Justine Henin may have been oblivious to anything outside her world, but now she is stepping out. After more than five years, Henin has reunited with a family from which she had been estranged.

This could not have come at a more opportune time. Earlier this year Henin's marriage to Pierre Yves Hardenne fell apart. One would have expected Henin's tennis would follow. But that was not the case. After missing the Australian Open, Henin came back. Who expected her to find an oasis in the desert? She did, winning back-to-back titles at Dubai and Doha. She showed the same steely-eyed intensity and grit we expect. It was not until the clay court season that people began to see the "new" Justine.

During Justine's favorite tournament at Roland Garros, several commentators were keen to say how calm Henin looked. She seemed to have loosened up since the last time we saw her in a Slam. She pumped her fist more and yelled "allez" at every opportunity. This was a far cry from the Justine we thought we knew.

This new wave of emotion carried Henin to her third consecutive and fourth overall title at Roland Garros. With 15,000 fans cheering her on, Henin casually walked up to accept the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen. She thanked the fans and her coach for their support.

The shining moment was when Henin looked into the crowd and thanked her siblings for being there. Henin even said she wishes that her father will be in the stands one day, to see her lift her favorite trophy. Tennis fans were shocked but pleased with the amount of emotion shown by the usually impersonal Henin.

In earlier years Justine Henin used to say that she was proud if a player said they "didn't know her." In her mind only a select few knew the "real" Justine. This season on the WTA tour, the top ranked Henin has a different attitude. She has slowly begun to step out of her world and let in the people she has kept at bay for so long. From here she can only go up.