Greatest Belgium player ever- Henin or Clijsters

[hewittboy]

Obviously Henin and Clijsters are far and away the 2 greatest players ever from Belgium. Who do you believe is the greatest Belgin player ever, Henin or Clijsters? Obviously Henin has alot more slams but there is often more to judge a players career by then just slams wins.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

Henin easily between these two. Henin made Clijsters her b!tch on repeated occasions in slams, this has to play a large factor in who's greater between the two. Not to mention that Henin has won 3 of the 4 slams and 7 slams total, while Clijsters only has 2 slams total, both USO titles. Add to that Henin's dominance in 2007 over a formidable women's field, and it's no contest really, Henin on all cards.

 

[JeMar]

Obviously Henin and Clijsters are far and away the 2 greatest players ever from Belgium. Who do you believe is the greatest Belgin player ever, Henin or Clijsters? Obviously Henin has alot more slams but there is often more to judge a players career by then just slams wins.

No, it's pretty clear cut here. Clijsters was a mental midget compared to Henin, not to mention she's less talented, and not nearly as accomplished.

 

[hewittboy]

Henin easily between these two. Henin made Clijsters her b!tch on repeated occasions in slams, this has to play a large factor in who's greater between the two. Not to mention that Henin has won 3 of the 4 slams and 7 slams total, while Clijsters only has 2 slams total, both USO titles. Add to that Henin's dominance in 2007 over a formidable women's field, and it's no contest really, Henin on all cards.

I dont agree the 2007 field was formidable. Past their prime Williams sisters, Sharapova, and nobody else. People say the womens field is terrible, maybe the worst ever now, and yet the only real difference from 2007 is Henin not being there. So if the field is as bad as everyone says it is now how could it have been formidable in 2007, did Henin alone make that much of a difference or are there other differences between the two I am missing here.

Clijsters was very unlucky to miss a whole year with injury from the 2004 French to 2005 Australian Open. Her nemisis Henin won 0 slams during this period due to health problems. Serena Williams was also out of form and won 1 slam at the 2005 Australian Open in ugly fashion. Venus was a complete non entity almost during this time. Inferior players who Clijsters completely owned like Kuznetsova, Myskina, and a 17 year old Sharapova (who Kim owned until late 2006) all won slams. While the field had more depth then than it does now, this was also possibly the softest collective year of slam winners in history. So Kim could have easily won 2, 3, or 4 more slams in this year frame had she not had the worst timing to be injured during this year of tennis which would have been hers to potentialy dominate given all that happened during it, and had 4-6 even with what she missed possibly by being retired for nearly 3 years.

Henin also utilized cheating to defeat Clijsters in the 2004 Australian Open final. At a crucial point at 3-4, ad Henin with Clijsters serving she hit a swing volley winner which hit the back of the line and Clijsters put on an Oscar worthy performance in pretending the ball was clearly out. The chair umpire took the bait and overruled it and when the video screen played in the arena showed it was in Henin actually smirked as the crowd was still whisting over the call and especialy the impending evidence. Henin was actually the one choking this match away, blowing a 4-2 2nd set lead and a 4-0 3rd set lead. She used some famous Henin trickery to get the crucial break and put the momentum back in her favor.

Kim's problem is she is too nice a girl. She isnt hungry enough to win. I dont neccessarily agree that she is less talented than Henin whose talent level is overrated by some IMO. Henin is simply a whole lot hungrier. To her winning slams and staking her place in history as one of the greatest players ever is life or death. To Clijsters it is not, she likes to win, but it isnt the be all and end all. Kim doesnt have the hunger and will to win that Henin, Venus, Serena, and Sharapova all have. What she has won she wins on ability alone, since mental strength is never what puts her over the top.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

I dont agree the 2007 field was formidable. Past their prime Williams sisters, Sharapova, and nobody else. People say the womens field is terrible, maybe the worst ever now, and yet the only real difference from 2007 is Henin not being there. So if the field is as bad as everyone says it is now how could it have been formidable in 2007, did Henin alone make that much of a difference or are there other differences between the two I am missing here.

I'd say the field in 2007 was much better than now. Sure some of the players are the same, but Jankovic and Ivanovic, who have fallen off now, were playing some of the best tennis of their careers in 2007. The field was deeper in 2007 most definitely. But 2007 is not the only reason to put Henin ahead of Clijsters. Henin's 2007, 2006, and 2003 seasons were all better seasons than any that Clijsters has had in her career.

