Not long after Wimbledon finally ended its practice of paying women players less than men, Justine Henin, back on court in Dubai after separating from her husband earlier this year, made the case for a return to unequal pay. She ought to earn more than anyone in tennis, save Roger Federer.

Since 2003, Henin has produced some of the most stylish tennis the game has ever known. Others have won more titles over similar periods, but few top players, men or women, have mastered so many facets of the game. Henin has an exceptional forehand and backhand, a good serve, crisp volleys, excellent footwork, precise tactics, a deft touch, and a willingness to play boldly on important points. She gets more out of her body — barely 5-foot-6, 126 pounds — than anyone in the sport, and perhaps any athlete in the world.

If Henin’s play in Dubai last week is any indication, she wants to do even more. The 24-year-old Belgian was rusty at times, but when the weekend rolled around, she was in fine form. Henin dropped the first set in her semifinal match against the erratic Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova and then dumped her 6–0 in the third set. In the final, she outmaneuvered Amelie Mauresmo with an array of volleys, topspin lobs, and passing shots, 6–4, 7–5. She has won in Dubai the last four times she’s played there (the only four times, in fact: She’s 16–0 there in her career).

When Henin won the U.S. Open in 2003, she prevailed largely because of grit and her remarkable one-handed backhand. Today, her game revolves around her forehand, though her one-handed backhand remains a deadly shot, and perhaps the prettiest in tennis. She hits aggressive service returns every game; against Mauresmo, who serves quite well, Henin hit several outright winners. Rather than looking to rally, as she might have in the past, Henin these days seeks every opportunity to hit a ball into a corner and charge the net.

Henin and her longtime coach, Carlos Rodriguez, see this increasingly aggressive style as less taxing, with shorter points an important benefit for the often-injured Henin. Although the strategy paid dividends last year — she reached the finals of all four majors and finished the year as the no. 1 player in the world — Henin at times lacked confidence during tense moments. She had Mauresmo beat at Wimbledon, before the Frenchwoman’s athleticism unsettled her. Maria Sharapova played fantastic tennis in the U.S. Open final, but Henin did not strike the ball with enough authority to keep Sharapova on the defensive. Playing the role of bully in tennis takes conviction, especially for a woman Henin’s size. Without it, aggression either fades or becomes recklessness.

This is what was so impressive about Henin’s title in Dubai last week. She dictated play and did so without hesitation. On the most crucial points against Mauresmo, Henin played superbly. In the first set, with Mauresmo threatening to level the match at 4–4, Henin saved herself from a 0–40 deficit on her serve. On one point, she clobbered a short, highbouncing ball to her backhand for a cross-court winner on the sideline. When given the chance to serve for the set, she held at love, finishing Mauresmo with a dipping backhand cross-court passing shot. She also served out the match at love (Mauresmo doublefaulted twice in the previous game to give Henin the final break she needed).

As well as Henin played last week, one aspect of her game is not up to snuff. She’s made a few changes to her serve over the years, first abandoning the step she took with her right foot before striking the ball, and last year adopting a new method of taking back her racket. Henin no longer drops her racket head as she tosses the ball, but instead pulls it straight back. Many modern players do this to some degree: Andy Roddick, Mauresmo, and Fernando Gonzalez, to name a few. Henin does not look entirely comfortable with this technique just yet. In the first set against Mauresmo, she made 44% of her first serves and double-faulted four times. If she had been playing a strong returner like Serena Williams, the outcome would have been different.

If Henin can serve well and remain healthy — both physically and mentally — she ought to have a strong season. Like Roger Federer, she needs only one more major title (in her case, Wimbledon) to complete her career Grand Slam. Better still, we might see Henin at her best playing against the Williams sisters at their best, or close to it. Serena, despite poor conditioning, played exceptionally well during the last weekend of the Australian Open, where she drubbed Sharapova in the final. Venus returned to action last week at a small tournament in Memphis after missing four months with a left-wrist injury. She defeated Shahar Peer in the final 6–1, 6–1.

Surprising as it may seem, tennis has not seen a day when all three of these women were in top form. Henin and Serena last met in the 2003 Wimbledon final, when Henin was a lesser player. Venus has defeated Henin seven out of eight matches, but all those were played from 2001 to 2003, with the last one coming in the 2003 Australian Open semifinal. When Henin crosses paths with either of these women, perhaps we’ll learn how much she has improved her game, and how far she can take it in the future.

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In other news, Roger Federer plays his first tournament since the Australian Open this week, also in Dubai. Federer has now broken Jimmy Connors’s record for consecutive weeks at no. 1. This is his 161st week on top, and counting.

tperrotta@nysun.com