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Bad blood Battle of Belgians Clijsters, Henin is friendly no morePosted: Tuesday August 05, 2003 3:34 PMUpdated: Tuesday August 05, 2003 4:03 PM
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Only last month, King Albert II lauded Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne as exemplary athletes who brought linguistically divided Belgium together. Now, out of the blue, the two tennis stars are openly fighting. "Henin-Clijsters: War of words," headlined the French-language Le Soir newspaper Tuesday. "A row between Kim and Justine," added the Dutch-language het Nieuwsblad, highlighting the sudden rift between the Fed Cup teammates who long seemed as close on court as off it. The spat could not come at a worse moment for Belgian tennis, currently enjoying its brightest season ever. Clijsters could take over the world No. 1 ranking from the injured Serena Williams this weekend and Roland Garros champion Henin-Hardenne, who could climb to No. 2 shortly, is seen as a top favorite for the U.S. open title. Bad blood between the two centers on a medical break Henin-Hardenne took during Sunday's final of the Acura Classic in San Diego. Clijsters easily won the first set and claimed her compatriot didn't need urgent medical attention and only took the intermission to break her rhythm. Henin-Hardenne came back to win the thrilling three-setter 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. "It's not the first time that it's happened," an angry Clijsters said after the final. "She's probably done it in every match I've played against her." Henin-Hardenne quickly retorted to the accusation of poor gamesmanship, insisting she needed to change a bandage on a blister. "She can think whatever she wants" -- hardly an answer expected between friends. Fed Cup team coach Ivo Van Aken called their relationship "professionally friendly," something which is increasingly tested as they face each other more and more in tournament finals. "The matches between Kim and Justice are more charged than they used to be," Van Aken told De Morgen. Clijsters, 20, long had the better of Henin-Hardenne, who is one year her senior, and still leads her 8-5 in head-to-head matches. Henin-Hardenne, though, has overcome her Clijsters jinx and is on a roll now, beating her three times in the last four meetings. She retired hurt in the other match. In the WTA rankings, Williams still leads with 6,060 points but is sidelined for weeks because of a knee operation. Clijsters is closing in with 5,911 while Henin-Hardenne has 5,007 for third place. Up to now, the whole of Belgium equally cheered both players, despite their differences. The Dutch-speaking Clijsters, from Belgium's northern Flanders region, has a happy-go-lucky personality and an imposing build typical for the power game tennis has become. The Francophone Henin-Hardenne, from southern Wallonia, is more reserved and her smaller posture has turned her into a lightning quick overachiever who chases every ball and never surrenders a point. Because they come from opposite sides of Belgium's linguistic divide and since they teamed up together to win the 2001 Fed Cup, they have become a national symbol in a relatively young country with precious few of them. When they both reached the French Open final in June, half the royal house and government was in attendance at Roland Garros' center court. "The overall enthusiasm the success of Justine and Kim engenders is proof of our bond," King Albert II said in his address to the nation on independence day July 21. Now, three weeks ahead of the U.S. Open, the bond between the players is weakening fast.
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