TalkAboutTennis
06-28-2008, 12:41 PM
by Maria O'Reilly
http://www.talkabouttennis.com/photos/JHbookcover.jpgThe blurb accompanying this book states that the biography was due to be released to coincide with Henin's Roland Garros campaign, which would be followed by her attempt to win Wimbledon for the first time. Her retirement was obviously a surprise to everyone, including the author, Mark Ryan, not just to her fans.
Despite initially finding the title to be overly dramatic, after reading the book, I came to believe that it is a fair summation of Justine's life and serves as a way to explain the steely determination Justine demonstrates on court.
Mark Ryan first met Justine's father, Jose, in 2001, when he worked for the British newspaper "The Mail on Sunday." He flew to Belgium to do an interview with Jose Henin about the rift in the family. Ryan ended up building a relationship with the Henin family, becoming especially close to Jose. As a result, the book is mostly written from the perspective of the Henin family. Those hoping for exclusive insights into her relationship with coach Carlos Rodriguez, or, indeed, any exclusive interviews with Justine herself will be disappointed.
The book fully explores Justine's early family life in Belgium, her relationships with her parents, grandparents and siblings. It describes the effect her mother's death, which occurred when Justine was 12 years old, had on her and on the rest of the family. The book also reveals that Justine's dad had coached her as a junior tennis player and details how Carlos Rodriguez taking over as her coach had a huge influence on Justine's life, both personally and professionally.
Justine's early relationship with now former husband Pierre-Yves Hardenne is also written about, again from the perspective of Justine's family. The family watched with trepidation as Justine and Hardenne became closer and Pierre-Yves gave up his career in order to support Justine on her way to becoming the best female tennis player in the world. Her father chronicles how extensive the rift caused by her relationship with Hardenne was, using as an example Justine’s failure to attend the funeral of her 6-week-old nephew in 2001. Mark Ryan notes that Carlos Rodriguez encouraged Justine and Pierre-Yves to get married, although he later came to regret that decision. None of Justine's immediate family members were invited to the wedding.
Justine's success on the tennis court is highlighted, as are the more controversial matches of her career. The effects of cytomegalovirus on her career are detailed, along with her joy afterwards at winning an Olympic gold medal. Any comments from Justine herself are from public interviews she gave at the time, with her father providing his opinions on all the incidents, good and bad.
The book concludes with the breakup of Justine’s marriage and the ensuing reconciliation with her family. It ends describing Jose’s experience finally getting to watch his daughter play a professional tennis match again in December 2007.
All in all, the book is an enjoyable read for a tennis fan. It gives an interesting insight into Henin's background, and the effect that her tennis career had on her family. After reading it, I feel Justine's retirement has been put into perspective, and I wish her a fulfilling life after tennis.
http://www.talkabouttennis.com/photos/JHbookcover.jpgThe blurb accompanying this book states that the biography was due to be released to coincide with Henin's Roland Garros campaign, which would be followed by her attempt to win Wimbledon for the first time. Her retirement was obviously a surprise to everyone, including the author, Mark Ryan, not just to her fans.
Despite initially finding the title to be overly dramatic, after reading the book, I came to believe that it is a fair summation of Justine's life and serves as a way to explain the steely determination Justine demonstrates on court.
Mark Ryan first met Justine's father, Jose, in 2001, when he worked for the British newspaper "The Mail on Sunday." He flew to Belgium to do an interview with Jose Henin about the rift in the family. Ryan ended up building a relationship with the Henin family, becoming especially close to Jose. As a result, the book is mostly written from the perspective of the Henin family. Those hoping for exclusive insights into her relationship with coach Carlos Rodriguez, or, indeed, any exclusive interviews with Justine herself will be disappointed.
The book fully explores Justine's early family life in Belgium, her relationships with her parents, grandparents and siblings. It describes the effect her mother's death, which occurred when Justine was 12 years old, had on her and on the rest of the family. The book also reveals that Justine's dad had coached her as a junior tennis player and details how Carlos Rodriguez taking over as her coach had a huge influence on Justine's life, both personally and professionally.
Justine's early relationship with now former husband Pierre-Yves Hardenne is also written about, again from the perspective of Justine's family. The family watched with trepidation as Justine and Hardenne became closer and Pierre-Yves gave up his career in order to support Justine on her way to becoming the best female tennis player in the world. Her father chronicles how extensive the rift caused by her relationship with Hardenne was, using as an example Justine’s failure to attend the funeral of her 6-week-old nephew in 2001. Mark Ryan notes that Carlos Rodriguez encouraged Justine and Pierre-Yves to get married, although he later came to regret that decision. None of Justine's immediate family members were invited to the wedding.
Justine's success on the tennis court is highlighted, as are the more controversial matches of her career. The effects of cytomegalovirus on her career are detailed, along with her joy afterwards at winning an Olympic gold medal. Any comments from Justine herself are from public interviews she gave at the time, with her father providing his opinions on all the incidents, good and bad.
The book concludes with the breakup of Justine’s marriage and the ensuing reconciliation with her family. It ends describing Jose’s experience finally getting to watch his daughter play a professional tennis match again in December 2007.
All in all, the book is an enjoyable read for a tennis fan. It gives an interesting insight into Henin's background, and the effect that her tennis career had on her family. After reading it, I feel Justine's retirement has been put into perspective, and I wish her a fulfilling life after tennis.