A few days before the 1st day of the Aussie Open we all glanced at the draw to see where Justine Henin and Serena Williams were placed, and I know I dont speak for myself when I say that. The fact that they were on opposite sides made it difficult to wish for the two to meet in the final, considering the depth of the women's game, but looking back, I don't know why I ever picked against them. First, Serena is Serena. She'll punish a few aces, cross the opposite end as her opponent on the changeover, give a few looks of death, and then punish a few returns. It doesn't matter if she's fighting a match point, or if it's the 1st point of the match. The tenacity of Serena is unmatched in tennis, and quite possibly, in sports. Victoria Azarenka found that out in their quarterfinal, as Serena was seemingly inept until she was down a set and 4-0. From that point on, we recieved a classic Serena performance, The kind that reminds you that this girl came from nothing, had nothing, and endured everything. The kind of performance that makes us happy to be a tennis fan, a Serena fan.
Now, on to Justine Henin. After being away from the game for almost 2 years, the Belgian has come back as smart as ever, as fast as ever, and as good as ever. Henin version 2.0 you could call it. She had some trouble early on, but continued her pursuit with a smile on her face and nothing to lose. Oh, and how could we forget that beautiful backhand that clearly never left. Henin's grace and variety set her apart from the rest of the WTA. Her grit is right up there with Williams, and her 5'5 frame somehow manages to outserve the best of them. The American leads their head-to-head 7-6, but that seems regardless. As Serena said in her presser, "It'll come down to who wants it more."
Prediction: Williams in 3
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