A Determined Kim Clijsters is Returning to the Tour

Written by: Staff on 9th December 2011

A Determined Kim Clijsters is Returning to the Tour

20111208 - ANTWERP, BELGIUM: Danish Caroline Wozniacki (WTA 1) and Belgian Kim Clijsters (WTA 13) pictured during a press conference ahead of today's Diamond Games 2011 tennis event, in the Antwerp Sportpaleis, Thursday 08 December 2011. BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM Belgium Out |

Kim Clijsters intends to make up for lost time when she defends her Australian Open title in January and the 28 year-old Belgian made a successful return to the court after four months absence with a straights exhibition win over world no.1 Caroline Wozniacki in Antwerp.

Clijsters, forced off the tour by an abdominal muscle injury suffered at Canada’s Rogers Cup in Toronto during early August, won 6-2 7-6 before a crowd in excess of 10,000 at Antwerp’s Sports Palace.

She has repeatedly suggested that 2012 will be last on the tour before settling back into family life full-time with husband Brian and daughter Jada who will be four years old in February.

“So far, and today, everything felt really great,” said Clijsters who will spend Christmas preparing in Australia before beginning her 2012 schedule at the Brisbane International. “Now I am good to get on the plane and fly Down Under.”

This year has been a painful one for Clijsters. First she suffered shoulder and wrist injuries during the Indian Wells/Miami swing double in the United States. Then she sprained an ankle dancing at a relative’s wedding after suffering an early exit at the French Open and was force to miss Wimbledon.

Determined to win a fourth U.S. Open title, she then injured her stomach muscles during the build up. “It’s been a year of many more downs than ups,” she said.

However he initially stressed the reasons for her 2009 comeback was the desire to win an Olympic gold medal at Wimbledon next August. On this initial evidence, she remains on track and said: “I am happy to have played a match and break the rhythm of daily training. Physically, I feel extremely well, perhaps fitter than ever.”

Topics: Caroline Wozniacki, Kim Clijsters