Justine Henin reveals she used to be labeled "cold" during her time on the WTA Tour, but explains her attitude was always to be focused on the job and block out everything that could pose a possible distraction.
Henin, who turned pro in 1999, was one of the most dominant players in the early 2000s, winning seven Grand Slams between 2003 and 2007. If you can recall, Serena and Venus Williams were at their peak at the time - which makes the Belgian's success during that period even more impressive.
To this day, Henin's footwork is widely regarded as one of the best in women's tennis history. When it comes to her personality, the former world No. 1 was usually reserved and it wasn't a secret that she didn't have much relationships with her colleagues at the time.
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People said I was cold. But I completely assumed it. I couldnt deal with the social life, being nice to everyone and giving my time to everyone. I was there to play tennis, to do the job... I was where I wanted to beit was my dream. But when I arrived, of course there was a lot of pressure. It was an amazing challenge to deal with that. For me, shutting things out was positive. I was focused on what mattered," Henin said during her appearance on Caroline Garcia's podcast.
Henin: I had one friend... If I didn't, it would have been very lonely
After explaining how she was going about her business and approaching her tennis career, Henin confirmed that she had one friend - it was Nathalie Dechy, a former French player. And
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Nathalie Dechy was my only real friend on tour. I wasnt looking for many, but I did need one. Otherwise, it can be very lonely," the former world No. 1 added on the Tennis Insider Club.
Henin was only 28 when she retired from pro tennis in 2011 January.
