Justine Henin - Slow Motion Forehand Cross Court

[iMidnightSkies]

Her technique is rank...

[beavertown2006]

Dynamic footwork, what a smart player!

[terrigaltennis]

I loved to watch Justin play, she had to do so many things right in her game to compete at the highest level. She is a small girl but wow what a fantastic player beautiful footwork and great technique going to miss her

[deapseafish]

her slow motion speed looks like my normal hitting speed!

[kennethfraipont]

@rowlingserver

Oooh ,you're kidding ;o *sarcasm*

Look at my comment he was posted 6 months ago ,Jezus.

[kennethfraipont]

Henin ... ii will never foget you :)

[blakhawkeace13]

she was so friggin amazing

[Takver]

To each their own. I think that Henin has a very clean, efficient and successful game, and it's one to fear and respect. But I've never associated it beauty or elegance - and that includes her backhand. (If I want to see a beautiful one-handed bh give me Guga or Arazi)

It looks like what it is - maximised talent, but lots of hard work. She's the classic 'little engine that could'. Nothing wrong with that. But even at her very best, I've her game does not flow like Venus' when Venus is on.

[QuadThreat]

I agree with everything you just said.

[dorker1992]

Henin;s shot always are hard like a whip! even though sometimes she wanted it hit it slow. It just gives the pop sound everything even when shes not hitting hard.

[Sensorie]

One thing I always did notice about Henin was her preparation towards a winner. Whenever the ball bounces high enough, you can see her quickly prepping up, and then she swiftly unleashes a powerful downward swing. You wouldn't ever see such elegant motion coming from players like the Williams sisters.

[QuadThreat]

how often is a ball THAT HIGH for taller players (like the Williamses) though?...keep that in mind....when Venus RARELY gets shots like that, she handles it just as gracefully.

[Sensorie]

I guess elegance is subjective, but I've never seen either Williams ever hit winners like Henin; they're much more lumbered and heavy-handed.

[QuadThreat]

ha....what would you call Venus' grasscourt play?....nothing short of graceful....just because there's alot of power does not mean there's no sense of grace.

People tend to over-exaggerate Justine's abilities just because she managed to match (and surpass) most of the other players despite her lack of height.

On the contrary, ALOT of what she does looks labored.

[Sensorie]

As I said then, elegance is subjective. I'm focusing on Henin's forehand winners, which no other player can match in terms of elegance, male or female. The Williams sisters have power, artificially augmented by their grunts, by they do not appear nimble enough when swinging.

[QuadThreat]

lol I just think it's funny when people always put Henin on such a high horse...she lost mad points when she randomly retired. Despite her elegance and work ethic, she is still second best to Venus and Serena.

[Sensorie]

Make no mistake; I wasn't putting Henin on a high horse. I've always been in favour of the Williams sisters, but I also can't deny the elegance of Henin's forehand winners. I've seen matches where even Serena applauded one of Henin's winners against herself.

[QuadThreat]

oh yeah....Henin's shots are RIDICULOUS.

I apologize though. IT just frustrates me when I think people can say with confidence "the many reasons" why Justine is better than the sisters.

I used to be in favor of Justine just as much as the sisters, actually.

[miltyu97]

Let's not reverse pigeon-hole anyone here.

People don't give credit to Henin only because she's not tall. That would be an insult. Regardless of height, she hits the ball very well, and her point construction and defense earned her lots of victories. McEnroe loved her backhand too.

It's tough debating what you think is "graceful" or not. But I think you can agree that Venus takes her forehand back in a non-traditional way. And grunting, that's debatable whether that's graceful or not too.

[QuadThreat]

no one was stating that grunting could ever be considered graceful...that would be absurd.

however, I'm a fan of the grunt, and I think it adds an interesting dynamic to the game.

But seriously, I've even heard some commentators add extra emphasis on the fact of how great it is that she was able to find a way to match the power of her bigger counterparts.

I don't think that's insulting at all...in fact, I think it's a huge compliment.

[miltyu97]

You said, "People tend to over-exaggerate Justine's abilities just because she managed to match (and surpass) most of the other players despite her lack of height."

That to me sounds like an insult as if saying, "pretty good...for a midget."

[QuadThreat]

well yeah...you can make any compliment sound like an insult, and vice-versa.

everyone COULD say: "Pretty good for a midget"...but out of respect, no one does.

she is "pretty damn good for a midget."

[miltyu97]

You also said, "Venus' grasscourt play?....nothing short of graceful....On the contrary, (Henin) ALOT of what she does looks labored."

