Interview with Kim Clijsters

Written by: Resendiz on 2nd September 2010

Interview with Kim Clijsters |

Q. What is the biggest challenge for you being a married mother on tour?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Biggest challenge? Obviously I think balancing, you know, time just for myself, knowing when I’m happy with the amount of time that I spend with Jada and the amount of time I have to put in to play good tennis.

Obviously in the beginning it took some time to get used to because obviously as a mother you feel guilty sometimes, you know, if you go off to practice or, you know, if you’re injured, you have to go off to get treatment. That was something that I probably struggled with a little bit in the beginning.

You know, still sometimes, I mean, obviously my team, they know that it’s important for me to, you know, have that time, you know, with Brian and with Jada, because otherwise I’m going to look at tennis as kind of something that interferes with my private life.

So it needs ‑‑ it’s a very delicate ‑‑ you know, there’s a fine line. But so far it’s been going good. As I’ve been on the road now for almost a year, it just gets easier and easier. Jada is getting older, so it’s getting easier.

Q. What do you think is the difference for a male or female married player on the tour? Do they have different challenges?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I don’t know. Maybe you should, you know, sit Roger next to me and we can have that discussion (laughter).

I don’t know. I mean, I obviously can’t talk for, you know, a male player. But I just know that, you know, obviously there’s tough challenges, uhm, as any mother I think sometimes has.

Q. What uncertainty did you have about your injury when you started the Open, and what answers have you gotten by playing so far?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I mean, my injury was ‑‑ when I got injured, you know, a few years ago, I mean, you know straightaway when it’s something that you have to worry about or where you kind of feel, oh, I don’t want this to happen.

But with this injury, I felt like, yeah, a few days just to take it easy that it would get better. I mean, it hasn’t flared up again. It hasn’t proven to cause any more problems. So, uhm, I guess it was a good feeling that I had then.

Otherwise, if it was something really bad, I wouldn’t finish that match off obviously in that third set.

Q. How satisfied are you with how you’ve made it through so far, and what do you feel about the outlook for the matches to come?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I mean, my level definitely has to get better. Obviously I’m satisfied that I’ve gotten through, but my level definitely has to, you know, become better. I have to, you know, find that good feeling where you can kind of just, without thinking too much, uhm, play freely, move freely.

I feel like now I’m not feeling the ball as well as I’d like to, that I’m thinking a little bit too much out there, taking those small steps and moving to the sideline and moving forward. But you need that first so you can, you know, push yourself to get that good feeling back.

So I’m just waiting for it to get there.

Q. Is it a mental change that needs to be made to raise your level or a physical one or both?

KIM CLIJSTERS: No. I mean, mentally, I mean, I’m really trying to stay positive. Each match and every rally where I feel like I’m not hitting the ball, I’m telling myself ‑‑ I’ve probably never been more positive talking to myself between points. That’s okay. Forget about the bad feeling. Just keep going for it and just keep trying. That’s what I’m trying to do.

But sometimes it is frustrating when you’re really focusing on something. I guess it’s maybe like, you know, when you guys are writing and you kind of feel like the words are not coming out the way you want them to and it becomes frustrating because you have that deadline to make.

I mean, there’s moments where it is frustrating, but you just have to hang in there and you have to keep trying because I think hard work pays off. Hopefully it will.

Q. We were talking to Sally. She met you, got her picture taken with you 10 years ago. It kind of left her in awe. Do you have anything that is close to that in your history where you were playing somebody that you had posters of?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, of course. I mean, I had posters of Steffi Graf, Monica Seles. Probably for another reason I had posters of Pat Rafter in my room. I mean, I remember playing Steffi Graf, you know, at Wimbledon, qualifying there and playing her in I think the third or fourth round.

And it was a very ‑‑ yeah, I just remember walking to Court 1 next to her, and I just remember I was so in awe of the name ‘Steffi Graf’ and the person, her being there. Yeah, sometimes I couldn’t even believe that I was, you know, walking next to her.

It’s something that you need to experience. It’s something that makes you more mature. It’s something that, yeah, like I said, you have to experience it. I mean, to me it’s definitely been a career‑changing moment just because it makes you realize, you know, that those players are just like people.

You know, you look at them as you’re growing up. You think, Oh, my God, Steffi Graf. You look at them as kind of, I don’t know, machines or robots, that they’re unreachable. And then when I was next to her, you know, yeah, I mean, she’s just a normal person who plays really good tennis and who I admired.

That’s something that to me then made me realize that she was probably one of the most professional girls out there. That’s what you have to do if you want to get there. If you want to get there and do well, you know, it’s the hard work and the details that make a difference.

Q. Sally was saying she didn’t want it to end out there; that she was having so much fun. What did you think of the way she played? What are your opinions?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I mean, I didn’t think she played her best tennis out there today. Obviously, I mean, the emotions of playing that night match here at the US Open especially is such a special occasion.

You know, for her, playing against me, with everything I’ve heard over these last few days, probably is something that plays a big part of, uhm, some extra nerves that get into that.

I remember when I played against Steffi. Same thing. I mean, there’s absolutely nothing I remember about that match, but I remember walking next to her, admiring her head to toe. That’s what I remember. But it’s nothing to do with tennis or how I was feeling. I was just overwhelmed by nerves.

I think maybe she was a little bit in that kind of situation. She’s a good player. You know, I’m going to be interested in seeing how she does. I’m definitely gonna follow up on her. Because I think this tonight is not a good ‑‑ you don’t get a good idea of how well she can play I think in these kind of situations.

I wish I would have seen her play against Wozniacki or in her qualifying matches, because then you kind of get a better feel for how she reacts when matches are getting close. I think that’s where you can define a good player.

Obviously she has a good attitude. She has a good group of people around her that know a lot about tennis. Obviously in Australia there’s a lot of people. People like Tony Roche and everybody, they obviously know what it’s like to be playing these big events. I think it’s always nice to have some experienced people to guide you through, you know, your first few big like Grand Slams.

Q. When you were a younger player and involved with Lleyton, did it ever cross your mind that no married couple had ever really excelled in pro tennis?

KIM CLIJSTERS: No. No, I didn’t. Sorry (laughter).

Q. Did you get to meet Patrick Rafter, and what were your thoughts then?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I did. Again, they’re just human beings, people, normal people. Yeah, I mean, it’s like kids now who look at singers, you know, and they think, Oh, my God, they’re so…

But they’re just like you and me. Same. Just different talents.

Topics: Amount Of Time, Challenges, Few Days, Jada, Kim Clijsters, Laughter, Little Bit, Private Life, Tennis, Uncertainty