9/85.12 mph on her serves, so overall Henin serves faster than Serena, both serves consiere. What she oesn't have is the percentage or placement.

It'll be Henin!

You Serena fans are all idiots. Have any off you been watching the tennis??? Serena has clearly struggled in her last 2 matches against moderate opposition. Azarenka had her on toast and if that was henin...game over. Wickmayer had been playing clearly the best aggressive tennis in the tournament, with minimal unforced errors for the match against Henin but Henin still got through. She would have beaten Serena on that performance even on her good day. Henin lost 1 game in the semi and although fairly weak opposition, was a sign this is her tournament.

Well, it has certainly been interesting reading these posts. I guess I come down on the side of the it's in Serena's hands folks. What people like Bob do not understand is the ultimately vulnerability of the beautiful game to the powerful game. Although I prefer Serena as a person, I fully admit that Justine has a much more beautiful (and versatile) game. But, just like Federer, she is vulnerable to a consistently deployed power game. She has no answer to that. This notwithstanding the wins over Serena in '07. Any Serena fan who watched those matches (and I watched and RECALL EVERY ONE) should recall my tremendous frustration at watching Serena trying to rally and massage the ball against Justine. Well, a) that's not Serena's game; and b) that's certainly NOT the way you beat Justine. And to all those who question why many of us put this, as every, match on Serena's racket, it's simple. Consistent power beats beautiful every time. And if Serena is able to consistently bring her power (serve, return, forehand), to Bob and others I (and every known professional commentator) say, neither Justine, or any other player to have ever played the game has a chance. But here's the caveat. Whereas being off somewhat might work against other players, it will not work against Henin. If Serena is off just a little with her power game, she will surely lose. If Serena plays too passive or tentative, she will surely lose. If Justine plays lights out and Serena is even slightly gimpy, she will surely lose. Ultimately, there's much room for her to lose. But if she brings the totality of her arsenal, then, Bob, Justine has no chance. It is that simple because NO WOMAN has ever possessed the raw power and consistent ability to deploy it that Serena has. And, once again, consistent power beats a beautiful game every time.

@Alex,

Us Serena fans are not idiots. What we see is a trait you HATERS do not, namely, that there have been few such fighters in the history of the game. It's a beautiful trait and one that has allowed Serena to win many matches over opponents who were playing better. Pity you for neither getting nor appreciating this FACT. And also pity you for not understanding the cardinal rule of tennis in the 21st C.: A CONSISTENTLY DEPLOYED POWER GAME BEATS A BEAUTIFUL GAME EVERY TIME. The only possible exception to this rule would be the case of a power player who cannot really move; but that's not really the case with Serena is it? She's no Davenport (who, because of severe movement limitations represents an exception to the aforementioned rule).

@Alex,

Us Serena fans are not idiots. What we see is a trait you HATERS do not, namely, that there have been few such fighters in the history of the game. It's a beautiful trait and one that has allowed Serena to win many matches over opponents who were playing better. Pity you for neither getting nor appreciating this FACT. And also pity you for not understanding the cardinal rule of tennis in the 21st C.: A CONSISTENTLY DEPLOYED POWER GAME BEATS A BEAUTIFUL GAME EVERY TIME. The only possible exception to this rule would be the case of a power player who cannot really move; but that's not really the case with Serena is it? She's no Davenport (who, because of severe movement limitations represents an exception to the aforementioned rule).

it is very bothersome to continuously hear about how Serena and Henin are the best players of the decade. I would rank Henin at #3 regardless of how many slams she wins because she simply can't compare to the success of the Williams sisters. Venus CLEARLY has had a better career than Henin, especially on paper. Henin was able to amass slams and dominate at a time when the Williamses were in a state of flux, dealing with personal tragedy and injuries. If either V or S were into the mix from 04-06 consistently Henin would have half as many, if not less, slams then she has now. Why do commentators and writers always discredit the achievement and accomplishments of Venus while praising Henin, Clijsters, Sharapova, and others? Venus has made more grand slam final appearances than any woman playing except Serena, and I believe they are even. Venus has more prize money, titles (singles, doubles, mixed) than any active player, other than....SERENA. Did I mention olympic GOLD's (plural, not singular). Justine is good but definately not in the class of Venus or Serena. No doubt when people sit back and take a true look at achievements and accomplishments on and off the court Venus and Serena are in a class of their own. How many other players can say they would have twice as many major titles if they did not lose to their sister? NONE. The way I see it, for every title either Venus or Serena captured against each other in grandslam finals, it is basically the same as winning the title, minus the trophy and accolades. There is no doubt that if Venus had played anyone else in those finals she would have prevailed easily because the Venus you get in a major final, is far different from the Venus you can get in the early stages of a tournament. By the way Venus cleans Henin's clock way more easily and frequently than Serena holding a 7-2 H2H. So get it right because Venus is the more accomplished player both on the court and off.

