MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Vera Zvonareva calls her great for women's tennis.'' Li Na says she's anamazing player.'' Doubles star Mike Bryan considers her ``one of the best in the mix.''
Justine Henin's retirement brought tributes across tennis Thursday for the seven-time Grand Slam winner who was competing only days earlier at the Australian Open.
The former No. 1 player from Belgium said on her website that medical tests confirmed what escalating pain had suggested for months - she has damage to her right elbow that is worse than previously thought.
You never want to see a player like Justine retire because she's great for women's tennis,'' said Zvonareva, who is ranked No. 2 and lost Thursday to Henin's countrywoman Kim Clijsters in the semifinals.You never want to see a player retiring because of an injury. It is part of the sport, but it's very sad to see.''
The 28-year-old Henin was working on a comeback from an earlier retirement in 2008, which came abruptly when she was at the top of her game - she won four French Open titles and the U.S. and Australian Opens between 2003 and 2007.
In her first season after almost two years off, she reached last year's final in Melbourne but hurt her arm in a fall during a fourth-round loss to Clijsters at Wimbledon. The injury had bothered her since and she said in her statement that playing in the Australian Open made it worse.
``Obviously, it's a sad situation to see such a great player end her career in this kind of way,'' Clijsters said.
Clijsters, ranked No. 3, said she had not yet been able to speak directly to Henin about the injury so was reluctant to say more. The Davis Cup teammates were to face the United States in a Fed Cup match next month.
Caroline Wozniacki said as an up-and-coming player, she'd always admired Henin.
Justine is a great champion and she's been unlucky since she made the comeback, she's had some injuries,'' the top-ranked Dane said.I think she's thought a lot about this. I think she is just ready to start a new chapter in her life.''
Li, who reached her first Grand Slam final Thursday, was also sorry to see Henin go.
She's an amazing player,'' the Chinese star said.For the player, if you are injured, I mean, this is the worst.''
Respect for Henin extends to the men's side, too. Bryan, half of the dominant men's doubles pair, said that ``when healthy she was one of the best in the mix.''
Henin was known for finesse rather than power, and renowned for a stunning backhand fired usually with one hand.
Twin brother Bob Bryan added: ``I'll take her backhand - with a bad elbow.''
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DOUBLES SHOWDOWN: The Bryan brothers will meet the Indian Express in a Grand Slam final for the first time.
Bob and Mike Bryan are the defending champions at the Australian Open and are the most successful doubles team on the men's tour. On Saturday, they face the Indian pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, who are united for the first time in nine years in a Grand Slam tournament.
The No. 1-seeded Bryans defeated American Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands Antilles, 6-3, 6-2 in their semifinal Thursday. Bhupathi and Paes beat No. 2-seeded Max Mirnyi of Belarus and Canada's Daniel Nestor 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3.
The Bryans have made six of the past seven finals at Melbourne Park. The 32-year-old twins are chasing their fifth title. Paes and Bhupathi have won doubles trophies in every other Grand Slam, together or with different partners.
``Chemistrywise we are two of the best teams on the tour, and it is the perfect final at the Australian Open,'' Bhupathi said.
The volatile Indian pair, seeded third, were involved in a contentious second-round match when Spain's Feliciano Lopez and Argentina's Juan Monaco complained they'd been goaded by comments from Paes. Officials stepped in to cool things down when the four confronted each other on court after the match.
The Bryans said they know of the reputation that follows the Paes-Bhupathi team.
We would love to have a shot at the Indians,'' Mike Bryan said after their win but before the other semifinal had been decided.That would be a pretty feisty match.''
The American twins last year became officially the best men's pair in tennis, reaching 67 career titles and adding the U.S. and Australian Opens to their Grand Slam wins, for nine in total.
In the late 1990s, Bhupathi, 36, and Paes, 37, were considered by many to be the inheritors of the mantle of best men's doubles team then held by Australia's Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge.
They were dubbed the ``Indian Express'' and reached the finals of all four Grand Slams in 1999 - something not done since 1952 - and won the French Open and Wimbledon titles. They won the French again in 2001.
The pair soon split, just as the Bryans were starting to take, and each had success with other partners. Bhupathi won the 2002 U.S. Open title with Max Mirnyi, and Paes won it in 2009 with Lukas Dlouhy - leaving each one title shy of a career Grand Slam.
We both felt that we had a shot at winning it if we played together,'' Bhupathi said, referring to the decision to get back together.A lot of people thought we were crazy, but now we are two sets away from the title.''
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SERENA'S PLANS: Serena Williams has been in touch with U.S. Fed Cup coach Mary Joe Fernandez, indicating she'll be available for the international team event in April.
``I think we're going to see her back,'' Fernandez said during an ESPN broadcast of the Australian Open, where she reached two finals and is now working as an analyst.
Serena Williams won the 2010 Australian Open, but was unable to defend the title because of her prolonged recovery from a foot injury following her Wimbledon victory last year. Williams has won 12 other Grand Slam singles titles.
``It's good sign to me - she's thinking ahead,'' Fernandez said.
Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, will also miss the Fed Cup match against Belgium next month after injuring a hip flexor muscle at the Australian Open.
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ANNIVERSARY? WHAT ANNIVERSARY: Li Na's husband thought they would have something to celebrate Thursday whether or not she won her Australian Open semifinal - their fifth wedding anniversary. That was news to Li, who thought their fifth anniversary was still two days away.
The mix-up made for an amusing moment on center court at Melbourne Park when Li was asked about it after her 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki to reach her first Grand Slam final.
Congratulated by an announcer for the achievement, Li looked stunned and turned in puzzlement to husband Jiang Shan, who is also her coach, in the player's box. ``It's today? I think it's the 29th,'' she said, to laughter from the crowd.
By the time of her post-match news conference, Li was still not sure of the date and was considering turning to a higher authority.
``Maybe I should ask my mother,'' she said.
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INDIGENOUS HELP: The federal government and Tennis Australia announced they would give a total of $750,000 over three years to extend a stay-in-school program run by Evonne Goolagong Cawley for indigenous children.
The Australian tennis great said she has been working on development programs for indigenous children since the early 1990s after a career that included seven Grand Slam singles titles, including the last one for an Australian woman.
Sports Minister Mark Arbib said the government would give $350,000 to Goolagong Cawley's ``Learn. Earn. Legend!'' program over three years, and Tennis Australia said it would match that amount. The money would be spent on bringing indigenous children to tennis camps in Melbourne, mentoring and encouraging them to stay in school.
I started out by having people help me get on my way and I wanted to do that with other indigenous people,'' said Goolagong Cawley, who retired in 1983.If others didn't give me that support in the beginning, I wouldn't be standing here today.''
Aborigines are the country's original inhabitants. They number about 400,000 and are Australia's poorest and most disadvantaged minority, with education and health rates far behind those of other Australians.