‘Very Intense to Deal With’- Former Us Open Champion Kim Clijsters Says She Didn’t Want the Spotlight She Got in Tennis

Over the years, we have seen many early retirements in tennis. Many a time it is because of severe injuries or mental health reasons. At times, athletes have quit tennis to start a family as well. However, for former Belgian tennis star Kim Clijsters, the reason for retirement was completely different.

A player belonging to the era of greats, like Serena Williams, had some great records. She won four Grand Slam titles and was a prospective future great. However, she took early retirement at an age of only 23.

Why did Kim Clijsters take early retirement?

Speaking about her decision to retire at an early age, the Belgian said that it was because she had a problem with all the limelight she was getting. “Me quitting the first time at a young age. I think I was only 23 or 24 was a combination of the intense lifestyle. Being in a spotlight that I am not a person who, it doesn’t feed me, doesn’t drive me to do more of it. On the contrary, actually,” she said.

Clijsters further added, “So that became all very very intense to deal with, and then I felt like I was kind of not enjoying. I wasn’t happy…. I felt like I just wasn’t mentally capable of practicing the amount of hours that I had to practice to play the best tennis. When I wasn’t doing that, I felt like I wasn’t being the professional athlete that I had to be.”

Read more: ‘Excited for This New Challenge’ – Kim Clijsters Elated After Taking a New Position at the International Tennis Hall of Fame

The former world number came out of retirement two years later in 2009. It can be called as one of the greatest comebacks after retirement. She went on to add three more major titles to her solitary US Open title in 2005.

Second retirement and comeback

After her wonderful coming-out of retirement performance, Clijsters won her final Grand Slam title in 2011. She defeated Li Na of China to win the Australian Open, her only Major title other than the US Open. After a string of poor performances, she declared her retirement for the second time in 2012.

To everyone’s surprise, the Belgian gave it a try for the third time and made yet another comeback. After over seven years of her second retirement, she registered herself for the Dubai Tennis Championships in 2020. However, this time around, she was unable to recreate the same magic and lost in the first round of most of the tournaments she played.

Later that year, she underwent knee surgery and returned in 2021. Her poor performance continued, and she retired again in April 2022.

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What are your memories from her days of glory? Let us know in the comments.