Last April, and for the third (official) time in her career, Kim Clijsters (39) announced her retirement from tennis.
Her two previous comebacks to the courts, in 2009 and 2019, were quite surprising, but it seems that there will be no third time ice cream.
Instead, the legendary Belgian will serve as a consultant and commentator at the US Open, which opens today, alongside Mats Wilander, Alex Koretia and John McEnroe.
In a special and limited virtual press conference, with the participation of "Israel Hayom", who was previously ranked first in the world, answered the questions of journalists from around the world ahead of the opening of the last Grand Slam of 2022 and, among other things, talked about the most intriguing topics and names in the upcoming championship.
First, Clijsters referred to the leading candidate to win the women's tournament, ranked number one in the world, Iga Sheviontek: "What she is doing so far is amazing. She has all the qualities and signs of being an athlete who can be dominant for a very long time.
"She needs to keep an open mind and a desire to learn. Sometimes it feels like there's a big panic when she loses one or a few games, but I say: 'Let's relax, it's a sport. I wish it was that easy to be good 365 days a year, but it's not.'
Kim Clijsters in New York.
Speaking from the heart, photo: AFP
"She is maturing as a tennis player, and her tennis is better than the one she played in the previous US Championship (eliminated in the round of 16; Czech Republic). She still has many years to play. Those who follow her in the media see that her exaggerations are sometimes not so realistic, because In the end, there is an opponent in front of you who also wants to win. If she continues to do everything right, she will also win in the USA.
"On the other hand, there are many other good actresses who have a chance like hers, so it will be interesting to see what she will do. She is not one who goes out to party, she works hard."
You can play again
Recently, the German Tatiana Maria (35), who reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon, only two months after the birth of her second daughter, criticized that the WTA tour does not do enough for mothers.
Clijsters' comeback in 2009 came a little more than a year after the birth of her first daughter, and when she was asked how mothers were treated at that time, she clarified that then the situation was different, at least for her: "I didn't hear what Maria said, I was interested in hearing what was bothering her. I was lucky enough to be able to pay who Let him fly with me, so that if I want my husband's support while I play, he can be there without having to be with a one-year-old child or without having to go to a side room because the child needs to sleep, for example.
Kim Clijsters is hitting in New York.
Wants to help all mothers, photo: AFP
"There are many female players who cannot afford to fly another person with them, and this is exactly where I would love to see, for example, day care centers at various tournaments around the world, to help mothers have a longer career."
About Angelique Kerber, who announced a break last week due to her pregnancy, the Belgian said: "It's a life changing experience. When I gave birth to my first daughter I didn't even think about going back to playing. It's hard, and I think she knows it too, but I believe that if Ang She wants to go back to playing after giving birth, she is definitely capable of doing so."
Nola's choice
Shortly before the press conference began, Novak Djokovic, who is not vaccinated against Corona, finally announced his absence from the US Open Championship, which decided to leave him out of the second Grand Slam of the year (he was expelled from Australia at the beginning of the year) and caused a great stir in the industry.
Novak Djokovic.
Does not arrive, photo: AP
"As someone who loves tennis, it's sad not to see him here," Clijsters said regarding the affair surrounding the Serbian.
"It's a shame about the competition for the number of Grand Slams, the open fight with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but in the end there are rules. It would have been much more fun if Djokovic was part of the competition.
"He made a decision not to get vaccinated and he knew those were the rules, and in the end it was his choice. I don't know if we'll see him in Australia, in 2023, but in the meantime, tennis continues with or without him."
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