7x Grand Slam Champion Admits Being ‘Afraid’ of Serena Williams After Major Disadvantage

The tennis world in the early 2000s was a landscape of fierce competitors, each pushing the limits of athleticism and mental fortitude. Yet, few rivalries captured the imagination of fans quite like Serena Williams and Justine Henin. Two contrasting styles, two extraordinary talents, and a series of matches that often felt like a battle of will as much as a contest of skill. The American and the Belgian spent the 2000s trading wins and losses, Grand Slam titles, and the number one ranking back and forth. For those who have watched them play, they often opine that outside of Serena’s family, Henin may have been the only player who qualified as a true rival to her. But what does Henin have to say about her experience of playing against the 23-time major champion?

Serena Williams and Justine Henin have faced each other 14 times in their careers, and the American has won 8 times against the Belgian superstar. In 2019, while sharing her thoughts about Williams in an interview, Henin admitted, “Serena was the toughest mentally that I had to face.” Then, in 2022 on Legends Voice, she yet again opened up about this rivalry, saying, “When you face Serena in a Grand Slam, there’s what she radiates, there’s what she makes radiate around her. She had this aura.” She also added, “I was lucky enough to play her at a time when she was at the peak of her career. Yes, she was formidable. She could make you feel so small, really. It was a psychological war against Serena.”

Henin vs. Serena was always pure bliss to watch for all the tennis fans. Recently, Justine Henin appeared on the Tennis Insider Club podcast, and during the conversation, Caroline Garcia asked her to share her thoughts about top athletes in the racket sport who were much taller and stronger than the Belgian. If we draw a comparison, Serena Williams is 1.75m in height, while Henin is just around 1.67m!  Speaking more on how she overcame the challenges, Henin said, “When I arrived on the Tour, it was really the time of Serena and Venus and others…I did love the time I was playing tennis because you had so many different types of games. And, for me, coming 1.65m…but it’s been the challenge of my life.”

She also spoke about how people used to laugh at her and raise questions about her abilities, seeing her height in the early days of her playing career. But she always took it as a challenge to prove them wrong. Speaking more about the challenges of playing against players like Serena Williams, she added, “Of course, I was a bit afraid and nervous… It wasn’t easy to…when against Serena, for example, the challenge it has been for me to really take my place on the court and use my qualities.”

Serena Williams, with her unparalleled power and aggressive baseline game, was the embodiment of strength and dominance. Her serve alone could dictate the rhythm of a match, and her mental toughness often left opponents scrambling for answers. While Justine Henin, on the other hand, was finesse personified. Her one-handed backhand, graceful footwork, and tactical brilliance on court made her a nightmare for even the most powerful hitters. Henin quickly realized that she needed to work on her own abilities rather than focusing much on her opponent’s strength, and is this the thing that took her to newer heights?

In the same podcast, the seven-time Grand Slam champion claimed that when she was a kid, she realized, “‘Okay, I’m quick. I have a good eye. Technically also, I can compensate a lot.’ So we always try to develop more and more my qualities. I couldn’t be taller, sorry…You can always look at what the others have and we don’t have, but we really have been focused on working on my strengths…because at the end, physically, maybe I could hit almost as hard as Serena (Williams) sometimes was doing, because I could take the ball early, and I had the right timing. Technically, I do this, but it’s more mental on that part. It has been really mental also to say, ‘Okay, yes, they’re taller. But I’m gonna find a way.”

Her rivalry with Williams, well, it was a defining and highly competitive one in women’s tennis throughout the 2000s, featuring contrasting styles, intense matches, and also a bit of controversy. What happened at the 2003 French Open, though?

2003 French Open controversial moment between Serena Williams and Henin

Justine Henin and Serena Williams’ paths crossed repeatedly on some of the sport’s biggest stages, each encounter a study in contrasts. Their first meeting came in the R16 of the 2001 US Open, where Williams defeated the Belgian by 7-5, 6-0 and then the last one came at the 2010 AO final, where yet again, the American got the better of Henin. Let’s take a closer look at their rivalry:

However, in between this incredible rivalry, there was a moment from the 2003 French Open final that created a lot of chaos in the tennis world. The 2003 French Open SF between Williams and Henin was supposed to be a battle between two of the best in the sport. Instead, it turned into one of the most controversial matches in their careers.

Henin had lost only one set across her five matches prior to the last four, and she was eyeing a spot in the final. Despite losing the first set in this SF match, Serena Williams fought back to take the second and forced a third set to decide the fate of this penultimate battle. Williams served and led 30-0 in the seventh game after the Belgian hit a forehand shot that landed just beyond the baseline. The American fired back, but she quickly raised her hand, and as the shot was called out, she pointed to the mark on the court in confirmation. However, Henin was seen protesting it, but the chair umpire, Jorge Dias, double-checked himself, and the decision stood in favor of Williams.

Seeing this, the Parisian crowd booed and jeered both players. Interestingly, just a few moments later, when Serena Williams threw the ball into the air before her serve, Justine Henin held her hand up in an attempt to delay play amid the noisy atmosphere inside the stadium. The serve hit the net, and the Belgian’s gesture didn’t go unnoticed by her opponent as she yelled, “She had her hand up.” However, the umpire claimed that he hadn’t seen it. Williams lost that match by 2-6,6-4,5-7 and shortly after this match, she opened up about this controversial incident. The defeat ended Williams’ hopes of winning five Grand Slam titles in a row, and with that, her 23-match Grand Slam winning streak also came to an end!

Serena Williams expressed her disappointment after the match, saying, “I was a little disappointed with her. I probably still should have won the game. It definitely didn’t turn around the match. But I think to start lying and fabricating, it’s not fair. It was just a tough crowd out there today, really very tough; story of my life.”

In 2011, while speaking about this particular incident during an interview with Belgian TV, Henin regretted it a bit, saying it wasn’t the best memory, and she had reacted completely out of instinct. What are your thoughts on this controversial moment in this incredible rivalry, and also, do let us know which is your pick for the best moment in the Henin-Williams rivalry.