Justine Henin described her grand slam comeback as "almost perfect", despite falling at the final hurdle when she lost yesterday's Australian Open final to Serena Williams.
In her first grand slam event since retiring in May 2008, the 27-year-old Belgian, playing courtesy of a wildcard, came up agonisingly short as she attempted to emulate compatriot Kim Clijster's feat of winning the US Open in her comeback last year.
The former world No 1, playing in her first major final since the US Open in 2007, looked set to do exactly that when she dominated the closing stages of the second set to level the match.
However, Henin said she missed her opportunity early in the third set and Williams was able to steady to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
Despite the disappointment of losing the final, the seven-time grand slam champion said her assessment of the fortnight was overwhelmingly positive as she looked forward in the long term to her return to tennis.
"Of course [I am] disappointed, I mean, when you lose in the final of a grand slam, especially in three sets," she said.
"But this feeling of disappointment cannot take away all the things I've done in the last few weeks.
"And it's just more than what I could expect, I just have to rem-ember that.
"I'm sure there will be a lot of positive things I can think about in a few days, it's been almost perfect.
"Just the last step, I couldn't make it.
"It's a mixed feeling at the moment, but in a few hours I'm sure it's going to be much better."
Henin said she still had a great deal of improvement to come, but that reaching the final justified her decision to return to the court following her hiatus from the sport.
"I was curious about what my level would be and how I was going to deal with just the atmosphere on and off the court, how it would feel," she said.
"I feel that I took the right decision, so it's good enough for me already.
"I can be really happy about that."
Henin added that her battling straight sets second-round win over the world No 5 Elena Dementieva was her personal highlight of the tournament.
"When I beat Dementieva, it was a very good moment because the quality of the match was very, very good, and it was a match that I was waiting for," she said.
"It was a very good memory for me. But generally, the way I felt in the last few weeks has been fantastic.
"So I go back with only good things."
Henin won the last three games of the second set to level the match and had won 15 straight points when she took the first game of the decider to love.
However, she said the match turned when Williams was able to hold serve in the second game of the final set after a struggle.
"I had the big opportunity in the beginning of the third set, I started to play much better at the end of the second, really aggressive," she said.
"She was under pressure and she served unbelievable in that game."
* With agencies
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
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Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
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Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
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Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. The National's picks
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Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Ministry of Interior
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The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
