French Open: How 21-YO Justine Henin’s First Grand Slam Title Was More Than Just an Emotional Promise to Late Mother

There is hardly any French Open fan, who has missed Justine Henin‘s outstanding performance on this major tour! Her brilliance on Paris’s clay court mesmerized her fans in a way that so many years after her retirement, her name still echoes the Philippe Chatrier Court. Poland’s Iga Swiatek especially reminds fans of this Belgian former WTA star. Now, 21 years after her first French Open trophy, Henin aims to attend the finals between Swiatek and Paolini, recalling the motivational factor that fuelled her victory.

Justine Henin, the star of Roland Garros will probably be present at the finals between Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini. Henin’s first visit to the famous clay court of Paris happened when she was just 10. This former world’s number-one WTA star traveled three hours from Belgium’s Rochefort with her mother to witness the epic victory of Monica Seles against Steffi Graf in the 1992 French Open finals. Little did she know that she would lift the same trophy 11 years later. Henin had a thing for Graf’s brilliance but it was Seles, who bagged the trophy, leaving the young Henin in complete awe. Henin recalled telling her mother that she would return to the Philippe Chatrier court and lift the trophy as a winner.

Justine Henin, who has won four French Open trophies, suffered a major loss as her mother died two years after her debut visit to the Philippe Chatrier Court. This incident fuelled her motivation to prove her worth. 11 years later in 2003, this 21-year-old Belgian WTA star defeated Kim Clijsters in the finals to earn her first Roland Garros title. “So when I won my first Roland Garros 11 years later, it was something very special because the dream came true. It was pretty much everything I had lived for since I was a child. I’d made a promise to my mum, who passed away by then so it wasn’t really a promise but rather an assertion.”- said Henin.

Henin’s French Open journey brought her three more victories in the finals after that. Recalling her icon Steffi Graf, Henin mentioned how special she felt with her achievement. “The first win was special, obviously, Three is a lot. I’m joining great champions like Steffi Graf or Arantxa Sanchez. I’m very happy.”

Now 13 years after her retirement, Henin is still engaged in her favorite sport. Channeling her positive aura for Iga Swiatek, Henin is expected to join the French Open 2024 finals tomorrow.

Justine Henin vouches for Iga Swiatek in Roland Garros calling the Polish star “the boss”

Henin has been vocally supportive of the world’s number-one WTA star as the legend finds her impeccable on the clay surfaces. “I grew up on clay, For me, was fun to try to find a way to create a different game on this surface. When I won the juniors, I felt the energy here was very good for me — as it is, I think, for Iga today.” Now fans can’t blame Henin since Swiaek has shown incredible skill on Paris’s clay court as she bagged the title in 2020, 2022, and 2023. If she wins the trophy this year, she will join Justine Henin’s record for the fourth-longest winning streak in this clay-court major.

Hopeful about the Polish star’s ability, Henin said- “I think she can win more than I won, for sure, Iga is the boss, But we can see how hard it is to win and to win and to win. It’s tough to stay at the top of the game for such a long time. Iga, she has something special for this. I think she is really strong, and if she stays healthy, keeps the motivation, she can win a lot here.”

Nevertheless, Justine Henin’s Roland Garros journey is a testament to all the hard workers out there. This Belgian WTA star proved that with the right intention and optimistic motive, it is never impossible to achieve your dreams.