Kim Clijsters set to make a comeback in Dubai

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ALL GEARED UP: Kim Clijsters and Sofia Kenin enjoy the beautiful weather as they hit the beach near the iconic Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
ALL GEARED UP: Kim Clijsters and Sofia Kenin enjoy the beautiful weather as they hit the beach near the iconic Burj Al Arab in Dubai.

James Jose - Former world No.1, now a mother of three, returns from retirement.

By James Jose

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Published: Mon 17 Feb 2020, 10:15 PM

You could tell, she had that motherly glow about her. In fact, she's already a mother of three. But that burning fire within has meant Kim Clijsters, at 36, a former world No.1, a four-time Grand Slam champion, and one who changed the face of Belgian tennis along with Justine Henin, will be mixing it up with the girls yet again in the world of professional tennis.
Many of the current generation had only watched her play during their childhood, except maybe Simona Halep. They had watched her win title after title, Grand Slams and then go on to perch herself at the top of the rankings. Now, with her decision to return to the sport that she has loved all along, these girls are perhaps blessed and privileged to get this rare opportunity to go up against a multiple Grand Slam champion, a legend of the sport.
The WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships which begins on Monday, has attracted yet another stellar constellation of young stars but for all intents and purposes, as the tagline for the tournament goes: 'All eyes on Dubai,' Clijsters will be the cynosure of all eyes at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.
Clijsters is on her second comeback from retirement and the Belgian chose Dubai to make her return. If anything, Clijsters lends a bit of romanticism to a tournament that has grown by leaps and bounds and reached the stature it is now.
And while, every tennis aficionado is eagerly waiting to witness Clijsters roll back the years, it is a bit of a walk into the unknown for Clijsters, who retired in 2007 only to return in 2009.
It has been seven years since she last played competitive tennis but there are no signs of trepidation. Even she herself doesn't know how it is going to pan out, but Clijsters would just like to go with the flow and take it as it comes.
"Good to be here. Good to see a lot of people again, familiar faces, a lot of new faces," Clijsters said, in her first interaction on Media Day of the Championships.
"Excited. Excited to start the journey. I've been practicing for a long time. I look forward to starting to do it. I decided to do it: to play matches and compete and learn more," she said, that smile, ever present during the entire 12-minute, 45-second conversation.
When she first retired, she did so to start a family. Now, she is the mother of two sons - Jack and Blake - and a daughter - Jada. But what made her pick up the racquet again?
"It was a feeling that I had inside, a feeling that I had inside for a little while," Clijsters opened up.
"Kind of talked to a few people. Once in a while that feeling would go away when I was home with the kids. A couple times it would come back. It got stronger and stronger. I talked to my husband. He was like, Why not? Stop worrying about why and ask yourself why not. He made a very good point. I was like, All right.
Yeah, why not? There is no 'why not'. Why wouldn't I do it?" she questioned herself.
"I've enjoyed the challenge. I've enjoyed it since the day I've decided to go for it. It's been with ups and downs. Being 36 years old, you know that's how it's been for your whole career.


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