Justine Henin is having make-up applied for her appearance on the BBC tonight. “I love being like everyone else even if I know I will never be like anyone else,” she says, and there, in a nutshell, you have a fascinating insight into what has turned this imp of a girl into a remarkable champion.

Henin’s victory in the Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid eight days ago may not have received the tumultuous acclaim that greeted Roger Federer’s Shanghai success yesterday, but it placed her mark on the sport with every bit as much emphasis. The Belgian, 25, completed a year in which she won the French and US Open titles and lost only four of 67 singles matches. She leads the rankings and is eager not to let anyone topple her.

When Henin talks of not being like anyone else, it is not necessarily about her contemporaries on the tour that she is talking. She will not be like any of her long-time friends, for she cannot be carefree until she has completed the task she sets herself each week, of keeping one step ahead.

Asked by Gabby Logan, on Inside Sport tonight, whether the tennis tour is a “real life”, Henin says: “No, it’s both very strange and very special. I’m doing this because I love the competition, I love to push my limits, trying to be a better player. I love to compete. But my friends aren’t on this tour.

“I’m very focused on myself. I don’t think about the other players except that I have a lot of respect for them. My goal is to try to enjoy what I do, to play well, but, for sure, most importantly, to win the match.” She also tells how important it is for any champion to remain humble in thought and deed. “When a kid is coming up and asking for an autograph and almost shaking - like I was when I asked Steffi Graf for her autograph - it is an honour and responsibility. It is important always to remain the same person and I know I will never change.”

— Inside Sport, BBC One, 11.20pm