Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Found a super old article of Juju & Ju training pics

I'll post the training pics here first, got the pics from the forum:
Pics©Getty Images
Always serious looking Juju...but her eyes looking very big!! Pls don't frown Juju... 
i know it's hard for you to hit all the balls...look at Juju stretching her full arms out 
Justine jumping to hit a backhand, this must be a very powerful shot!
Calm and peaceful...perfect shot with the yellow ball 

And now the article:
Not sure exactly when this article was written..seems like in 1999:

I had no idea if this article was so called authentic enough, as in if Justine really did the interview. But if she did, I'm sure some of the answers may be different now. Anyway, it's interesting to see her answers to some of the questions:

Q&A with Justine Henin

SportsLine staff


Which player, past or present, would you like to play a doubles match with?
Steffi Graf, without a moment's hesitation. For me she is the greatest player ever. I always admired her when I was little and I continue to think she is one of the greatest players on the WTA Tour.



What has been your most memorable tournament so far?
May 27, 1999. Roland Garros. I was really pleased to get through qualifying and win my first round match. My second round match against Lindsay Davenport on the Court Central is something I will always remember. I was disappointed not to win the match, especially as I had the chance to serve it out but there will be other occasions for me in the future. Maybe, in retrospect, it's better not to have too much too soon and to take each stage of my career as it comes. In any case, there were lots of Belgian fans in Paris that day including everyone in my family and friends from my club and it really meant a lot to me to have so much support and encouragement.



What is your favorite place in the world?
It's hard to choose one, but three places come to mind. Montreal, Canada where I have some family. I have visited them frequently and think Montreal is one of the prettiest cities I have ever seen and a fantastic place to visit. I also really enjoy spending time in Florida mostly because of the warm climate and the tropical atmosphere and playing tennis under the palm trees. Probably best of all I like being at home in Han-sur-Lesse in Belgium. Most of my immediate family live in this village as do my grandparents and most of my aunts and uncles and their families. I know just about everybody in town and being at home is a great way for me to relax and unwind.



What would you say is your biggest accomplishment?
It's hard to say. I'm very satisfied to see that the hard work I have put into my tennis is starting to pay off. I am happy to still be able to have fun playing tennis. I am pleased that I have been able to keep my feet on the ground and staying hopefully just the same as I was before starting to have a few successes in my tennis career.



Who had the most influence on your career?
My father has probably had the most influence on my career as he has supported me from the beginning. Over the past three years my coach, Carlos Rodrigues, has also played an important role.




What are you intimidated by?
I'm generally not intimidated by many people or things, but after I won the 1997 Juniors at Roland Garros the King of Belgium invited me to visit him at the Palace. I was scared to death to meet him but once I did I was very relaxed because we had a nice conversation and I ended up being very comfortable in his company. He and the Queen are big tennis fans.



What's your biggest pet peeve?
I don't like when people are late and I don't like the "hangers-on" that seem to be so frequent in the tennis world.



If I were to push "play" on your CD player, what would be playing?
Probably one of Celine Dion's albums. I like all her music but particularly when she sings in French.



If you weren't playing tennis, what would you be doing?
I would most likely be a sports TV journalist not only covering tennis events but all sports in general.



If a movie were to be made about your life, would it be a comedy, drama or action film? What would it be called?
I have never been one to be dramatic so I hope a movie about me would be a comedy. I'm not sure what the title would be.



Describe a perfect day.
My perfect day would be spent at home in Han-sur-Lesse in the summer where I would wake up, practice in the morning and then spend time with family the afternoon and perhaps end the day with family and friends at a barbeque.



If you were flying across the country and could sit next to anyone, who would it be?
If I were to take a long flight (there are not any flights that go across Belgium!) I would want to sit next to my boyfriend since I don't get to spend a lot of time with him. If you are looking for me to choose a celebrity or well-known tennis personality to fly with I would choose Pete Sampras. Maybe I should sit in a row of three seats with my boyfriend on one side and Pete Sampras on the other!



It's your last meal. Where and what do you eat?
I would choose a typically Belgian dish of "Boulette et Frites" which is basically meatballs in a mushroom sauce with French fries! I would be at home with my family.



---------------------------------------------------------End-------------------------------------------------------------


I'm still trying to see her past which I've missed, I think Justine matured much faster than girls of her own age partly because of the life she had gone through. 


Some of her old interviews really reflects her matureness. Seems like Justine was already a woman at young age. I started to think that at the age of 6 or 7, I'm still playing with my teddy bears and "plucking the hairs out of the dolls" (yes, violent me)  while Justine if at the same age, was probably out there writing journals and singing and dancing, hehehe....


And I'd like to try that Belgian dish too, sounds delicious! Anyone can Fedex the food to me while I can eat this dish enjoying Ju in a comedy show (if any in the future) or watching her as a sports TV journalist...

6 comments:

  1. ... she still talked about her family bbq that time and her father. it has to be around 2000 before she left her family and moved in with her ex-husband.

    i think all in all her nature is a sweet family girl, down to earth and easy to be satisfied. very simple things can make her happy. she hasn't really changed that much.... :)

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  2. Yes, Jo, I think the article as written in 1999. Justine is a simple sweet girl who lives a simple life. She doesn't really go for branded stuffs and leading a rather discreet lifestyle. I respect her for this reason too, just like you said, very down-to-earth.

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  3. AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2011 TV SCHEDULES
    Channel 7 Australia

    ESPN (Coverage of American players, Nike, Fed, Venus, 2nd week coverage etc...)
    ESPN2 (Live Afternoon sessions US Players and 2nd week coverage etc...)
    TENNIS CHANNEL (Live 2 hours morning session daily & Live Quarterfinals)
    ESPN3.com (Online live all show courts video streams, all day, for US resident IP's that are ESPN cable tv subscribers.)
    ESPN Deportes- Central and South America

    EUROSPORT
    SKY TV UK

    WOWOW - Japan
    ESPN Star Sports - South Asia, Spore, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Phil, Korea,Pakistan, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong.
    CN Sports Interactive Media Group - China

    Supersport - SubSahara Africa
    Sky New Zealand - New Zealand
    FIJI TV - Fiji
    Abu Dhabi TV - Middle East

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  4. Thank you Greenout for the TV schedules info! I might watch the AO on TV this time since Eurosport got broadcast. ^^

    Allez Justine Allez!

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  5. That is EUROSPORT in Europe not, EUROSPORT ASIA/PACIFIC.

    Star Sports has the AO TV rights for Singapore. Do you have Mio Tv?

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  6. Hi Greenout,

    Oh no, I didn't know it's Eurosport for the Europe! Hmm, no Mio TV but have Starhub...should have broadcasting...since AO is such an impt event.

    ReplyDelete