As I see it Henin-Hardenne will not be able to get back to the top for a long time. 3 reasons: Davenport, Williams sisters and the Russians. With all of them on top right now Henin-Hardenne is going to have a hard time trying to claim the number one ranking or even getting back into the top five. It will be a big surprise if she wins the Nasgaq 100. Unless Serena isn't planning on claiming the title again, then there is little hope for Justine to make her move here. Serena loves playing here. And that's not the only reason. The Russians are looking strong in this tournament as well. I think Maria is going to pick up her game after her loss to Davenport in the semis of Indian Wells. Myskina and Kuznetsova are looking for another title too. Justine is going to have to wait.
Henin-Hardenne...
- Thread starter Agassi
- Start date
Long time? You don't get back to number 1 by winning one tourney. Sure she might not win the nasdaq 100 but if she could get back to how she used to play, I don't see why she wouldn't get back to number 1. Before her injuries, she was on a tear and she beat all those top players you mentioned. Sharapova wasn't in form then, but if you can beat, Davenport, Williams, the other Russians, you can beat Sharapova.
As long as she has not lost her motivation, HH is gonna be hard to beat. She has the game that can beat anyone. But there are so many good players that can make it to
#1, it will be quite a feat if she can do it anytime this year (considering all the points she needs to amass).
#1, it will be quite a feat if she can do it anytime this year (considering all the points she needs to amass).
If she will be 100% fit this year and plays her normal schedule, I think she can claim number 1 again. Right now Davenport and Mauresmo are 1 and 2 but Henin is better than both of them. Unless Serena will play more than her usual 13 tournaments a year and Sharapova learns how to play on clay, Henin will be up there in the rankings along with Kim.
FuriousYellow
Professional
I'm just glad to have her back on the tour finally. Hopefully, she's 100% healthy and she'll be in a match that ESPN will actually show. I look forward to seeing her play Sharapova in a finals once she's back in form. I think it will be a great match as they're not only talented, but two of the toughest mentally on the women's tour IMO.
tedmeister
Rookie
Conversely, Davenport went on a tear, so did the Russians because Kim and Justine is out of the scene. I will be pleasantly surprised if she does good at the Nasdaq. It is always interesting to see these women baseline bashers go up against an all court player that mixes it up.Agassi said:
Marius_Hancu
Talk Tennis Guru
JHH's still the greatest artist / technical player out there, thus I will support her comeback.
In terms of the greatest match player, IMO that's still Serena, until someone else's equals her Slam results, which won't be too soon in this generation, with its share of health problems for various pros.
In terms of the greatest match player, IMO that's still Serena, until someone else's equals her Slam results, which won't be too soon in this generation, with its share of health problems for various pros.
Even though she did beat all the players before she left, she is going to have a hard time coming back on top. Davenport has a losing record to her but has won against her before and will probably want to do it again. Serena got back at her after semis at the French Open in the semis at Wimbledon. The Russians have taken over most of the top ten and want it to stay that way. None of them are going to go down easily. I wouldn't expect Henin-Hardenne to get back into the top five until fall. Davenport is up even after Indian Wells and Serena is going to try to come back in Miami to follow up what she did in Austrailia. Justine has a long way to go.
Marius_Hancu
Talk Tennis Guru
Not to mention Kim.Agassi said:
Jack Romeo
Professional
justine will be number one again soon, or at least in the top 3. kim won her 2nd tournament back beating davenport in the finals and has displayed top-5 form since. justine is still rusty but when she shakes it off (and she will soon), she is even better than kim. she is better than davenport and mauresmo and has more experience/savvy than sharapova. forget the other russians - they're too erratic and have many more weaknesses than henin-hardenne. justine, kim and serena are the real top 3 women. if they are healthy and playing at least 15 tournaments a year each, they will be the ones ranked in the top 3.
