It’s been an up-and-down year for the world’s No. 1 women’s tennis player, Justine Henin. At the start of the 2007 season, she missed the entire Australian hard court swing because of the breakup of her four-year marriage to Pierre-Yves Hardenne. Then six months later, a de-hyphenated Henin bounced back to claim her third Roland Garros title as her reconciled siblings watched her compete in person for the first time in many years.
But her attempt to complete a career Slam by winning her first Wimbledon came to an end when she was ousted by Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in the semifinals. Henin, who suffered from injuries to both wrists since then, returns to action this week for the first time since that loss.
But it appears that she may have had other things to occupy her time. In the interim, she took a 10-day vacation and recharged her batteries for the US Open.
The 25-year-old Henin mended her relationship with her family earlier this year, having been estranged from them since the age of 17, and now appears to have a new man in her life as well – Gregory Philippin, a 30-year-old local politician from Ans, a city in Liege, Belgium, from which Henin hails.
Belgian newspapers have been churning the rumor mill with regard to Henin’s new “friend,” particularly after he appeared in her box during her quarterfinal match against Serena Williams at Wimbledon. Philippin and Henin met in Ans at the local tennis club, which is under the direction of Philippin’s office as a public official. He also frequents the club as an amateur player, and the two met through his acquaintance with her brother Thomas.
Henin has been silent about her new acquaintance, while Philippin remains somewhat coy. When contacted by Het Laatste Nieuws, he said, “Am I Justine Henin’s new (boy)friend? Let’s just say we get along very well.”
Henin is due back on court today when she competes in the Rogers Cup in Toronto, the last Tier I event before the US Open. Her week in the Ontario province did not get off to a good start when her luggage went missing on the transatlantic journey.
"It's been crazy. I had trouble with immigration in New York, then to come to Toronto and no luggage," Henin told the Toronto Star. “With jet-lag and everything, I was pretty tired,” she said of her trip that began Thursday morning with a trans-Atlantic flight from Brussels.
"Then I spent the whole day in my room waiting. I didn't have any clothes, nothing. Just waiting for my bags. Every hour I was calling, they didn't know where my bags were," said a weary and frustrated Henin on Friday, unable to practice without her clothes or tennis gear. Luckily, her baggage arrived in time for her next workout session that evening, allowing the top seed to prepare to take on a decimated field of the Tour’s top players in Toronto.
The Rogers Cup has been plagued with withdrawals, as it was last year, including Martina Hingis, Venus Williams, and Maria Sharapova. All the less work for Henin, whose chances for a sixth title this year have subsequently increased.