There's a lot of woulda coulda shoulda in Clijsters' career, but that all can be erased by the fact that Henin probably missed out on picking up 2 slams by retiring last year before the French. She definitely would have won it the past two years.

 

[Tempest344]

have to go with Henin on this one, she's won quite a few more GS's than Clijsters with more possibly to come

 

[IvanAndreevich]

Was there really a need to make a poll for this? It's not even close.

 

[hewittboy]

Well in good conscious I couldnt vote for Kim so I voted for Justine. I hope someone votes for Kim though. I though Justine would win the poll but that it would be closer than this.

 

[wyutani]

henin by a long shot, she won the most.

 

[fastdunn]

Henin maybe is a fantastic athelete.

But I always thought she had some controversial moments in terms of sportsmanship. As far as I know, her reputation among players we somewhat questionable.

 

[wyutani]

i gotta feeling, henin cant beat clijster next year.

 

[Polvorin]

Henin also utilized cheating to defeat Clijsters in the 2004 Australian Open final. At a crucial point at 3-4, ad Henin with Clijsters serving she hit a swing volley winner which hit the back of the line and Clijsters put on an Oscar worthy performance in pretending the ball was clearly out. The chair umpire took the bait and overruled it and when the video screen played in the arena showed it was in Henin actually smirked as the crowd was still whisting over the call and especialy the impending evidence. Henin was actually the one choking this match away, blowing a 4-2 2nd set lead and a 4-0 3rd set lead.

You can hardly call a bad overrule by the chair umpire "cheating." I saw the same thing happen in the famous Capriati v. Henin US Open match, only Capriati was the one doing the theatrics, and I don't see a lot of people calling her a cheat. The overrule basically won her the first set as well. Players are free to complain about calls they feel were wrong, and they always do. It is the chair umpires responsibility to do their job and not allow their judgment to be swayed. I think you are letting emotion get the better of your reason.

 

[crawl4]

Henin no doubt. She was the one womens tennis player I would watch whenever I could. I find the others to similar to watch.

 

[OroDeSantoro]

27-0 for henin so far... lol

 

[ChuDat]

Henin. Although I applaud Clijsters USO run.

 

[statto]

Henin. Not even close.

 

[grafselesfan]

LOL who voted for Clijsters. Clijsters is a fine player and I think she will win some more slams in her comeback possibly. However she is also Henin's little beetch. Nobody owns Kim more than Justine does, not even the Williams sisters. That is already telling enough to who should rank higher of the two plus the player with so many more slams, more time at #1, etc.... OK their head to head may seem semi respectable but that is because younger Kim actually did well vs younger Justine when neither were of more than bit relevance anyway, once both came into their primes and became marquee players on tour it has been a rout in Justine's favor. I think Kim has only beaten Justine 2 out of 12 something like that since that point, and has lost to Justine in atleast 5 slam semis or finals in a row.

Kim is scared of Justine. I bet she cringed at the news her master Justine is coming back just as her own comeback began with a bang.

 

[goober]

I vote for the Rochus brothers. They are the same size as Henin and Clijsters, but they compete on the ATP tour. 8)

 

[lambielspins]

One interesting thing to note is that Henin and Clijsters are the only 2 players to beat both Williams on their way to winning a slam. Both did it at the U.S Open. Henin probably would have won done it a bunch of times at the French too if Serena and Venus were even good enough to get far enough to play Henin there, which Venus imparticular certainly isnt.

 

[halalula1234]

I dont agree the 2007 field was formidable. Henin also utilized cheating to defeat Clijsters in the 2004 Australian Open final. At a crucial point at 3-4, ad Henin with Clijsters serving she hit a swing volley winner which hit the back of the line and Clijsters put on an Oscar worthy performance in pretending the ball was clearly out. The chair umpire took the bait and overruled it and when the video screen played in the arena showed it was in Henin actually smirked as the crowd was still whisting over the call and especialy the impending evidence. Henin was actually the one choking this match away, blowing a 4-2 2nd set lead and a 4-0 3rd set lead. She used some famous Henin trickery to get the crucial break and put the momentum back in her favor.

.

i remember that as well as the hand thing with serena. wicked lady still shes a good player when not cheating

 

[valiant]

Seriously its easy as ABC who is better-- Henin

 

[lambielspins]

Racer41c. Explain yourself please.