Rafael Nadal ends his career with 22 Grand Slam titles, 14 of which were won on the clay at the French Open.

Henin was an excellent clay court player in her own right, and claimed four of her seven majors in Paris.

What ‘surprising’ claim did Justin Henin make about Rafael Nadal?

Justin Henin claimed four French Open titles, including three successive victories from 2005 to 2007.

In those same seasons, Nadal won the first three of his 14 French Open titles, and these achievements were also the first three Grand Slam titles of his career.

Given their simultaneous success at the French Open and their love for clay court tennis, Henin said she sees aspects of herself in the former World number one.

“It may seem strange, but I find a lot of myself in Rafael Nadal. We only have a very small piece of shared history at Roland-Garros,” she told Eurosport France.

“He continued his journey in a completely different way, but we still have this little piece of history in common. There was a bond because we had this love of Roland-Garros, this love of clay. That, for sure, is what we have in common.

“We never discussed it, but his gaze towards the members of his clan, his habits, his routine, his superstition, all that, it spoke to me a lot and I found a lot of myself in him, at that level. I felt that it was something we shared.”

What does Justin Henin think is Rafael Nadal’s greatest quality?

During her conversation with Eurosport France, Henin continued to praise Nadal following his retirement from tennis.

He will be remembered not just for his plethora of accomplishments, but his attitude and commitment to the game, and also having a desire to improve even when he was the world’s best player.

But Nadal has been regarded by many as the greatest competitor in the history of the game, coupled with the level of intensity he brought to every match, which Henin highlighted.

“His intensity. We had never seen that,” she said. “This side, I would almost say animal, this presence, this power, this nerve, this audacity, and then something that comes into place quite naturally.

“Whatever the conditions in which he entered the court, he put in a crazy intensity. And that, for me, is what he will still leave to the world of sport. He will have really marked me at that level.”

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