As promised some time ago, Belgian tennis player Kim Clijsters (photo ©Edwin Martinez) announced her retirement from her professional activity after being defeated yesterday at the US Open by Laura Robson.
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters was born in Bilzen, Belgium, 8 June 1983. After showing a remarkable talent in the junior circuit, she turned pro in 1999, winning her first singles title in the tournament of Luxembourg.
In the following years, Kim Clijsters won several tournaments in singles and doubles along with various teammates. In 2001 she reached the final at Roland Garros, her first one in a Grand Slam tournament. In 2002 she won the WTA Tour Championships.
In 2003, Kim Clijsters went back to the final at Roland Garros but she lost it again. On August 11, 2003, she became for the first time n. 1 in the WTA rankings but without winning any Grand Slam tournaments. Two weeks later, she reached the final of the US Open but again without winning it. In November, however, she won the WTA Tour Championships again.
In early 2004, Kim Clijsters reached the final of the Australian Open but the result was still a loss.
In 2005, Kim Clijsters finally managed to win not only a series of “normal” tournaments but also a Grand Slam title at the US Open.
In 2006, Kim Clijsters had several physical problems, especially on her left wrist, which limited her activities allowing her to win “only” the Warsaw, Stanford and Hasselt tournaments.
In 2007, Kim Clijsters won only the Sydney tournament and in May announced her retirement. She had planned to retire at the end of the year but due to her physical problems eventually she decided to cut the season short.
In 2007, Kim Clijsters married basketball player Brian Lynch and on February 27, 2008 she gave birth to a daughter, Jada Elle. In March 2009, she announced that she’d return to competitive activity.
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After officially returning at the Cincinnati tournament, Kim Clijsters seemed stronger than before, so much that she won the US Open.
In 2010, Kim Clijsters won a few tournaments but almost most important as after the Brisbane one she won Miami and Cincinnati and then she confirmed her title at the US Open ending the year with another win at the WTA Tour Championships.
In 2011, Kim Clijsters won the Australian Open in February and for a short period she was no. 1 in the WTA rankings again. A series of physical problems prevented her from winning more tournaments forcing her to skip several months.
In 2012, Kim Clijsters returned to her activity but her ankle problem limited her a lot. Therefore, she decided to retire at the US Open, the tournament that gave her the greatest satisfaction during her career.
Kim Clijsters has already said that she wants another child. Best wishes!
