Kim Clijsters says fit to lead Belgian squad
Australian Open winner Kim Clijsters will lead the Belgian team against the U.S. squad in the Fed Cup. The American team will not include the Williams sisters to take on the strong Belgian line-up this weekend. Both the teams will face each other on the indoor hard courts this Saturday.
Clijsters has been in prime form this year which helped her reach the final at Sydney and win her first Aussie Open crown. The second seed, on returning to her home, said she had been suffering from lack of sleep since her recent victory but claimed herself fully fit for the opener.
On the other side, persistent injuries of the Williams sisters (Serena and Venus) have debilitated the furious power of the U.S. squad before the Belgian side. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (48th seed) and Melanie Oudin (61st seed) appear to be unequal match to the aggressive Kim Clijsters and Yanina Wickmayer (26th) of Belgium. Bethanie has been in good touch throughout the season as she played vital role in U.S. success in the Hopman Cup this season. Vania King and Liezel Huber are the other members of the U.S. squad this year.
The American team had been featured in the absence of the injured Williams sisters in the last two events' finals. In fact, the Americans don’t want to rely just on the Williams sisters for success, and believe that their absence won’t make much of a difference to them. They lost to Italy, the defending champion, both times in the finals. The U.S. had won the Fed Cup way back in 2000 when they defeated Spain in a 5-0 contest. They have never lost on two consecutive occasions since then.
“It has always been a challenge when you are considered as an underdog but it is something our team really thrives on,” said Mary Joe Fernandez, the American captain. She added, “It brings out the best for us.” She further reflected that the American team is no more afraid of the other fan favourite squad away from home.
Undoubtedly, Clijsters is the strongest contender among the Belgians but fans are much concerned about her country fellow Yanina Wickmayer, too. She was ejected from the second round of the Australian Open after which she was caught by a nasty cold. She stated that she would recover by taking antibiotics till Saturday. The Americans possibly will target Wickmayer as a weaker link in the opposite side and try to exploit her.
Clijsters is confident of her team's strength and believes that the Americans would not be able to overtake them. She said that it is experience only which matters in handling the pressure of big contests and her team is definitely proficient enough to do so. She is determined to win the event convincingly and is planning to cash in on the lack of team spirit in her opponents.
“They perform brilliantly only when they feel themselves the part of a team,” commented Clijsters.
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