ROGER Federer's watershed French Open triumph has been revealed as the catalyst for Justine Henin's decision to return to tennis.Henin retired 20 months ago, shocking the sport by citing a lack of motivation even though she was the undisputed world No. 1 and on the cusp of a fourth successive victory in Paris.
Now 27, Henin returns next week at the Brisbane International, keen to add to seven grand slam singles trophies and 41 titles overall.
The lithe Belgian recalls the instant thoughts of a comeback crystallised with the reality she still had unfinished business at Wimbledon, the only major to elude her.
"There was one moment when I knew my life was going to change again," she said of the men's final at Roland Garros on June 7.
"You know that little voice we all have in our heads? Mine was talking a lot that afternoon. It was telling me Roger winning the French was very special.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar. End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. But it also bothered me to see him win. It made me think how much I'd missed by not winning Wimbledon.
"It was a strange feeling, but not long after that I had the courage to put on my cap and pick up my racquet. I had not played any tennis for a year and my one friend, who saw me put on the cap, said, 'Well, I know this girl pretty well and that can only mean one thing'."
Five months on, Henin told the Daily Mail: "I know this is what I want to do and I'm excited about my comeback in Australia, but I'm a little scared, too."
Henin said she hadn't watched the women's events at the French Open.
"I feel closer to players like Roger Federer. And, of course, Roger was trying to win the only grand slam he had never won. Part of me wanted him to win but, in another way, I knew it would give me trouble mentally if he did."
Henin's off-court life is more confronting than most of her peers. She was only 12 when her mother Francoise died of cancer. She barely spoke to her father and two brothers and sister in the ensuing fallout to the tragedy.
The family has reconciled, but Henin's life was further complicated in 2007 by the separation and subsequent divorce from her husband, Pierre-Yves Hardenne, after a five-year marriage.
Heavy defeats marked the prelude to Henin's exit from tennis. "I was not happy," she told The Guardian. "I was exhausted and I just wasn't into it any more. I was no longer proud because I had lost myself in that tennis bubble."
Wimbledon is Henin's Holy Grail. "People forget that my first grand slam final was at Wimbledon when I was 19 (in 2001, when she lost to Venus Williams)," Henin said. "My grandfather died that day, but he was happy because we spoke after I beat Jennifer Capriati in the semi-finals. I was very close to him, because he was my mother's father."
Henin lost a second Wimbledon final to Amelie Mauresmo in 2006, a defeat which deeply troubled her.
For the moment, Henin is in a good place. "I've had some good feelings in Australia and I won there in 2004. Australia is a good place to start because all the players are looking for rhythm in a new year," he said.