Nah! I'm done with Serena... Can't get by the US Open tantrum! If any of us pulled a stunt like that at our place of work we'd be out on our ass! I've chosen to boycot any match she's involved with.

datruth: Calling Henin the no.2 player of the decade refers to womens singles. For you to say that womens singles grand slam titles don't mean much unless they are accomplished against the Williams sisters makes you sound delusional. The truth is the last thing you are interested in which why your name here is comical.

datruth, you speak the truth. venus indeed has a more stellar record than henin, esp. on paper. try to compare the two on the following criteria and see:

# of slams won (singles) - venus
# of olympic gold medals won - venus
# of of slams won (doubles) - venus
# slams won (mixed) - venus
most consecutive matches won - venus

# of tour titles - tied
record grand slam wins - tied (one is the queen of clay, the other the queen of grass)

# wta year-end championships won - henin
# of year-end no.1 ranking - henin
# of weeks at no.1 - henin

um, what other criteria did i leave out? anyway, look at the areas where henin leads venus. what does it say?

Datruth,

That's an interesting point you make that Venus may go down in history higher than Henin. Why do people put Henin higher than Serena? Is it because she has a more beautiful game? Do doubles championships count in deciding who's better than whom? They currently have the same number of majors, so why is Henin touted over Venus? ( I think maybe Venus also has more non-GS titles, but IDK)

ooops, sorry. they have the same singles slam count. i forgot to edit it.

Doubles has nothing to do with calling Henin the no. 2 player of the decade. The subject is womens singles, obviously, and doubles has nothing to do with it. Personally I don't care whether the cheater or the screamer is considered number 2 in the decade, I just don't like to see statements here which are blatently dishonest and false.

I have been a player (hacker) and have watched tennis for decades. I can't stand to watch any player who screams at the top of her lungs every time she hits the ball because the real purpose is to distract the opponent, and this converts the game from tennis to screamball, an entirley different sport.

If Henin is better than Venus from a singles perspective then why is their H2H 7-2 venus? Bottom line...Venus has had the better career overall, Justine had the better career from 04-06. VENUS has LONGEVITY, justine...well the book is still out on her....and your a fool to think that doubles/mixed GS titles are not a part of how CHAMPIONS are considered on the scale of greatness. Otherwise, they wouldn't constantly remind us of Navratilovas 59 GS's all of which CERTAINLY were not in singles. I'm of the belief that if Clijsters wasnt such a nut job during crunch time, she would be the superior player to Henin. On this circuit and in this decade Henin is clearly behind more than just venus and serena, but because of her mental fortitude she can get a slight bump ahead of clijsters but only a slight one. How bout this venus/serena are tied for #1 by circumstance alone, then comes JH and the rest of the pack from 3 on down (with two #1's there is no number 2 just like in doubles, oh my bad doubles doesn't count). BTW Justine will NOT win Wimbledon this year or any year there after, she is just not that good when it comes to big babe grass court tennis. Hopefully she doens't try to pull a Harding on the WS to get what she so desperately desires. The AO is out of the question too.

maybe people here got introduced to tennis post-2003 that's why they only remember henin's amazing 2007 dominance. they have not seen venus when she was reigning supreme, between 2000-2002. and amazingly, after 15 years since she first turned pro, venus williams is still among the contenders in slams, never mind that commentators mistakingly write her off too often.

correction....venus will go down in history as the better player than henin, and henin makes noise too when playing. if you want to rationalize your ignorance on the strength that someone grunts you should probably keep your comments to yourself. Nothing i said was false just a matter of perspective. and if you read my posting i steer clear of name calling and petty ignorance which you are obviously incapable of doing.

I think there is an incentive to say Henin is the 2nd best in the decade in order to hype the match and to hype womens tennis in general. Sice Venus and Henin are now still playing, the issue is still open. After they both retire the real debating can begin. If they each have the same number of singles slam titles, then I would call them even in womens singles right now.

Sarnka,

OK if we use women's singles as the metric, then how do you figure Justine comes out on top? Is it that she has spent more time at #1? Davenport also spent more time at #1 than Venus...would you put her ahead in this decade too? If we just use singles, why would you place Henin above Venus?

Well if they're tied for Singles crowns, why can't we use the doubles as a tie breaker. Especially if a player wins doubles and singles in the same slam. Isn't that more dominant and thus they are ranked higher than someone who has the same slam but never did double duty?

