Brisbane hoping for Clijsters v Henin

Published: 4:28AM Tuesday December 29, 2009 Source: AAP

  • Print this article
  • Text size + -

Justine Henin jets into Brisbane for her highly-anticipated comeback tournament which holds the added carrot of a dream clash with compatriot Kim Clijsters.
  
The former world No.1's official return will begin at the Brisbane International next Monday, with a first-round encounter at Pat Rafter Arena to be televised around the world.
  
Henin will know the stature of her opponent on Saturday when the WTA conduct the draw of the 32-strong women's field which also includes fellow former top-ranked players Clijsters and Ana Ivanovic, plus Australians Jelena Dokic and Alicia Molik.
  
Clijsters set an extremely high bar for Belgian comeback queens when she took out the US Open in August but Brisbane tournament organiser Steve Ayles expects Henin to be close to the player who stood atop of the game when she retired 20 months ago.
  
Ayles has no control over Saturday's draw but is crossing his fingers the cards fall correctly for the Belgians to be on either side as a potential final would capture a massive international audience.
  
"I'd love to see Henin and Clijsters in separate halves of the draw," he said.
  
"Obviously there are a lot of good players in this event.
  
"They're all going to test Henin and Clijsters but it will be a great outcome if that happens, if they both got through."
  
Clijsters, as well as men's top seed Andy Roddick, will follow Henin into Brisbane this week, while Serbian star Ivanovic has been preparing on the Sunshine Coast for the past month.
  
A seven-time grand slam title winner, Henin has said she's excited and scared at the same time about her return.
  
"She's fairly cautious in what she's been saying and what she expects from the Australian summer," Ayles said.
  
"But she's one of those players, she left the game at the top, she was No.1 and I don't think she will accept nothing less than coming back and playing the same as when she left.
  
"It's not as easy as that but nevertheless I think she will be playing pretty well here.
  
"I won't be surprised at all to see Henin win a few matches here."
  
The tournament is unlikely to have another top-20 woman added as a late inclusion for Russian star Dinara Safina who this month withdrew with a back injury.
  
But rising Australians Jason Kubler, Carsten Ball and Bernard Tomic are expected to receive men's wildcards.

  • Print this article
  • Text size + -
  • more...

Tennis News

Most Popular

  1. McCullum inspires Nethula to bounce back
  2. All Blacks clean up at Halbergs watch
  3. Parra replaces Yachvili for Ireland game
  4. Pearce takes charge as England mull successor
  5. Evra and Suarez set for showdown

rssLatest News

How do you want your news?

  • Mobile Devices

    TVNZ is available on mobile phones: Text TVNZ to 8869.

  • News Feeds

    See when TVNZ have added new content. You can get the latest headlines anywhere.

  • Podcasts

    Enjoy TVNZ on the move - a wide range of programmes and highlights are available.