"It was confusing and rightfully so, we needed clarification" - Tennis presenter Brad Falkner recalls interviewing Justine Henin after her controversial win over Serena Williams at French Open
Former Tennis Channel presenter Brad Falkner recently talked about how he was confused by the incidents in the the 2003 French Open semifinals, where Justine Henin defeated Serena Williams.
Henin had put her hand up when the American was serving at a crucial point in the match. However, the chair umpire did not see Henin's hand and called for a second serve, which did not sit well with Williams.
Falkner, who interviewed Henin after the controversial match, mentioned in a recent podcast episode of On Court-Side with Beilinson Tennis that the whole situation was 'confusing'.
"Yeah, Mary Carillo, who was commentating on the match, had the same outlook as Steve on it as I did. It was confusing and rightly so," Falkner said.
The American presenter, who worked for the Tennis Channel for seven years, further revealed that he needed clarification as Williams was not 'upset' with Henin. That was why he asked his colleague for help to frame the question.
"We needed clarification because Serena wasn't upset as Steve said Serena said it didn't cost her the match, so I knew that was a critical question. So I said to Steve, 'Just write it for me' and tell me how to write the question," he said.
"It was a Q/A article for Tennis Week. Roger is on the cover because he won Wimbledon that year unfortunately as you know Justine never did. So that edition of Tennis Week, I just asked Steve to tell me how to ask the question verbatim and I did," Faulkner added.
"She pushed me so much to become a better player" - Justine Henin on Serena Williams
During a recent interview with Eurosport, Justine Henin revealed that Serena Williams pushed her to become a better player.
"Of course she has been a big part of my career, because she pushed me so much to become a better player,” said the Belgian.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion further stated that Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, was the 'biggest challenge' for many players on the tour.
“She was my biggest challenge, like many other players, and I feel really grateful and happy that I could be a part of it with Serena, with Venus, with all these champions. But Serena of course, mentally challenged me a lot during my career, and she made me win big matches a couple of times," said Henin.