In an interview with Belgian TV channel RTBF, the recently-retired Justine Henin goes into depth on the high and low points of her career:

On the 2004 Australian Open final against Kim Clijsters, which she won 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 after Clijsters hit a forehand swing volley on break point at 3-4 in the third set which was called out on an overrule (a TV replay showed that it clipped the back of the line):

“[The ball was] more out than on the line…it touched the line. I admit it now.”

On how she turned her career around and began to win Grand Slam titles, beginning with her first at the 2003 French Open:

“I was scared of the powerful girls, I was small. Nobody really believed that I could get past that power. There was a little complex about Kim, who got [to her first Grand Slam final in 2001] a bit before me. I wanted to do as well, couldn’t do it, couldn’t find the way. [Winning 2003 Roland Garros over Clijsters] was magic, the dream of a little girl that comes true. I think Kim knew to what extent Roland Garros was important to me, and I think, despite the fact that it’s tough to lose a Grand Slam final, she knew to what point this title was precious to me, on a human scale. I think she shared my joy, genuinely. The handshake at the end was very strong, and very sincere.”

On her relationship with Kim Clijsters:

“The competition was always enormous. When we were younger it was more carefree. I remember some very memorable [junior] moments with her, when we didn’t question ourselves, we weren’t in competition. There wasn’t that competition between us. It was our respective entourages, the Tour, the media. It was a perfect story: one from the north, one from the south. On the personal level we have many things in common—the same [astrological] sign. On the international stage, inside, that pushed us, Kim and I, I think we both lived it at different moments, at others it was source of motivation. We never would have gotten as good one without the other.”

On retiring against Amelie Mauresmo in the 2006 Australian Open final and losing to her in the 2006 Wimbledon final:

“[Australia was] one of the worst memories of my career. I was criticized that I didn’t finish the match. The night had been difficult. I just wasn’t capable of playing a Grand Slam final. It just wasn’t possible, but I wanted to try. For MoMo, it was a tough moment. But for me, I felt like I was losing another opportunity to win a Grand Slam. If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t play. But it’s not in my temperament. But back then, I felt superhuman, beyond the limits. It would have been tough to say I wouldn’t go on the court, so there are no regrets, I tried. But the feelings it leaves are not very good. It became too tense, I tried to talk to her [Mauresmo], but it became too tense. It’s a pity.

“[At Wimbledon] I remember sitting [after winning the first set 6-2]. I never had that fire. It’s bizarre to explain, to say, ‘Hey, I’ll win the only Grand Slam I’ve never won.’ But somehow I wasn’t energized by that. Why, I have no idea. It’s not like me. I never had confidence on grass. I was convinced I wasn’t powerful enough, too small, basically.”

On rumors that she retired the first time in order to avoid a suspension for doping:

“I think it goes back further. Remember when I came back from [winning the] U.S. Open in 2003, what was going on the next day? Kim’s father, some journalists, they said she can’t win everything like that. She has quads, she has arms like Serena.  What does that mean, insinuate? Clearly, we’re talking about doping. But they saw what I did with [trainer] Pat Etcheberry. I got to a new level on the physical side. It was a two-year suspension, they said. And when I came back in 18 months, ‘that’s why she’s coming back.’ I knew what I was doing. It made no sense. Why did I not say anything? A lot of people along the way always advised me to be above it, to let it roll, it will pass. I don’t like that. I have a temper. I don’t like people to walk all over me. Maybe my mistake was not to go with my instincts and react immediately. It touches my integrity, you want to have that image—not image, exactly, but you want to prove you’re a clean athlete. I suffered a lot.”

On how she’ll feel if Clijsters, who owns four major titles, passes her total of seven:

“It’s clear I wouldn’t like it if she passed me. It’s human to want to stay the benchmark. Now, I’m convinced that Kim has the ability to get seven Grand Slam titles as well and maybe do more. With age, I’ve learned to put it in perspective. At a certain moment, I was much less [wise] than now. Before I was more preoccupied about that. It’s not a form of jealousy, not that. But you’re a competitor and Kim is too—at that level, we all are. You want to get to the top, it’s not negative against the other, it’s for yourself I don’t know what it would do to me. I won’t follow the matches saying, ‘Oh god, what if it happens?’”—Matthew Cronin

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DOHA, Qatar (AP)—Vera Zvonareva rallied from 5-3 down in the deciding set to defeat Daniela Hantuchova 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5 Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Ladies Open.

Zvonareva reached a semifinal against familiar foe Jelena Jankovic, who defeated Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-4. Zvonareva leads Jankovic 7-6 in matchups, and has won the last four.

Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki won 12 straight games to beat Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-2, 6-0 and set up a semifinal with Marion Bartoli of France.

Hantuchova defeated Zvonareva in the Pattaya Open semifinals this month and looked set for an encore. But the Russian rallied to break back in the 10th and 12th games to end the 3-hour, 10-minute match.

Zvonareva hit 48 winners to 29 for Hantuchova, who committed 57 unforced errors.

“It was a tough match. Daniela is a great player and very aggressive,” Zvonareva said. “I’m happy to come through and be in the semifinal.”

Wozniacki, who won the Dubai title last week, extended her winning streak to eight matches after losing the first two games of the match.

She wore a Liverpool soccer shirt with Steven Gerrard’s name on the back during the warmup.

