Tennis News: Injured Kim Clijsters takes a break from professional tennis for a month
Persistent injuries of world number two, Kim Clijsters of Belgium, pushed her out of the professional tennis circle for more than a month. The Belgian has been battling with her right shoulder and wrist injuries since the beginning
of this year and has been taking antibiotics to keep playing.
Clijsters injuries caused the four times Grand Slam winner to quit playing the Fed Cup semi-final for Belgium on 16th and 17th of April, as she announced that she will be taking a lay off from tennis for at
least one month. She will also not take part in the Mutua Madrid Open in the first week of May and is aiming to make a comeback at the French Open, a Grand Slam she has never won.
“The Fed Cup is something I was really looking forward to, but I felt that something was out of the ordinary,” Clijsters told in the press reporters, “There were too many minor ailments, one after the other, which did not seem
to disappear. Something like that gets into your head.”
The second ranked Belgian felt agonising pain in her shoulder at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, forcing her to retire from her fourth round match against Marion Bartoli of France. Clijsters took part in Sony Ericsson Open
at Miami a fortnight ago, where she was defeated by Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-finals after an injury-stricken performance. Her medical staff advised Clijsters on this Tuesday to take a rest from professional tennis for four to six consecutive weeks.
The Belgian has made it to the final of the Roland Garros two times, suffering defeat on each occasion. Clijsters had already hinted that this could be her last full year in professional tennis and she might retire at the end of
the running WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) season. She mentions her lay off period as a necessary rest for putting up good performance at the French Open.
“I really want to be there at this year’s Roland Garros. There is no other option than to rest and I certainly can’t use a tennis racquet for the first few weeks,” told the Belgian.
Clijsters’ injury has delivered a hammer blow to the Belgian squad for the Fed Cup, as it has to compete against a strong team of Czech Republic in the semi-finals. Justine Henin of Belgian has already retired from tennis earlier
this year and Belgium now relies on the world number 23 Yanina Wickmayer and 103rdranked Kirsten Flipkens.
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