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US OPEN 2009: Henin’s legacy lingers on in rising star Wickmayer

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin has been retired for 16 months but the Belgian former world No. 1’s legacy lives on at the US Open in 19-year-old compatriot Yanina Wickmayer.

The 50th-ranked Wickmayer — who like Henin, lost her mother to cancer as a child and turned to tennis — advanced to the quarter-finals on Monday with victory over Czech teen Petra Kvitova.

“I was feeling pretty confident but playing quarters in a Grand Slam for the first time is a special moment,” Wickmayer said. “If your furthest in a Grand Slam is second round, I don’t think you can expect anything.”

Henin was 12 when her mother Francoise died of cancer. The memory of her mother taking her to the 1992 French Open final drove Henin’s dream of winning at Roland Garros, which she did four times.

Wickmayer’s father Marc has been an inspiration, giving up his construction job to make his daughter’s tennis dream come true when she was nine.

“I lost my mom when I was nine,” Wickmayer said. “I loved playing tennis. I really enjoyed it but just wanted to get away from home, do other stuff, be around other people. That’s why we left.”

Her dad gave up his job to move her not for dreams of a champion, but simply to put a smile on his little girl’s face.

“I have to admire him for giving up everything he had,” Wickmayer said. “He gave up his job. He gave up his friends. He gave up the house, his cars and we just left. He put his whole life in me so I respect him for that.”

“He didn’t leave everything because he expected me to be a champion. He just left to make me happy. That’s a whole lot of difference,” she said.

“Everything I have is a little bit because of him because he trusted me. He wanted to make me happy no matter what. He always believed in me. He always supported me, even when I had a few tough years. He’s a great guy,” Wickmayer said.
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