MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: JUSTINE HENIN FEELS SHE GREW UP

SAYINGS

“I’ve been doing the hard yards on and off the practice court. I feel as fit as I’ve ever been and I feel as strong as I’ve ever been and I’m hitting the ball well at the moment. If the body holds up then there’s no reason why I can’t give all these guys a run.” – Lleyton Hewitt.

“Fifteen inches is quite a big difference and I think it’s going to be pretty funny when we play mixed doubles.” – Melanie Oudin, who at 5-foot-6 (1.68m) teamed with 6-foot-9 (2.06m) John Isner at the Hopman Cup where they played mixed doubles.

“I’m 27 now. I just want to live my second career differently to how I did in the past. It’s been a great experience to go out of the tennis world for 18 months and to come back, because I feel I grew up.” – Justine Henin, who has ended her retirement.

“I did not play bad. But I did not play good either. I made too many mistakes. In the third set, I thought I had won but lost my concentration. I thought ‘I am playing well, now I can play like Federer does’. But after a few mistakes I realized ‘OK, I’m not Federer anymore’” – Nikolay Davydenko, after losing to David Ferrer in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.

“I don’t want to make the mistakes of the past season. I had knee problems but decided to play anyway. I had a physical problem in the last tournaments of the year. The situation prevented me from winning a title.” – Rafael Nadal, whose last tournament title came at Rome in May.

“Maybe I didn’t fill in my whereabouts in Belgium, but I got tested every two or three weeks. I didn’t fill in that I was in Australia, but I was there and I got tested. I never tested positive and I never missed a doping test. I think that is the main thing that is important. That is why they made the system, to catch the ones who test positive, and I never did.” – Yanina Wickmayer, who had a one-year ban suspended by a Belgian court and the International Tennis Federation.

“I got better and better as the season went on. I was able to bounce back and was on a roll. (Winning in) Paris and Wimbledon showed that I was unbeatable. I can do it again. That’s a good feeling to have, that I can do it again.” – Roger Federer.

STRIKING BACK

Yanina Wickmayer has begun 2010 just like she finished 2009 – by winning. Wickmayer returned to the WTA Tour at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, by downing Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-3 6-4. She won her final battle of 2009 when a Belgian civil court and the International Tennis Federation lifted a one-year ban that had been handed her by the Belgian tennis federation. Wickmayer has blamed a communication breakdown by the Belgian doping officials for her suspension. Her rise into the top 50 in 2009 brought her under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, which require elite athletes to report their whereabouts to drug testers 365 days a year. Wickmayer has never failed or missed a drug test, but said Belgian officials knew she was in Australia when they sent papers to her home in Belgium indicating she was in breach of the whereabouts rule. She has appealed her ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the European Commission and the European Court of Human Rights.

STELLAR START

It might not count in the rankings, but Rafael Nadal is off to a great start to a new season. The Spaniard won an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi by defeating Sweden’s Robin Soderling 7-6 (3) 7-5. A year ago, Nadal lost in the final to Britain’s Andy Murray. “This is a very important win for me,” Nadal said. “I’m playing my best ever on court, probably since Roland Garros last year. In a match to determine third and fourth places, Switzerland’s Roger Federer beat Spain’s David Ferrer 6-1 7-5. Federer had lost to Soderling in the semifinals.

SELECTED THE BEST

Aleksandra Wozniak has been named The Canadian Press female athlete of 2009. She became just the third tennis player to win the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award in voting by Canada’s sports editors and broadcasters. Wozniak beat out hurdler Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, speed skater Christine Nesbitt and hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser for the award named for Rosenfeld, an Olympic champion who was voted Canada’s top female athlete for the first half of the 20^th century. Carling Bassett in 1983 and 1985, and Helen Kelesi in 1989 and 1990 are the other tennis players to win the award.

SHARP SHARAPOVA

Maria Sharapova had no problems defeating an error-prone Venus Williams 6-3 6-4 in an exhibition match in Hua Hin, Thailand. Sharapova showed a solid baseline game in recording her first win over the American since 2007. “Maria played so well,” Williams said. “I was slow in my first match of the season. It’s good to be here hitting the ball.” The first set in the battle between two former world number one players took 49 minutes with the victorious Russian breaking Williams three times. The second set was on serve until the final game when Williams missed two forehands to lose the match. The heat and low sun at the beachside resort appeared to bother both players. “It’s good to be back,” Sharapova said. “I’m glad to play against Venus in my first match of the year.”

SACHA OUT, KIMIKO IN

Veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan was given a wild card entry into the ASB Classic when hometown favorite Sacha Jones sustained a stomach injury in training. The New Zealander said her missing the Auckland tournament was disappointing, but there is nothing she can do. Jones said she hopes to be fit in time for the Australian Open qualifying.

SECURITY TIGHT

The ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, had extra security, thanks to the entry of Israel’s Shahar Peer. Last year, protesters used megaphones outside the tournament, trying to disrupt Peer in her run to the quarterfinals. Tournament organizers said they hoped there would be no repeat of the protests this year.

SET FOR DOUBLES

Yuki Bhambri got over his disappointment quickly. Bhambri had hoped to get a wild card into the singles main draw at the Chennai Open, but that went to two other Indian players, Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna, and former French Open champion Carlos Moya of Spain. But Bhambri’s spirits brightened considerably when he was selected to be Moya’s doubles partner as a wild card team. “It should be exciting. I am going to have fun because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to play with a Grand Slam champion,” said Bhambri, who won the Australian Open boys singles title last year.

SITTING OUT DAVIS CUP

Andy Murray will skip Britain’s first-round Davis Cup tie against Lithuania in March so he can concentrate on winning big tournaments this year. “You’ve got to do what is right for your tennis,” Murray said. “That period of the year just before Indian Wells and Miami is very important for me. I have a lot of ranking points to defend. I’ve obviously done very well there in the past couple of years, so playing on clay away in Lithuania before traveling over the California is not the best preparation for that.” Ranked fourth in the world, Murray noted that other top players have skipped Davis Cup play. “It would be unfair to single me out,” he said. “(Roger) Federer has missed Davis Cup matches. Rafa (Nadal) has missed Davis Cup matches, as has (Novak) Djokovic, (Pete) Sampras and (Andre) Agassi. A lot better players than me have missed Davis Cup matches.” Britain has been relegated to Europe/Africa Zone Group Two, three steps below the 16 nations who actually compete for the Cup.

SITES TO SURF

Doha: www.qatartennis.org/

Brisbane: www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/

Chennai: www.aircelchennaiopen.org/

Auckland: www.asbclassic.co.nz/

Sao Paulo: www.abertosp.com.br/

Sydney: www.medibankinternational.com.au/

Auckland: www.heinekenopen.co.nz/

Hobart: www.hobartinternational.com.au/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP