Three-Time US Open Champion Clijsters Announces Return to Tour

September 12, 2019 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Clijsters
Photos courtesy of Samantha Deitch/BFA.com

 

Nearly a decade after playing her last match, Belgium’s Kim Clijsters announced on Thursday that she will be making a comeback to the WTA Tour in 2020.

“I don’t really feel like I want to prove something,” Clijsters told the WTA Insider Podcast. “I think for me it’s the challenge.”

Clijsters last played at the 2012 US Open after accumulating four Grand Slam titles, and a spot in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She reached the top ranking in the world in 2003, and briefly retired two years later after winning the 2005 US Open at the age of 23.

She would return to the tour in 2009 and would win the US Open that year in just her third tournament back, and would defend her title the following year. She captured her fourth major title at the 2011 Australian Open. 

Now at 36-years-old, Clijsters will look to add to her career accolades.

“The love for the sport is obviously still there,” she said. “But the question still is, am I capable of bringing it to a level where I would like to be at and where I want to be at before I want to play at a high level of one of the best women’s sports in the world. I don’t feel like I need to prove anything, but I want to challenge myself and I want to be strong again.”

 

 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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