Kim Clijsters retires at age 38

Kim Clijsters (Andrew Huse, Wikimedia Commons)

Tennis legend Kim Clijsters of Bree, Belgium retired at the age of 38 on Monday according to the Associated Press. It has not been the first time there has been news that Clijsters has retired. This is the third time in fact.

The first time Clijsters retired came in 2007. At the age of 23,  she married American basketball player Bryan Lynch and got pregnant. Clijsters then returned to professional tennis in 2009, and resumed playing until 2012, when she retired again. Clijsters then made another comeback in 2020, that lasted another two years. The latest comeback however was impacted a little by the coronavirus pandemic.

Clijsters is the second notable tennis player to retire in 2020. She follows Australian Ashleigh Barty. Clijsters actually has an Australian tennis connection on a personal level. In the early stages in her tennis career, she dated Australian men’s tennis star Lleyton Hewitt.

Clijsters’s first three grand slam titles came at the United States Open. In 2005, she beat May Pierce of France, 6-3, 6-1 in the final. In 2009, she beat Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, 7-5, 6-3 in the final. In 2010, she defended her U.S. Open title by beating Vera Zvonareva of Russia, 6-2, 6-1 in the final. Clijsters’s fourth grand slam title then came at the 2011 Australian Open, where she beat Li Na of China, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final. Clijsters was also ranked first first in the world in 2003 and 2006.

The most memorable match Clijsters ever played was the semi-final of the 2009 U.S. Open. Clijsters beat Serena Williams of the United States 6-4, 7-5. Williams lost the match after arguing a call for a foot fault, where she verbally threatened a lines judge with abusive language. Williams was given a warning earlier in the match, lost the point, and subsequently lost the match.

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