Kim Clijsters: Back to fight out Doha?
Officials, spectators, critics, fans and event organizers have all breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing good news from this year’s US Open tournament victor, Kim Clijsters. The tennis champion has been out of the running for tournaments such as the 2010
Toray Pan Pacific Open, and the WTA Tour event in China, as well as the 2010 Generali Ladies Linz. The reason for these absentees was surgery which the player had to have done on her foot, due to the growth of some moles.
Former World Number 1 Kim Clijsters is possibly one of the greatest success stories on the Women’s Tennis Association. The right handed Belgian is a professional tennis player who has bagged 39 WTA singles titles and 11 WTA doubles titles. She also holds
three Grand Slam singles titles at the US Open tournament at Flushing Meadows, Queens, in New York. She won these trophies in 2005, 2009 and this year.
27 year old Clijsters has also won the WTA Tour Championship singles title for two consecutive years, 2002 and 2003. Where her doubles performance is concerned, the young Belgian has won both the French Open at Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles in the same
year, 2003. She has been a finalist at the French Open twice, and once at the Australian Open. Her achievements also include two Wimbledons semi-finals appearances.
However, possibly the greatest achievement the tennis star has ever accomplished is her comeback in the world of tennis. On 6th May 2007, the player announced her retirement from the court, and was out of the game for many months. In between this
time, her life took a series of sharp curves – she married American NBA star, Brian Lynch, gave birth to her daughter, Jada Ellie, and also lost her father.
After these major life upheavals, she announced on 26th March 2009 that she would be returning to the sport she once dominated, in the 2009 hard court season. In her third tournament, she won her second US Open title. She is the first and only
unseeded player and wildcard to win the tournament yet. She is the first mother to win a major since Evonne Goolagong’s success in 1980. She has earned herself immense popularity as one of the “Comeback Queens of Tennis”.
This year, after winning the 2010 US Open trophy, Clijsters has been largely unavailable for the WTA Tour events. However, a recent update on her Twitter profile informed followers that she no longer feels pain in her foot, with the only evidence of the
surgery left is a small cut. Although this does not guarantee her appearance at the end of season championships, most fans are optimistic about the news, believing that she will probably make her way to the showcase event of the year. With many of the WTA’s
top 20 players out due to injury, a high profile name would only add to the interest of the tournaments. If Clijsters competes in the tournament, she would have an easy draw, greatly favouring her in the new year.
Tags: