Kim Clijsters announces third retirement from tennis after comeback stalled by Covid-19 and surgery

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
Former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters will not continue to play on the WTA Tour. Clijsters, 37, returned in February 2020 after eight years away but only managed to play five matches due to a combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and injuries. Clijsters is a four-time Grand Slam champion and won 41 titles during her career.

 

Purestriker

Legend
Former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters will not continue to play on the WTA Tour. Clijsters, 37, returned in February 2020 after eight years away but only managed to play five matches due to a combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and injuries. Clijsters is a four-time Grand Slam champion and won 41 titles during her career.

Her best return performance was in WTT. Could really never get back into shape to play again at WTA level.
 

gjm127

Hall of Fame
I thought she had already re-retired... What's up with everyone retiring and coming back and retiring again?

No one takes retirement seriously anymore. We should give this new trend a new name.
 

Soul_Evisceration

Hall of Fame
I'm not surprised by this latest retirement.

Last time I saw her play, she had the power but her fitness and movement was really subpar.

Now with another surgery coming up, it was best that she would just stay retired.
 

ibbi

G.O.A.T.
Terrible timing for her on the comeback. As far as I saw though she was HUGE, and she never stopped being huge. The comeback was surely not for anything but some fun.
 

Mainad

Bionic Poster
Always loved me some Kim but this latest "comeback" was always a farce. She's just too old and out of shape now to compete as she did formerly.

Take up coaching or/and commentating and/or or organising Kim or, if you still enjoy playing, there's always the Seniors Tour.
 

puppybutts

Hall of Fame
Honestly considering how she had a winning record at World Team Tennis and pushed some others like Mugu to 3 sets in tournaments, I think she could have had a decent comeback if covid didn't completely kill her chance to get match fit again. No title wins but at least some rounds deep. Her forehand will always be one of my favorites. It's not like she proclaimed she was going to win slams again...she just wanted to scratch that itch of coming back to tour before letting go completely. I think that's understandable.
 

wangs78

Legend
I'm not surprised by this latest retirement.

Last time I saw her play, she had the power but her fitness and movement was really subpar.

Now with another surgery coming up, it was best that she would just stay retired.
I think she thought she would play herself into shape. The problem is when you’re older, that approach just invites injuries. You have to get in shape first before engaging in matchplay where unpredictable lunges, slides, and other explosive movements could cause injury.
 

Mustard

Bionic Poster
Always loved me some Kim but this latest "comeback" was always a farce. She's just too old and out of shape now to compete as she did formerly.

Take up coaching or/and commentating and/or or organising Kim or, if you still enjoy playing, there's always the Seniors Tour.
She has done some commentary.
 

Harry_Wild

G.O.A.T.
If Kim comes back, she needs to get back in much better physical shape! Do not know if she can afford a Hollywood movie star trainer that gets A list stars back into super hero role(paid by studio) but that what she will need to be in GS contention! Plus a traveling PT to keep her in the same shape during tournaments too.
 

Bambooman

Legend
If Kim comes back, she needs to get back in much better physical shape! Do not know if she can afford a Hollywood movie star trainer that gets A list stars back into super hero role(paid by studio) but that what she will need to be in GS contention! Plus a traveling PT to keep her in the same shape during tournaments too.
Drug testing would make their methods less viable.
 

Start da Game

Hall of Fame
just shameless and disgusting......retirement, is there any meaning left for that word? all these wta players should not be allowed any prize money once they retire and return, they should be allowed to play bit only without pay......that way they will never retire until they really want to call it a day......
 

Aslan T

Rookie
Someone sent me a video of her hitting a few months ago, and my first thought was "wow, this old lady can really hit!"

The truth is that no player retires at the top and some just make the process very painful to themselves.
 

Wander

Hall of Fame
Someone sent me a video of her hitting a few months ago, and my first thought was "wow, this old lady can really hit!"

The truth is that no player retires at the top and some just make the process very painful to themselves.
PETE did.

Well, not literally at the top of the rankings like Barty, but after winning his final final.
 

UnderratedSlam

G.O.A.T.
Someone sent me a video of her hitting a few months ago, and my first thought was "wow, this old lady can really hit!"

The truth is that no player retires at the top and some just make the process very painful to themselves.
Well, no wonder you'd never heard of Pete Sampras...

You must be barely out of high school...?
 

yokied

Hall of Fame
I get others will be wanting to pick the low-hanging fruit on this, but more power to her IMHO. Nothing wrong with unfinished bizness, having trouble letting go and wanting to throw a few more pitches, especially as a *mother* of young children.
 

THUNDERVOLLEY

G.O.A.T.
You can't do that until Barty returns for the first time. The poster said "in a few years time".
Its difficult to see Barty coming back; the timing of her retirement (at the level of achievement she reached up to that point) shows a lack of the fire to want to run through the years and fight for more majors. A killer sports instinct is not in her psychological wheelhouse.
 

Bambooman

Legend
Its difficult to see Barty coming back; the timing of her retirement (at the level of achievement she reached up to that point) shows a lack of the fire to want to run through the years and fight for more majors. A killer sports instinct is not in her psychological wheelhouse.

People probably thought the same thing when Clijsters first retired.
 

Mainad

Bionic Poster
Its difficult to see Barty coming back; the timing of her retirement (at the level of achievement she reached up to that point) shows a lack of the fire to want to run through the years and fight for more majors. A killer sports instinct is not in her psychological wheelhouse.

It's difficult to see where she doesn't possess a killer instinct in sport when she made it to the top in not one but TWO sports! She said it herself that she doesn't think she can physically sustain anymore top level tennis and decided to quit while she was at the top rather than limp her way through ever more worsening results (as some former champions do) as injuries start to pile up. Who can fault her for that?
 

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
I thought she had already re-retired... What's up with everyone retiring and coming back and retiring again?

No one takes retirement seriously anymore. We should give this new trend a new name.
After retirement they find they can't make big bucks outside tennis. Philippoussis also came back when he ran out of money.
 

Bambooman

Legend
It's difficult to see where she doesn't possess a killer instinct in sport when she made it to the top in not one but TWO sports! She said it herself that she doesn't think she can physically sustain anymore top level tennis and decided to quit while she was at the top rather than limp her way through ever more worsening results (as some former champions do) as injuries start to pile up. Who can fault her for that?

Did Barty even suffer any notable injuries?
 

jorjipy

Semi-Pro
This woman went from 0-4 in slam finals to 4-4.

Applause!

Now, as far as Sir Mandy... 0-4 to 3-8 in slam finals. He preferred consistency.

Kim should learn a lot from Sir Mandy, how to maintain consistency, and how to retire gracefully...
First 4 slam final opponents: JenCap, Juju, Juju, Juju
Last 4 slam final opponents: Pierce, Woz, Vera, Li Na

who wouldn’t want to face those last 4 in a slam final?
 

Harry_Wild

G.O.A.T.
Drug testing would make their methods less viable.
Found out that only drugs that Hollywood movie A list superhero might use involves building the muscular look. In Kim’s case, it is loosing the weight and building stamina which workout can be done simultaneously!
 

Bambooman

Legend
Found out that only drugs that Hollywood movie A list superhero might use involves building the muscular look. In Kim’s case, it is loosing the weight and building stamina which workout can be done simultaneously!
You found out, eh? Hollywood involves weight loss and stamina too.
 
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