Jelena Jankovic wishes good luck to Kim Clijsters – Tennis News
Serbian ace, Jelena Jankovic, wished best of luck to her fellow former world number one, Kim Clijsters, who retired this season. The Belgian star played her last tennis match in an exhibition event against Venus Williams this month.
The former Serbian number one praised Clijsters and gave her warm wishes after hearing about her retirement. The Belgian veteran played her last professional tournament at the Flushing Meadows where she lost to the British teenager, Laura Robson, in the
second round.
However, Clijsters played her last match in an exhibition event against the American icon, Williams, in second week of December. She recorded a straight set victory against the former world number one and ended her career with a win.
Jankovic was quoted in an interview in Luxembourg:
“She was a great champion and a really nice girl, and she had a really great game - to watch, too. I got to compete against her a lot of times and we had some tough matches against each other, some exciting ones. It's unfortunate she's retired now, but
that's the way it goes. There's a life after tennis and she wants to do something else. Tennis gave her a lot and she had a great career, but there comes a time you decide you don't want to do it anymore. I wish her the best of luck, a great life after tennis
and good health.”
The 29-year-old ruled the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Rankings in 2003 when she climbed to number one. She claimed 41 singles titles and 11 doubles titles in her WTA career. Her achievement includes four Grand Slam titles, three of which
came at the US Open and one at the Australian Open last year. After winning the Australian Open, the Belgian reclaimed her top spot at the WTA Premier Rankings but injuries ruled her out for most of the season.
The Belgian star enjoyed success this season as well. She secured a semi-final berth at the Brisbane International, first WTA tournament of the season. Clijsters then cruised to final four at the Australian Open before bowing out to third seed Victoria
Azarenka. She also stunned top seed Caroline Wozniacki en route to the semis.
Clijsters maintained her intensity and despite skipping whole clay court season with injuries, the Belgian found her momentum in the grass court season. She also reached quarter-finals at the London Olympics before entering the Flushing Meadows.
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