via Getty
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Kim Clijsters of Belgium smiles during the mixed doubles match between John McEnroe of the United States and his partner Kim Clijsters of Belgium and Martina Navratilova of the United States and Jamie Murray of Great Britain during the Wimbledon No. 1 Court Celebration in support of the Wimbledon Foundation at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on May 19, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
via Getty
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Kim Clijsters of Belgium smiles during the mixed doubles match between John McEnroe of the United States and his partner Kim Clijsters of Belgium and Martina Navratilova of the United States and Jamie Murray of Great Britain during the Wimbledon No. 1 Court Celebration in support of the Wimbledon Foundation at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on May 19, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Over the years, Belgian professional tennis player Kim Clijsters has done wonders in tennis. Clijsters has managed to win 4 grand slams in singles. She has also won 2 majors in doubles. Similar to the William sisters, Kim has held the number 1 rankings in both singles and doubles.
Although the Belgian has not managed to win all four slams, she has done justice to her grand slam tally. Clijsters has won 1 Australian Open title and 3 US Open championships, clearly indicating her hard court superiority. She has managed to be a French Open finalist and Wimbledon semi-finalist on 2 occasions.
The former world no. 1 has kept her association with the game going, often coming out of retirement. After more than seven years of retirement, Clijsters returned to professional tennis in February 2020 at the Dubai Open as a wildcard. Clijsters lost to Australian Open runner-up Garbine Muguruza in the opening round.
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via Getty
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Kim Clijsters of Belgium smiles during the mixed doubles match between John McEnroe of the United States and his partner Kim Clijsters of Belgium and Martina Navratilova of the United States and Jamie Murray of Great Britain during the Wimbledon No. 1 Court Celebration in support of the Wimbledon Foundation at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on May 19, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Kim Clijsters to Give Australian Open 2021 a Miss?
Recently, there were talks of Clijsters playing the Australian Open. However, with the latest release of the wild card holders, Kim Clijsters’ name didn’t show up. Maddison Inglis, Astra Sharma, Daria Gavrilova, and Lizette Cabrera have received wild cards. Former grand slam winner Sam Stosur, Destanee Aiava, and Arina Rodionova have received wild cards too.
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Upon receiving this latest development, it gives an indication of the Belgian’s absence from the first major of the new year. Over time, Kim has enjoyed fierce rivalries with players such as Justin Henin, Serena Williams, Venus Williams to name a few.
Reflecting back on Kim’s career, at the age of 23, Kim announced her retirement from the game. She returned back two years later. After beginning her second spell, the Belgian won 2 US Open titles and 1 Australian Open title. Clijsters knew she was planning to retire in 2012 as she did not want to be on the tour while her daughter was in school.
Coming back to the present date, although it seems evident that Kim isn’t going to be part of the first major of the new year, we hope to see her on a tennis court at some point during the season ahead.
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