Women's tennis need big names, rivalries : Justine Henin

Fierce rivalries are key for the growth of any sport and seven-time Grand Slam winner Justine Henin laments that women's tennis lacks iconic tussles such as between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the men's circuit.

In the past year, women's tennis has seen four different Grand Slam champions and Henin believes this inconsistency is not good for the sport.

Henin says modern-day women tennis needs rivalries since it is crucial to motivate youngsters.

"We need big names in women's tennis, big rivalries, to give motivation to young girls to play. If you see so many different players are winning, you cannot identify yourself to anyone," Henin said.

"Young girls are watching the player almost every week. It is very important to have a face. It has been a very strange season, all the tournaments have been won by different players. We miss that consistency. Inconsistency is not good for the sport."

Henin herself was one half of a fierce rivalry with compatriot Kim Clijsters. The latter ...