In spite of her recent successes, her Grand Slam title, and claiming the number one title again at the start of the 2006 season, Kim Clijsters still has every intention of quitting the tennis game in 2007.
Well, my main decision is just that I want to still be able to be healthy when I’m, you know, older. I don’t want to be having injuries that cause me to not be able to do all the things that I want to do when I stop playing tennis.
(source: Official Roland Garros Website)
Clijsters has had more than her share of injuries, including a wrist injury in 2004 that was diagnosed as career-threatening. She is a fierce competitor on the court and her comeback to the tour in 2005 was one of the best tennis stories of the year.
Her personal life was the subject of the media’s attention throughout her time off from the game and the tabloids and mainstream press took aim at her breakup with her then fiancee ATP Tour star Lleyton Hewitt.
Clijsters returned to the tour in February 0f 2005 and stormed her way back to the top of the women’s game. She won nine titles in the 2005 season, including the U.S. Open and three Tier I events. She is now engaged to American basketball player Brian Lynch and is currently ranked at number two in the world.
