Former Grand Slam champions Justine Henin and Marat Safin have been entered into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Justine Henin is regarded as one of the best female players of the 21st Century, winning seven Grand Slam titles between 2003-2007. She won the French Open four times in the space of five years, taking the title in 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007. She also won the Australian Open once, the US Open twice, and was twice a runner-up at Wimbledon. Henin was also ranked World No.1 for more than 100 weeks.
Henin is noted for being one of the most serious challengers to the dominance of the Williams sisters, Serena Williams led their head-to-head, but Henin led in Grand Slam meetings, four to Williams three. Henin also had a rivalry with fellow Belgian Kim Cjlisters and Amelie Mauresmo.
- Henin winning the 2005 French Open.
Henin was noted for having one of the best single-handed backhands in tennis, earning praise from a number of players and commentators including John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova. Her game was also known for precise, accurate ground-strokes, and possessing an all-court game, compared to many more powerful base-liners. Henin retired in 2008 before returning to the tour in 2010. Henin retired for a second time in 2011 due to an elbow injury.
Henin – “Not a lot of people really believed I could reach my goal because my dream was to become the best player in the world. It became my goal. A lot of people thought I was a little bit crazy. But strongly, deeply I never really doubted about the fact that I could make it.”
- Marat Safin tribute video.
Marat Safin is a two-time Grand Slam title winner earning victories at the US Open in 2000 by defeating Pete Sampras, and also enjoyed a nine week reign as World No.1 that year. He would reach the 2002 and 2004 Australian Open Finals, losing to Thomas Johansson and Roger Federer, before finally winning the title in 2005 by defeating Lleyton Hewitt. Injury and loss of form would haunt the Russian, and he would only once progress past the fourth round of a Grand Slam after his Australian Open triumph. That was a shock run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2008, after defeating current world No.1 Novak Djokovic in the second round. That run ensured that Safin joined a select group of players who have reached the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams.
Safin also won five Masters 1000 titles earning the titles in Canada, Madrid and Paris (3). Safin was notable for being an tough opponent for the young Roger Federer. Between the 2004 Wimbledon and the 2008 Australian Open, Safin was the only player besides Rafael Nadal to defeat Federer in a Grand Slam tournament, as Safin defeated Federer in a five set thriller en route to his title win in 2005.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoYaSlbPHig
- Safin defeating Federer en route to the 2005 Australian Open title.
Safin was also part of Russian Davis Cup team that included Yegeny Kafelnikov and Mikhail Youzhny. They won the title for the first time, with Safin crucially winning both of his singles rubbers in a 3-2 win. Safin also proved pivotal in Russia winning in 2006 , losing one singles rubber, but winning the second and playing in the winning doubles team to beat Argentina.
Safin on his career – “Very difficult to come out of the country. No money. To come out of the country and start to play on the world level, I think it’s a really big achievement.”
Safin has now embarked on a political career in Russia.
