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Unlike the previous time Justine Henin lost an Australian Open final, this time she walked away with reputation and pride enhanced.
The Belgian’s 2006 injury withdrawal against Amelie Mauresmo counts as one of her lowest moments in the sport, leaving many to question the Belgian’s heart and her grace in defeat.
But Saturday night’s fighting three-set loss to Serena Williams not only won her the support of tennis fans but left her with fond memories and plenty of confidence as her comeback continues.
While the unranked wildcard was disappointed that her first grand slam event for two years did not have a fairytale ending, she said it was still almost the perfect tournament.
“This feeling of disappointment cannot take (precedence over) all the things I’ve done in the last few weeks,” Henin said.
“It’s just more than what I could expect. I just have to remember that.
“Even if it’s quite soon after the match now, I’m sure there will be a lot of positive things I can think about in a few days. It’s been almost perfect.
“Just the last step, I couldn’t make it. Yeah it’s mixed feeling at the moment, but in a few hours I’m sure it’s going to be much better.”
The 27-year-old, who spent 20 months out of the sport, said already her decision to return felt justified.
“I was curious about what my level would be and how I was going to deal with just the atmosphere on and off the court, how it would feel,” the former world No.1 said.
“I felt I took the right decision, so it’s good enough for me already.
“I got the results also in the last four weeks: two finals. So I can be really happy about that.”
But the sweet-hitting Belgian said one aspect of her game that still needed fine-tuning was her ability to handle the big points, an area that Williams came out on top in the final.
“I improved a lot in that part of my game in the last few years. Now I have to probably work again on it,” she said.
“In the past, I was quite fragile when I was younger, then got really stronger in the important situations. And Serena proved again that she has it.
“But with the competition and these kind of matches, I’m sure I’ll learn a lot of things from this.
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