It had all looked so easy for Kim Clijsters in 2009. Play three tournaments and win the U.S. Open, an achievement that seemed as much a harsh verdict on the state of the WTA as it was an extraordinary accomplishment for Clijsters. Either way, Justine Henin must have believed that a similar fate might be in store for her when she followed her fellow Belgian back onto the courts in 2010. After all, she’d owned Clijsters in the biggest events. For a month at least, everything went according to plan for Henin. Like Clijsters, she reached the final of the first Grand Slam she entered, the Australian Open. But unlike Clijsters, Henin fell short in that match, as Serena Williams left her scrambling in the dust in the third set. It was a bad omen. Henin lost three close matches to Clijsters, broke a finger in the spring, and had to pull the plug on the rest of the year after falling on her elbow at Wimbledon. At 28, the once-indomitable little fighter seemed fragile. And WTA comebacks didn’t seem quite as easy as we thought.
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Originally published in the November/December 2010 issue of* TENNIS.
2010 Aces & Faults
—Sock Hopping: Sock goes from high school to pros
—After the Hype, Miller Doesn't Bode Well: Skier tries tennis, again
—Booted: The story of Serena's injured foot
—Match of the Year: The Isner-Mahut Wimbledon epic
—Unwelcome Milestones: American mens' struggles
—Gone...And Back Again: Querrey's quick turnaround
—Swimming the Channel: Rafa does the clay-grass double
—Biggest Disappointment: Dinara Safina
—All in a Day's Work: Blake's beef with Shriver
—Coach of the Year: Hernan Gumy
—Seizing the Clay: Schiavone's unlikely title run
—Struck Out: Soderling ends Federer's semifinal streak
—Comeback, Interrupted: Henin's return cut short
—Wayne's Shame: Odesnik caught with HGH
—Dee Worst, Judge Says: The world's worst player
—Most Improved: Sam Stosur
—Player of the Year: Rafael Nadal
—Newcomer of the Year: Larry Ellison