That sounds like you're comparing Venus' and Henin's "gracefulness" to me.

So, staying on subject, I gave food for thought that Venus grunts more as merits for saying she's more laborious, as Henin remains quieter overall.

[QuadThreat]

I grunt....when I'm into it....which is almost all the time.

the labor is only in the grunts that sound labored...and Justine grunts sometimes too.

you can also bring the face into it. how many times do you watch Justine play and she does not have a worried look and a clinched face throughout the entirety of the points?

Venus moves like a cat....especially on grass.

No one is more graceful than her on grass.

Now moving over to the clay....you get the point.

[miltyu97]

What? So there are laborious grunts and then there are not laborious grunts? And Venus' grunts are just "in to it" while Henin's grunts are not?

I think I'll give up this conversation. It seems like you can have both sides of it.

No one moves more graceful than Venus on grass? On the women's side? Cause Sampras and Federer come to mind when it comes to movement on grass.

[QuadThreat]

we were talking about the women's game...don't play dumb.

and it's audibly clear that some people have more laborious grunts than others.

and when did I say that Justine and/or Venus' grunts were/were not into it?

I said Justine's FACIAL expressions show that she is struggling to me...trying to use that to prove to you that it's not just a grunt that can express labor.

F.Y.I. Venus is still more agile than even Federer and Sampras on grass.

[miltyu97]

In defense to Venus' grunts you expressed solidarity to her by saying, "I grunt....when I'm into it....which is almost all the time.

the labor is only in the grunts that sound labored...and Justine grunts sometimes too."

I agree facial expressions connote exertion as well as grunts.

As for Venus' movement on grass. I'd agree it's the best in the women's game, but that's as far as I'll concede. Sampras was the all natural athlete, while Federer is flat out balletic with his footwork.

[QuadThreat]

but speed has alot to do with it...Nadal is quicker than Federer and Sampras on that surface, and so is Venus.

No one else can take three and a half steps to get to the net from the baseline.

They might get there fairly quickly, but I've never seen anyone else do that except Venus.

[dorker1992]

Venus has a cool grunt! henin doesnt. but they both play nicely

[yelloblog]

Venus moves like a cat ???? like a cat hitting by a school bus.

[QuadThreat]

she's like a cheetah...if you don't get that analogy then you're a blind fool.

[andremacfoy]

Yeah... a cat "hitting" by a school bus, indeed. =)

[wiyyiyum]

@Sensorie haha henin is FAR from elegant

[Sensorie]

@wiyyiyum I didn't say she was; her swinging motion from a prepared forehand winner however is indeed swift and elegant.

[wiyyiyum]

@Sensorie did you actually just say that? her forehand is one of the uglier more mechanical ones. serena and venus' are much more elegant. iv heard commentators say it countless times

[Sensorie]

@wiyyiyum Well, all I can say is that is in all the matches I've seen, her forehand winners -- the ones for which she can prepare when the ball bounces higher into the air -- are the ones that have caught my notice. Serena's are usually more brutal, aggressive and unrefined.

[cabomba]

@Sensorie Agreed. I think Justine's movement on court is simply the most beautiful and elegant one. Loves her backhand more.

[kemar282008]

@Sensorie thats true. serena is more beautiful to watch now though than venus. but she still hurries on her shots with lack of footwork especially to stosur in usopen final

[2xtrbo]

Her downturned nipples are unique to the game.

[nobokav]

yes, mysteriekiller, women like you.

[mysteriekiller]

...

[BLOOURN]

damn i struggle like hell to hit forehands when they're that high above my shoulder

[JUSTtoREMEMBER]

justine you are the best of the wold and the most beautiful woman i love you.

[genomesoldier7]

most beatiful?HAH! LOL!

[theoquach]

She is beautiful you bafoon!

[mysteriekiller]

Hahaha, if you think she is beatiful, I'm quite curious what women you are used to.

Fat superugly women?

[Qacc6]

She may not be beautiful enough for retards like you, which is understandable.

She's certainly far more beautiful than her ungainly opponent in this clip!

[mysteriekiller]

If you find her beautiful, I'd like to know what your girlfriend/fiance/wife looks like.lol

[dorker1992]

excuse me! Venus and henin are both beautiful now dont go saying anyone of them is ugly

[kamalgilkesk]

seventy five ercent of stoke ower comes from the use of shoulder rotation and justine uts it to gd use!

[maninafatata]

First !!!!..very interesting..