Justine Henin

Decent piece on Henin including latest comments on her injury rehab:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tennis/justine-henin-back-for-one-last-crusade/story-e6frfgao-1225983240631

It may pay to take care if you're looking to back Justin Henin against quality opposition in the coming weeks.
She had this to say after arriving in Perth for the Hopman Cup.

Story is from AAP:
Former world No.1 Justine Henin admits she may still be six months away from full fitness as she attempts to nurse her dodgy elbow through the upcoming Australian Open.
Henin hasn't played a competitive fixture since Wimbledon in June but will make her long-awaited return via the Hopman Cup in Perth - a mixed-teams event that guarantees her at least three singles and three doubles matches.
The seven-time grand slam winner concedes her elbow is still underdone and will need to be monitored closely over the coming weeks leading in to the Australian Open.
"It is six months since the injury and I can't say I am 100 per cent," Henin said on Wednesday.
"I am working very hard on it and I spend two hours every day on my rehabilitation. When we heard about the serious injury there were concerns about the future of my career as it was pretty serious."
"Now step by step I can improve, but it will probably take a few more weeks and maybe months before I can be 100 per cent."
"I have to work hard on this, it gives me the discipline again. I am not feeling free of all the pain, but I am going in the right direction."
"I am realistic, it is my comeback, it has been a difficult year. I started the season pretty well, but then physically it has been pretty difficult."
"It hasn't been an easy comeback and a serious injury like that just six months after I came back was the worst for me."
Henin, who reached the Australian Open final in 2010, downplayed thoughts her latest comeback would be just as fruitful.
"No one is dominating women's tennis, there are a lot of ups and downs, Serena (Williams) is not going to be there so it is going to be wide open, but I don't consider myself one of the biggest favourites," the 28-year-old said.
"The expectation is to give my best, stay healthy and win as many matches as I can. First round is going to be important for me and then we'll see, step by step."
"I hope I can build my condition this year by playing tournaments, and hope to be really ready around June-July would be great for me."

Usual stuff but in this case Henin's got a much better chance of adding another Major to her tally with Serena out until April (at least).
By the way I saw Serena on a US TV show yesterday - she's still wearing a large boot on her foot - I'm not sure she'll even be back by April.
(And does she really want to come back for the French?)

From: Club Call:

Justine Henin believes she can add to her tally of seven Grand Slams as long as she can stay fit over the next couple of seasons.

The 28-year-old is currently preparing for next season after her comeback was halted by an elbow injury last summer.
The Belgian ace shocked the tennis world by announcing her retirement back in 2008 but, like her compatriot Kim Clijsters, she made a u-turn and returned to competitive tennis earlier this year as she felt she still had some unfinished business on court.
The right-hander has already won four French Open titles, two US Opens and one Australian Open but she would like to add more to her CV and is set to train in China ahead of the new season to make sure she is in top-top condition.
And the two-time Wimbledon finalist is happy with the way things are progressing as she looks to recapture the form that made her the best player on the planet.
"Step by step I am heading in the right direction now, but only winning matches can give me that confidence," she told the China Daily. "I've been working very hard. If my elbow continues to improve in the next few weeks or months, I think I have good prospects for the future."
Henin will begin her preparation for the Australian Open with an outing in the mixed-teams Hopman Cup.

Just something to add from @murphy earlier comments!

With the new season only just over three weeks away, seven-time Grand Slam champion Henin admitted she has struggled to regain full fitness.

"I have had to limit myself enormously when it comes to serve,". "My goal is to progress little by little, step by step.

"I take minimum risks. Each time that I stepped up the rhythm there was a backlash of inflammation in my elbow, as a result I had to slow down the last few weeks so that my elbow can adapt itself to this.

"So my preparation didn't progress that far, but that didn't prevent me from working on a lot of things. I am not at all panicked or stressed with that in mind, there is still a couple of weeks left.

"Moreover, the beginning of a season might well serve that aim, to get back the old reflexes and rebuild things little by little."

JuJu added: "In the end, I have stopped telling myself the last weeks that I am getting old, I prefer to think that I am getting more mature. I think that if on the health level everything goes as planned, there is still a lot of potential for me."

Henin says she's still working on getting more power on her serve and on her recovery from injury generally.

Henin: "For sure I'm still not 100 per cent but I realize where I came from I am lucky and happy to be where I am now."

She and Clijsters are also considering playing doubles together at the Olympics in 2012.

Source: Tennis Magazine.

Former world number one Justine Henin confirmed she will return to competition on December 9 for an exhibition tournament in Antwerp, where she will clash with fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters.
Henin has struggled with an elbow injury since last June after a fall at Wimbledon, but after returning to training two weeks ago says she is now fully recovered.
"I've played eight times in two weeks, without pain. It's very positive, the doubts have faded away."

From: AAP.

Henin is back on practice courts and had this to say on Twitter:

"I've started hitting the ball again. Slowly but what a great feeling! Keep those fingers crossed."

She's set for a return to the Tour in 2010.

According to her official website Justine Henin will not play any tournaments in 2010 in order to fully recover from the injury she suffered at Wimbledon.