Henin back from brink in second comeback at Melbourne
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By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Justine Henin, who quit the tour in 2008 to find herself, nearly found herself out of the Australian Open on Monday after getting completely lost in her first-round match against India's Sania Mirza.
The seven-times grand slam champion was making her second comeback at Melbourne Park in two years, having spent six months on the sidelines due to an elbow ligament injury.
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Her first comeback, 20 months after walking out of the game disillusioned, set last year's tournament alight with a barnstorming run stopped only by champion Serena Williams in the final.
That run was a distant memory for Henin on Monday as she nervously threw away the first set before feeling her way out of the darkness to post a scratchy 5-7 6-3 6-1 win.
"I was ready (for) a tough match because she's not a qualifier like maybe the others, as she has been in this type of situation," said Henin of her opponent, a huge celebrity in India.
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"There are many things we can talk about that wasn't good in my game.
"But I think my attitude has been very positive. So I really kept fighting in the second set when I was feeling a bit down at that time.
"So I'm glad, because it wasn't an easy draw for me to start into the tournament."
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Henin, who stands out from the crowd of baseline pounders thanks to her sublime backhands and tenacious net-rushing, played with a heavy black band strapped to her elbow as the injury as yet to heal completely.
"The problem ... it's going to be there for probably a little longer. I just try to stay focused on what's really important, my game and how I feel physically generally," said the former Melbourne Park champion, who will next take on Britain's Elena Baltacha.
"So I just try to forget a little bit about this."
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(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)