When Kim Clijsters returned to tennis in the summer of 2009 after a two-year retirement, it was only a matter of weeks before she took the WTA Tour by storm and won the US Open. In only her third tournament back, she had claimed her second career major and fashioned a fairytale comeback that fans celebrated right along with her. Who could forget the charming photos of that post-match ceremony, with Clijsters holding her 18-month-old daughter Jada in one arm and the US Open trophy in the other? It was a surreal moment for the then-26-year-old Belgian, who was unranked and entered the tournament as a wild card.
And to prove it wasn’t a fluke, she went on to add seven more titles to her resume, bringing her career total to 41. Two of those included a successful defense of her 2009 US Open title a year later, immediately followed by a fourth major championship at the 2011 Australian Open.
Now, nearly eight years removed from her second retirement in 2012, Clijsters is out to prove that, at 37, she’s still not done. The former world No. 1 will return to the US Open this month under similar circumstances, with a wild-card entry, an unranked status and, likely, a good dose of nostalgia.
Before the coronavirus pandemic brought tennis to a halt in early spring, Clijsters began her 2020 comeback with two opening-round losses in Dubai and Monterrey, Mexico. She quickly bounced back and joined the New York Empire in World TeamTennis, leading her team to a championship title this summer. Along the way, she notched wins over reigning Australian Open champ Sofia Kenin and world No. 37 and 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens, indicating there’s no reason to doubt her potential.
Other than a nagging abdominal injury that kept her sidelined for a few World TeamTennis matches, Clijsters’ game remains solid, with the same athleticism and court coverage that propelled her to her first No. 1 ranking in August 2003. Even opponents have taken notice that her shots are on point and her footwork hasn’t missed a beat.
“It’s more a drive within me, where I know where I want to get to,” Clijsters said of her decision to return. “And that’s what has been the motivation for this, because I feel like I can still play some really good tennis. That’s what gave me the push to go for it. If I didn’t have that confidence that I could still play good tennis, then I would have never started this. I know I still have good tennis left in me.”
In the week leading up to the US Open, Clijsters had planned to test that theory at the Western & Southern Open—which has been relocated from Cincinnati to the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center—until she withdrew from the tournament due to her abdominal injury. She has remained in the “bubble” that is in place in New York, with hopes that she’ll soon become reacquainted with the courts where she celebrated three major championships earlier in her Hall of Fame career.
But Flushing Meadows will be a much different scene this year. Health restrictions will bar fans from being able to attend, leaving stadiums empty and devoid of the typical raucous New York City crowd that never failed to fuel the players’ energy.
“It’s going to be strange with no fans, and I’ve always enjoyed playing in front of a crowd, especially those night matches at the US Open, where there is such a different energy,” she said. “But it’s still going to be a tennis match, and you’re still going to have your coach and somebody there to support you.”
In addition to the different tournament atmosphere, a number of top players have opted to withdraw from the event in order to refrain from travel, opening up the main draw to a string of teens and 20-somethings who may not otherwise have had an opportunity for a guaranteed spot.
But don’t count Clijsters out simply because of her veteran status. She’s in good company. Women who were her peers when she won her first US Open title 15 years ago are still solid contenders in the draw today, most notably 38-year-old and fellow mom Serena Williams, and 40-year-old Venus Williams, both of whom Clijsters defeated en route to her 2009 title. At this event, experience could prove a formidable weapon against a younger field.
Certainly, much has changed since Clijsters was last on tour, including her life off the court. She and husband Brian Lynch welcomed two new additions to their family, Jack, 6, and Blake, 3. Her daughter, Jada, is now 12. With that kind of support system behind her, she’ll feel right at home, no matter how different this year’s US Open may seem.
