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Broken finger is Henin’s ‘lucky’ charm after comeback win

STUTTGART - Justine Henin says her broken finger could be her lucky charm after claiming her first title since coming out of retirement as she begins her assault on a fifth French Open title.

The 27-year-old ended Australian Samantha Stosur’s 11-match unbeaten run on clay in the final of Stuttgart’s WTA tournament on Sunday with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 victory.

Henin, a right-hander, broke the little finger on her left hand ten days ago while preparing for a Fed Cup match and is expected to wear a splint on it until Roland Garros which begins on May 23.

“Maybe my broken finger brought me luck,” joked the seven-times Grand Slam winner.

“Life is amazing, when I broke my finger ten days ago and I heard it was a fracture I didn’t know if I would even be able to come here. I decided to take my chance and would have to get used to playing with a splint.

“As I won the tournament, it was a good decision, but I have to keep playing with the splint for a few more weeks yet, so it was good practice.”

This was Henin’s first victory in her third final since ending her 18-month hiatus in January, but having won a Porsche sports car and 107,000 US dollars here, the Belgian said the win meant far more than cash.

“It is a great feeling, I have been waiting for this in the last couple of tournaments,” she said having reached the Brisbane and Australian Open finals.

“It is emotional for me, I really like this tournament and even a year ago, I didn’t think I would be back again.

“Just to get this feeling, to reach the end of the tournament and win it, it was something very strong and very deep.”

This is the second time Henin leaves Stuttgart with a Porsche having also won the 2007 tournament and she said the broken finger gave her no problems driving the car around the claycourt arena following her triumph.

“It was OK to drive the Porsche, but I have a reputation as a bad driver,” she confessed.

“When I got my licence, a long time ago now, I had two accidents within 24 hours and that still follows me all the time.”

But Henin says the luxury sports car fades in comparison with the feeling of winning her 42^nd title in her 60^th WTA final.

“It’s nice to get the car, but I guarantee you the feeling is much more important after the sacrifices and a few questions have been answered,” she said.

“It has been a lot of hard work and the way is still very long, there are a lot of things we have to work on.

“It is a feeling I haven’t had for a long time, I last won in Belgium two years ago, so this is quite special.”

Having walked away from tennis in May 2008 as world number one, the hype is already growing around her attempt to win Roland Garros for the fifth time with the tournament three weeks away.

“It is still too early to talk about Roland Garros, this was only the first tournament of the clay court season,” she said.

“Rome and Madrid are to follow and then we will see who is in form.

“There are a lot of things to deal with and it will be very emotional for me, two big tournaments are coming still.”

Clay is Henin’s favourite surface and although her ferocious backhand is her main strength, she says her forehand is her new weapon in the second phase of her career.

“My back-hand is my natural shot, but my forehand gives me a lot,” said the Belgian.

“My footwork is better on forehand, my winners come from there and I am more aggressive.

“My forehand is my weapon and my serve is getting better, it is good for the future and I hope it will help on grass also.”