Henin heads home to give aging knee a well earned rest

At the ripe old age of 25, Justine Henin feels it's time to give her "old" knee a rest.

The top-ranked Henin complained of a sore knee after tumbling out of the Australian Open with a 6-4, 6-0 quarterfinals loss to fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova.

"I was really concerned about my knee for a few days," the Belgian player said. "So I was a bit anxious, because I knew I wasn't really 100 percent. Even if it's not an excuse about what happened on the court, because she was much better than me."

Now she's heading home, Henin said she'll have a chance to put her feet up.

"It's just my knee is getting old, and, yeah, probably have to rest a little bit now," she said.

Henin missed the Australian Open last year and returned to the tour with a stunning 63-4 record in '07, including titles at the French and U.S. Opens.

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THE BODY: The normally reserved Rafael Nadal had his audience chuckling when describing his physique at the Australian Open.

When asked to compare the state of his body in Melbourne compared with last year's U.S. Open, No. 2 Nadal gave an answer many of his female fans would probably agree with.

"My body is perfect, no?" No. 2 Nadal joked before clarifying. "Physically speaking. Nothing perfect."

Nadal looked in great shape as he downed No. 24 Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 and reach his first semifinals in four trips to the Australian Open.

"This year I started very well. I don't have any problems at the U.S. Open and I'm in the semifinals without losing a set," he said. "Physically I'm very happy. I don't have any problem."

Nadal next faces Frenchman Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, who beat Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 7-5, 6-0, 7-6 (6).

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RETURN OF THE WOODIES: Almost seven years after dissolving their record-setting partnership, Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge could be heading for another doubles title at the Australian Open.

The pair, affectionately known throughout their doubles career as "the Woodies" won't be adding to their 61 tour wins, however, as they progress through a draw of fellow-former pros in the Legends tournament.

Woodforde and Woodbridge combined to win 11 Grand Slam doubles titles and an Olympic gold medal throughout the 1990s and 2000, before Woodforde retired ahead of the 2001 season.

The pair lead their Legends round-robin group after beating 1987 Wimbledon singles champion Pat Cash and seven-time doubles Grand Slam winner John Fitzgerald in straight sets.

"It was a great thrill to be playing alongside Todd again," said Woodforde. "We're having a great time out there."

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FINNISH ARMY LIFE: Jarkko Nieminen thinks a taste of Finnish army life has been a big factor in his best start to an ATP season.

Nieminen, who is on leave from his part-time national service in Finland, was runner up at Adelaide this month before making his first Australian Open quarterfinals, where he lost 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 to No. 2 Rafael Nadal on Tuesday.

"I feel I'm playing great," said Nieminen, ranked 24th. "I'm physically in better shape than ever, and to start a year like this, finals in Adelaide and then quarterfinals here, it's promising good for this year."

He said the basic training during the offseason helped improve his mental edge, rather than his fitness.

"I've always been in good shape, but I think maybe I'm mentally in better shape now because of that," said Nieminen, who must complete his army service on his return from the Open.

After losing the Adelaide final to Frenchman Michael Llodra, Nieminen beat Canadian Frank Dancevic, Americans Mardy Fish and Jesse Levine, and 29th-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber on his way to the Australian Open quarterfinals.

Nieminen reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2006, propelling him to a highest ever ranking of No. 13.