Sania is a real fighter on court: Henin

Belgian tennis champ Justine Henin has conquered the Grand Slam seven times and is one of the few who have defeated both the William sisters — Serena and Venus. Yet she asserts it’s normal to fear before going on the court. On her maiden trip to India for Roland Garros Junior Wild Card Series, Henin reveals why people considered her cold, her thoughts on Sania Mirza, and who she’d prefer in her biopic.

“The player who says is not scared before working on the court is lying,” says Henin, who knows that the game doesn’t have that old a history vis-à-vis other popular sports in India. “It’s far away from cricket, I could understand. Though tennis is not an easy sport as it’s expensive... now, we have some players performing better, and it’s because of these players at the top that young girls and boys are gonna start [playing it]. Sania [Mirza] is a real fighter on the court,” says Henin.

Ask her to elaborate and she adds, “[She is a] good

person, always discussing and smiling and sharing things with the other players. And now the level she plays is very good. You need that kind of girl to promote the game so I’m happy to hear that she’s invested into it and she’s [like an] ambassador for Indian tennis because you need that kind of personality and she’s doing the right way.”

Henin is quite candid now compared to her active years. She says she had to save her “energy for the game”. She says, “I always put my career in the centre. Sometimes I put limits because I said no [to meet people]. [I thought] What do people want? They want me to win, not to be nice and to accept everything! I think the key is to be earnest with yourself.”

If ever this champion gets a biopic, then there’s just one actor who she feels can portray her part on screen. “Kate Winslet would be [suitable]. I love to watch movies, and have so much respect for many actresses but there’s something [about Kate]. Her eyes are very expressive,” she ends.

When you think of actors who have opted for the path less travelled, Bhumi Pednekar’s name surely pops up in one’s mind. Bhumi is on a roll now, with as many as six films lined up next. Excerpts:

When my first film happened, like any newcomer, you don’t really have a lot of choices. I got lucky with a film like Dum Laga Ke Haisha. It was a lot of hard work, took a lot out of me, but set the tone for my career. Because of that, I realised I would be happy doing films where I will have more to contribute to. I have consciously chosen such projects. But I strongly feel that now, in today’s time, the role of a female actor has changed immensely.

Directors, producers and writers have now realised that gone are the days where women can only be singing and dancing in films, and if they are, those films are going to be called out. Yes, [I do feel the same] with every film choice I make. See, ultimately you don’t know whether the audience is going to accept a film or not. [But] I make sure I’m appreciated in some way. Commercial success is the most important thing, but that’s not something you have in your hand. I realise I won’t be allowed a lot of failures. I will have to give more than 100% to each film and keep doing things that are different.