“I’m a big fan of Liverpool,” Wozniacki said. “Since Liverpool is playing tonight (against Sparta Prague), I thought it would be nice and even the fans liked it.”

Wozniacki made just seven unforced errors against Pennetta, who appeared to lose heart after dropping serve in a 12-minute fourth game. Wozniacki finally won it with one of her trademark backhand returns to draw level at 2-2.

“I was playing really good tennis,” Wozniacki said. “I stayed calm and had to go for my shots.”

Pennetta fell to 0-4 against Wozniacki, committing 21 unforced errors in the second set.

Bartoli defeated Peng Shuai 6-2, 6-2 in 71 minutes. Peng lost her serve in the first game and never recovered.

“I thought I played well,” Bartoli said. “I could have finished earlier. I mean, it could have been 6-1 in the second instead of 6-2, even 6-0. But overall, it was a great performance.”

Jankovic spoiled Zakopalova’s 29th birthday to reach her second semifinal in two weeks, and hopes to end Zvonareva’s streak against her.

“I feel really good about my game lately,” Jankovic said. “I’ve had some pretty good wins. I’ve played some really good tennis so I look forward to playing in the semifinals.”

MOSCOW (AP)—Russian tennis player Mikhail Youzhny says he is quitting Davis Cup tennis because he prefers to spend time between tournaments recovering and relaxing with his family.

The 11th-ranked Youzhny also tells Sport-Express that he has stepped down to make way for younger players.

Youzhny, who is 28, is Russia’s top-ranked player. Possibly his greatest Davis Cup moment came when he rallied from 2-0 down in the decisive fifth match against Paul-Henri Mathieu in the 2002 final against France to secure Russia its first title.

He also was on the team that won the title against Argentina in 2006.

Russia plays Sweden in the first round of the Davis Cup on March 4-6.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, winners of six of the last eight Dubai Championships, remained on course to play for the title by winning quarterfinal matches Thursday in straight sets.

Federer was broken for the first time in three matches but defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 6-3, 6-4. Novak Djokovic, the two-time defending champion, beat Florian Mayer of Germany 7-5, 6-4.

Federer will play Richard Gasquet, who downed Gilles Simon 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in an all-French match. Djokovic will play Tomas Berdych in a rematch of their Australian Open quarterfinal. Djokovic won and beat Federer in the semis and Andy Murray in the final.

Berdych is “playing really well in the last year and a half,” Djokovic said. “He’s a quite consistent player right now. He has a very powerful serve, very fast baseline strokes, very flat. So I guess I need to be patient and wait for my chances.”

Stakhovsky saved three match points but Federer finally won when Stakhovsky hit a return wide. Federer was playing Stakhovsky for the first time.

“I thought it was a tough match, tougher than the last couple,” Federer said.

Djokovic trailed Mayer 5-3 in the first set but the unseeded German’s serve abandoned him and Djokovic wasn’t troubled again.

“The ball was going faster today, and he took it to me from the start,” Djokovic said. “Already first game he was on the net, twice, three times. I was not moving my legs well. I was making lots of unforced errors.”

Next up for Djokovic is Berdych, who beat big-serving Phillip Petzschner of Germany 7-5, 6-4. The third-seeded Czech wasted six set points in the first set. In the second set, Berdych made the decisive break to lead 5-4.

Berdych lost to Petzschner last year.

“Philipp likes to play big serves, sometimes come to the net, a lot of slice in the backhand side and then he just makes a winner like that,” Berdych said. “He does not give you a rhythm on court at all.”

Gasquet improved his record against Simon to 5-0, but he’ll carry a seven-match losing streak against Federer into their semifinal.

“When I played him in (Paris) last year, I wanted to play very good, to play all the lines, and I made a lot of mistakes,” Gasquet said. “So I just have to try to play my game. For sure, he’s the favorite for the match.”

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP)—Third-seeded Nicolas Almagro beat Italian Filippo Volandri of Italy 6-2, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Mexican Open on Wednesday as he attempts to claim his third straight tournament on clay.

The Spaniard downed Volandri in just over an hour as he storms closer to adding the Mexico trophy to the titles he picked up at Argentina and Brazil in the last two weeks.

Almagro converted five of his seven break points on his way to winning his 11th straight match, and will face Santiago Giraldo of Colombia in the quarterfinals.

“It will be tough match,” he said. “It’s the quarterfinals and nobody gives you anything.”

Top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain cruised past Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico 6-2, 6-2 in the late match Wednesday. No. 4 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland beat Fabio Fognini of Italy 5-7, 6-3, 7-5, sixth-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine beat Carlos Berlocq of Argentina 6-1, 6-4, and seventh-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina won 6-3, 6-4 over Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay.

No. 5 Albert Montanes of Spain was upset by Santiago Giraldo of Colombia, 6-3, 6-4, while Thomaz Belluci of Brazil rallied to beat Spaniard Ivan Navarro 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.

On the women’s side in the combined ATP-WTA event, top-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany was eliminated by Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 6-4, 7-6 (8). Third-seeded Greta Arn of Hungary defeated Renata Voracova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

Fourth-seeded Gisela Dulko of Argentina defeated Silvia Soler Espinosa of Spain, 6-1, 6-1, and No. 6 Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain won her match when Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine retired in the second set while trailing 6-3, 1-0.

Seventh-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain downed Madalina Gojnea of Romania 6-4, 6-3.

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