Former No. 1 Clijsters returns from retirement

A

AprilFool

Guest
This is great news.



BREE, Belgium (AP) — Former No. 1-ranked player Kim Clijsters has announced her return to the tennis circuit after two years in retirement.

The 25-year-old Belgian retired in May 2007 to get married and start a family.

Clijsters announced her comeback Thursday at the tennis facility in Bree, Belgium, where she has been practicing.

She says the "hunger is back" and she has already requested wild cards for tournaments in Cincinnati and Toronto and the U.S. Open

Clijsters won the 2005 U.S. Open for her only Grand Slam title.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ga5BDfZsI0OJCoeZIsAI09LPVJ0QD975MBMG3
 
A

Arafel

Professional
Welcome back Kim. Never liked Justine very much (the hand, the Aussie final), but always thought Kim was a great player and very gracious.
 
SikSerb

SikSerb

Hall of Fame
Great to see some players which made the WTA great come back at a time when womens tennis is less competitive. Now Sharapova and Henin need to return and all will be good.
 
J

Jack Romeo

Professional
i think she can do really well. the only player who really gave her fits was henin and she's not around anymore. kim wasn't intimidated by anyone, even the williams sisters. even though she lost her share of matches against them, at least she always competed very well. i think her game is technically better than both of the serbians or any of the top russians. the last time she had a long lay off was in 2004-early 2005 when she suffered from an injury to her left arm/wrist. her ranking dropped to below 100. but when she came back, she won indian wells and miami back-to-back. so don't be surprised if she wins a tournament this year.
 
freelancer

freelancer

Rookie
I'm not sure about going to #1, but that would be awesome if she did! I'm not even sure she'll win a Grand Slam at this point, we'll have to see how she plays. I definetly expect her to be competitive though. Lots of quarter finals in grand slams and some titles throughout the year is all I'm hoping for at this point.

Welcome Back Kimmy!
 
grafselesfan

grafselesfan

Banned
If she plays like she did from 2003-2005 she will win multiple slams in todays field. If she can get back to playing going into the French she has a great shot to win there.
 
B

bluetrain4

G.O.A.T.
grafselesfan said:
If she plays like she did from 2003-2005 she will win multiple slams in todays field. If she can get back to playing going into the French she has a great shot to win there.
Click to expand...

I agree simply from a physical standpoint. She has the shots, she has the movement (assuming she's in shape).

But, her 2005 USO win notwithstanding, Clijsters did sometimes have problems mentally in the latter stages of Slams (her Australian SF meltdown against Serena would be one example). So, if she can overcome her nerves, I think she could win a Slam. I wouldn't say it's a definite, but I like her chances if she's fully committed.
 
L

lordmanji

Guest
i am very glad that clijsters is coming back. it was boring seeing all the mindless bashing russians dominate tennis. (not that kim plays any different but she does have the splits :)) but with the retirement of justine and lindsay doing commentating now, its really nice to see a familiar face on the tour.

i personally dont think she has what it takes to win another major. she was always too inconsistent and lacking a plan B and there are too many players namely the russians that can do what she did more consistently. but her reappearance will make the quarters-semis at slams more competitive.
 
tahiti

tahiti

Professional
That's good news, I wonder how she'll fair. She's a great player with an even better personality will be good for WTA.
 
grafselesfan

grafselesfan

Banned
bluetrain4 said:
I agree simply from a physical standpoint. She has the shots, she has the movement (assuming she's in shape).

But, her 2005 USO win notwithstanding, Clijsters did sometimes have problems mentally in the latter stages of Slams (her Australian SF meltdown against Serena would be one example). So, if she can overcome her nerves, I think she could win a Slam. I wouldn't say it's a definite, but I like her chances if she's fully committed.
Click to expand...

I fully understand what you are saying. However todays players are not of the same calibre as Justine, Venus, Serena, and Capriati who Kim choked many opportunities against away. That includes even Venus and Serena themselves who are not the same players now as when Kim was in her prime.
 
T

tintin

Professional
gosh I'm happy to see Kim back.If she and Mauresmo,Venus and Serena,Maria S. can stay healthy I'll be a happy camper
 
tahiti

tahiti

Professional
Just heard her interview on tv and she says, now that she's married and a mother, it will be more for pleasure that to prove that's she's still in the top group. She obviously misses the game.
 
marpiw

marpiw

Semi-Pro
Counting the days...

I am counting the days to see her first comeback match...I guess she will play as always fantastically good...After Gabriella Sabattini she was my favorite player since she started...So I welcome her with all my heart...
I would wish that this comeback doesnt make the WTA forget that there are many young players who also need to be promoted (and ''wildcarded'')and they are located in the bottom of the listings and mean the future of the sport...

WELCOME BACK KIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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