Justine Henin said the US Open title she won on Saturday was the greatest of her seven Grand Slam crowns because it proved to all doubters, including herself, that she is the world's best tennis player.
World No. 1 Henin beat Russian fourth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-3 to win the year's final Grand Slam title, completing a fantastic fortnight in which she never dropped a set and beat Venus and Serena Williams.
"This one is maybe the most important one. The quality I played in the last few matches is amazing," Henin said.
PHOTO: EPA
"It's just a great feeling because I had a tough draw and I had a lot of things to prove to myself -- not to anyone else, just to myself -- and I did it," she said.
"I've been so consistent for two weeks and so calm, so relaxed. It's just great what I did and I'm really proud of it," Henin said.
The 25-year-old Belgian added to a Grand Slam haul that also includes the US Open crown she took in 2003, her 2004 Australian Open victory and French Open titles in 2003, 2005, last year and this year.
Despite an upset semi-final loss at Wimbledon and being in a half of the US Open draw with Serbian top-five stars Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic and her long-time rivals Venus and Serena Williams, Henin came through with a title.
Henin was only the second woman to sweep the Williamses in a Slam, ousting eight-time Slam champion Serena in a quarter-final and six-time Slam winner Venus in a semi-final, and the first to then go on and win the title.
"Not a lot of people thought I could win this Open with the draw I had and I did. It's amazing for me," Henin said. "I hope I can keep a lot of confidence from this tournament."
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