"It's not the first time Justine Henin has done this" - When Kim Clijsters accused compatriot of faking injuries to her advantage

Belgian four-time Grand Slam singles champion Kim Clijsters famously accused compatriot Justin Henin of regularly faking injuries to her advantage during an interview in 2003.

Clijsters sparked the war of words after losing a tight three-match to Henin in the 2003 Acura Classic final in San Diego. She won the first set 6-3 but lost the next two, 6–2 and 6–3, respectively.

It was all going well for Clijsters until Henin called for a medical to get her bandage changed on a painful blister on her foot. Clijsters firmly believed Henin used the break to her advantage. She even on to claim that this was not the first time Henin had resorted to such tactics.

"It's not the first time she has done this, I think she has probably had to do it in every one of our matches. It's a sign that she is not at her best and so she has to resort to other means to get out of scrapes," Clijsters said.

Then-20-year-old Clijsters stated that she saw nothing wrong with Henin's movement and that the fellow Belgian was moving as well as anybody else after her medical timeout.

"Looking at the way she was moving around the court afterwards she didn't look like she was in real pain. It's to her credit that she is able to turn matches around by acting in this way," Clijsters concluded.

When asked for a response, Henin did not hold back. Strictly maintaining that she adheres to fair play, Henin claimed Clijsters only complained because she was disappointed to lose the match.

"She can think what she wants. She said that because she was disappointed to have lost the match. I can understand that. But I adhere to fair play," Henin said.

Henin reinforced that there were no mind games involved and that the injury itself was very painful.

"I had to change the bandage that was protecting the blister because it was rubbing. It's very easy for her to declare these kind of things but it had nothing to do with any mind games. I think some players don't like the fact that a player of my stature - less imposing than theirs - is strong and capable of tirelessly running around the court," she concluded.

Kim Clijsters and Justin Henin's rivarly

Kim Clijsters and Justin Henin at the 2010 Wimbledon Championship

The two Belgian stalwarts ruled the roost in women's tennis in the early 2000s. Winning a combined 11 Grand Slam singles titles between them, the pair crossed paths with each other 25 between 1998 and 2010.

Their overall head-to-head stands at 13-12 in favor of Clijsters, but Henin leads the way in their Grand Slam head-to-head with a 5-3 majority. Henin has also won all three of their meetings in the Grand Slam finals.

The pair played each other for the first time in 1998, in the quarterfinals of the Ramat HaSharon tournament. Henin won that contest 6–1, 7–6(7–3). They last played at the Wimbledon in 2010, with Clijsters winning the match 2–6, 6–2, 6–3.

Clijsters leads the head-to-head on the hardcourts (8-4) and indoor carpet (2-0), while Henin leads on clay (5-1) and grass (3-2).