In womens singles Venus and Henin are virtually even because they have the same number of grand slam titles. If Henin finishes with more GS singles titles then she will be considered to have had the better career in singles. In overall tennis, I agree Venus is ahead because of her doubles. There is a lot of money involved in hyping tennis matches, and now calling Henin a clear no. 2 in the decade now is part of the hype.

Datruth: 2 false or misleading statements you have made are: 1)You said that womens GS titles don't mean as much if they are not accomplished against a Williams sister. This is 100% false. 2)You said that screaming at the top of your lungs is the same as "making noise" and this is also false for 2 reasons: A)Merely "Making noise" has no effect on the quality of your opponents play, while screaming distracts your opponent on each shot and drags the opponent's game down to the point which can be decisive in a match. B)The purpose of merely "making noise" is timing of your own stroke. The purpose of screaming is to distract your opponent. Screamball is not only annoying to watch, but it is a sport where success is determined in large measure by how effectively you can scream. What kind of a stupid game is that?

For me it is not so much the scream that's annoying...it's the timing of it. And so in my books, the biggest offenders are (in that order)

1) Azarenka (she's still screaming when her opponent hits the ball)
2) Sharapova (the decibel level aside, the scream is prolonged enough such that her opponent's timing may be affected)
3) Venus (it's sporadic. You get used to playing in silence and then all of a sudden it comes high and furious)

I don't actually think Serena's is that bad although it's loud. I think it's because she at least uses the lower registers of her voice so that it's not shrill. However, she needs to stop that 'grunt only when the match gets tight' thing. It must be off-putting to an opponent.

For me screaming ruins the sport of tennis because it actually determines who the winner will be!! Also it is inherently annoying and is blatently poor sportsmanship. Of the players I have seen the top 3 screamers are: Sharapova, Venus, Serena. I am aware there must be others but since I don't watch screamball, I'm not sure who they may be.

Um, I agree that screaming is annoying, but I have to disagree on it determining who the winner is. These women are professional athletes, and I doubt that someone loses a match because their opponent was grunting/shrieking, especially if they've done it before. It's REALLY annoying, but I doubt the reason Serena Williams has 11 grand slams is because she grunts. The same is true of Sharapova and Venus.

I have been saying for years that screaming affects the outcome significantly because it distracts the opponent on every shot, and increases their reaction time slightly. Now that Martina Navratilova has said the same thing, people are forced to acknowledge it.

We know that in pro tennis disguising your shot can be decisive in any match. Screaming is just another way to disguise your shot same as high racquet speed, short swing, and extreme grips are.

When Monika Seles returned to tennis, she stopped screaming but found that she could not win, so she went back to screaming her lungs out and had some success. For her screaming mad the difference between winning and losing at that point in her career.

Grunting is part of the sport. It is a natural reaction that isn't always easy to control. If you can truly play, grunting is no big deal. In fact, I wish more players did it. Henin, no matter how pretty her game (though IMO, it's only the backhand that's particularly nice...the rest is so so) has cheated in the past and has violated the coaching rule in this tournament. Serena is a champion and will certainly go down as one of the great women in history to play this sport. I forgive her for the meltdown. It was a release of frustration for all the times bad calls have been made against her (incidences which have been documented on camera) and no one stood up or said anything. Deny if you want to but Justine did hold up her hand thus making her one of the biggest liars and unsportsmanlike players in the history of women's tennis (right next to Capriati). I really do hope Serena is up to par physically and can must the enough strength to crush Justine.

learn to read ...i NEVER said you have to beat a williams to really win a major. What I said was....You could theoretically say Venus has one the grandslam in singles because in each major final she lost to her SISTER. You can say what you want about that statement but 99 out of 100 times is Venus had played any other player in those finals, hands down she'd have 14+ majors. you wanted me to say you had to beat a WS in a slam final in order to be legit because that is apparently what you think on a subconscious level....If Justine is so great then she should either be able to a) deal with the grunting or b) if you cant beat em, join em.

Screaming at the top of your lungs on every shot is not just a natural reaction. A sport where success is determined in significant measure by how effectively you distract your opponent by screaming is a very stupid game compared to tennis.

Henin is not superior compared to Serena. But I wish her to win over 100% fit Serena in the final.....

datruth: It makes no difference whom you beat to win a grand slam singles title. You are still making the false statement that Venus deserves to have more slam titles, or that her slam titles are more valuable because she played her sister.

At this point in womens singles, Henin and Venus are virtually tied with identical grand slam titles. To say Henin is a clear no. 2 in the decade is false, and to say Venus is a clear number 2 in the decade is also false. Henin is being dishonestly hyped by the media to make money.