Kim Clijsters Vows This Is Her Final Tournament

Written by: Staff on 27th August 2012

Kim Clijsters Vows This Is Her Final Tournament

epa03327218 Kim Clijsters of Belgium returns to Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro during the London 2012 Olympic Games Tennis competition in Wimbledon, Greater London, Britain, 30 July 2012. EPA/ANDY RAIN |

Kim Clijsters was directly asked would she reconsider her plans to retire from competitive tennis if she won a fourth U.S. Open title in the next fortnight. With the assertiveness and speed of a winning volley she came back with the immediate answer without even a second’s reflection. “No,” emphatically answered the Belgian.

The 29 year-old who was forced to miss her title defense in New York last year because an injured abdominal muscle admits the Open is one of her favorite tournaments, as anyone would expect from any player who has enjoyed such success on Flushing Meadow’s hard courts, but insisted the time was right to devote all her time to her family.

“You know, this place is magical for me,” said Clijsters as she looked around the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center . “I have had so many beautiful memories. I love the surface. I love the atmosphere. I’m excited.”

But she then motioned towards her heart and said: “You feel when it’s right to bow out and that is what I am feeling now.”

There was a predictable succession of praise for Clijsters from her peers and rivals. Her successor as US Open champion, Samantha Stosur said: “Kim is the kind of player you don’t want to see go.”

Current world no.1 and Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka added: “Kim is an inspiration. We’ll definitely see the best of her here.”

And Wimbledon and Olympic champion Serena Williams said: “Kim has had such a fabulous career, especially here at the Open. She just brings some special tennis. She’s always so bright and has such a positiveness about her that you can’t help but wish her the best.”

Clijsters had already heaped Williams with praise. “To me Serena is the best ever just because I think physically she just stands out,” said the Belgian. “When she’s in good shape, I think she just stands out tremendously.

“She’s fast, she’s strong, she has a very good eye, as well. I think the combination of that is — I mean, what we have seen over the last few months is the best player ever.

“I feel very lucky that I have been able to be a part of a big generation where Venus and Serena kind of raised women’s tennis to a completely different level,” said Clijsters, a three-time US Open champion who will retire for good, she says, after the tournament. “So it’s been an absolute honor to be a part of that.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: American tennis news, Belgian tennis news, Kim Clijsters, Kim Clijsters retiring, Samantha Stosur, Serena Williams, US Open 2012, Victoria Azarenka