TESSENDERLO, Belgium(AP) When it comes to women's tennis, all the buzz is in Belgium.
Kim Clijsters' U.S. Open victory and the unretirement of Justine Henin have pulled this nation of just 10 million from the edge of the tennis world back to the center.
And don't forget Yanina,'' Clijsters said of Yanina Wickmayer, a teenager who came out of nowhere to reach the semifinals of the U.S. open, riding the cry ofWhoopee!'' each time she hit a ball in anger.
``The hype of Belgian tennis was created a little bit again,'' Clijsters said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Winning the U.S. Open just three tournaments into her comeback shot Clijsters up to No. 17 in the world rankings, with Wickmayer climbing to 22nd. If Henin, who announced her return after 16-month retirement on Tuesday, plays somewhat to the form that made her a seven-time Grand Slam tournament winner, who knows how high the trio could go.
``It'd be great to have three Belgian girls in the top 20,'' Clijsters said.
And the groundswell of support at home is there again. Once Clijsters retired in 2007 and Henin followed one year later, tennis fell back to its normal place, well behind soccer and cycling in the hearts of Belgian sports fans.
It is absolutely super. All this is alive again,'' said Billie Hernalsteens, a recreational player in Buizingen, who was often glued to the television set when Clijsters and Henin dominated Grand Slam events over the past decade.Those are the kind of matches I would not miss for the world. When the Belgians play, I'll watch again.''
With Henin's age of 27 and Clijsters's 26, they both could be competitive for years to come - which also means keeping up their own, lively rivalry.
Henin's return had been anticipated for weeks, and took hold of the front pages as ever-more rumors surfaced that she had started training hard again, much harder than necessary for the exhibition matches on her calendar.
But when Clijsters and Wickmayer kept on winning in Flushing Meadows, Henin decided to hold off on announcement about her own career. ``I decided to postpone everything when I saw the results of Kim and Yanina coming in,'' she said, preferring not to step on their moment of glory.
Now that everything is official, Clijsters only has one message. ``Bring it on, I would say. She is obviously a great player and I think for women's tennis and for Belgian tennis, it is great,'' Clijsters said.
Even though Henin only leads Clijsters 12-10 in their head-to-head matches, she dominates Grand Slams 5-2 and has won the last five such encounters. And before Clijsters made her successful Grand Slam return in New York, Henin led 7-1 in Grand Slam titles.
``Just too bad she was often the better when it came to Grand Slams,'' Clijsters said.
Her former coach Marc Dehous thinks the rivalry might be renewed as soon as the Australian Open in January. ``The fans can look forward toward another golden era. And why not start with a final during the Australian Open,'' he told VRT network.
Clijsters fully realizes Henin might have recovered her touch and stamina as quickly as she has. ``I don't think she will need months to find her groove. She'll produce great tennis again when she gets to Australia,'' she said.
Henin and Clijsters started playing a decade ago, when Henin won the first match between the then-rookie teenagers. Soon they were playing the 2001 French Open semifinal. ``It was as if a bomb had exploded,'' said Clijsters of the massive media and fan interest, as Belgian flags swarmed the stands in Paris. Two years later, even King Albert II traveled to Paris when Henin beat her compatriot in the final of the French Open.
Clijsters was always the happy-go-lucky player, a mix of mirth and mastery whose smile was just as wide after losing a final as winning one. Henin has always been the complicated one, having to recover from losing her mother at an early age and single-mindedly pursuing victory at almost any cost.
The same traits still come through so many years later. Happy in motherhood, Clijsters said she would take her career now, ``one season at a time.'' Henin meanwhile is already looking at the 2012 Olympics with a determination that has marked her whole career.
And while the stars fight it out, Wickmayer will be able to develop in their shadows with less of the media hype Clijsters and Henin had to endure.
It is perhaps a positive thing for her,'' said Clijsters.There is only talk about me and Justine, but Yanina has performed great.''