Clijsters left high and dry
In a post-match interview, Kim Clijsters gave a banal analysis of her loss to 21st seeded Vera Zvonareva in their quarter-final match up on Tuesday at the All England Club. The defeat stunted Clijsters’ hopes of a victorious return to Wimbledon, and the Belgian star seemed disappointed, yet remained calm and composed when talking about her performance.
According to Clijsters opinion of Zvonareva’s performance, the Russian: "was very consistent, didn't give me any easy mistakes. I gave her a few too many". Regarding her own performance, Clijsters said: "It's too bad I wasn't able to come up with my best at the important time in the match."
The 27-year-old Belgian is known for giving rational, almost mechanical analyses of her on-court performance. Clijsters was clearly let down about a lost opportunity to claim the Wimbledon victory, especially since she has repeatedly claimed that her decision to come out of retirement last year was largely motivated by her desire to win the elusive Grand Slam trophy.
Clijsters also said of Zvonareva: "She was good at keeping me under pressure. She hits the ball very hard, flat and deep. It was up to me to try to go for the lines, open up the court a little bit more, especially to her forehand. She was really on top of my game today."
Victory on the horizon
Not one to give up without a fight, Clijsters does not rule herself out of a winning return to Wimbledon another year. Her early elimination was probably exacerbated by a relatively short match practice period, as she was nursing an injured left foot since May, and was obliged to withdraw from the French Open and Madrid.
The Belgian said: "It was disappointing to come from five, six weeks off without hitting one ball. That was probably not a great preparation. If I hadn't been injured, I would have played two or three tournaments leading into Wimbledon, maybe four."
Yet she said: "I've played really well since I've come back [from injury]. I played two good matches in Eastbourne. I played some good tennis here. So I don't think there's anything to blame."
Notwithstanding her recent injury, the reigning USA Open Champion repelled any suggestion that her retirement from professional tennis a year ago has resulted in an inconsistent game, saying: "I think I'm more focused than I used to be. This is my first time back at Wimbledon. Obviously it takes time.”
Serving for the game
Clijsters did admit that there are still areas of her game that she has to work on. She said: "What I want to work on is my serve, and making sure that I get a higher first serve percentage. I think I have the habit of not finishing my service motion to a full end because as soon as I land with my first foot, I'm already pushing back to be ready for that next shot.”
"So you have to make a choice. You want to be ready, maybe a little bit later for the next shot because you want to have a higher percentage of serve. I'm really trying to work on that. "
Despite her unexpected loss to Zvonareva, Clijsters is still in command of her game. After all, she did manage to win the US Open in 2009, only a month after coming back into pro tennis from her retirement. She will continue to take her impressive return to top class tennis in stride, and proving that she is aware of needed improvements to certain elements of her game, she will undoubtedly regain her formidable on-court presence after spending some time in preparation and training.
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