Kim Clijsters announces she's coming out of retirement for the second time at age 36
Kim Clijsters, the retired four-time Grand Slam singles champion, isn’t done with tennis. Clijsters announced on Thursday that she’s coming out of retirement to join the WTA Tour in 2020.
The Belgian born Clijsters tweeted a video on Thursday morning to let the world know of her plans.
Hi guys, I’m excited to finally be able to share this news with you… #wta #2020 pic.twitter.com/tm7jYMEwrH
— Kim Clijsters (@Clijsterskim) September 12, 2019
“What do I really want from life? For the past seven years, I’ve been a full-time mom, and I love it. I really, really do. But I also loved being a professional tennis player. And honestly, I miss that feeling. So … what if I tried to do both? Could I be loving mum to my three kids and the best tennis player I can possibly be? Let’s do this. Let’s come back one more time. See you in 2020.”
This isn’t the first time that Clijsters, 36, has come out of retirement. She first retired in 2007, and during her 26 months away from the game she married Brian Lynch, a former Villanova basketball player, and had her first child. She returned in July 2009, and after making it to the quarterfinals in her first tournament, she won her third tournament — which just happened to be the 2009 US Open.
Clijsters retired for the second time in 2012, and she and Lynch have had two more kids in the seven years since she stepped away. Though she admittedly adores being a full-time mom, she couldn’t ignore the siren call of the sport she loves.
Clijsters made her WTA debut at 15, and hasn’t played a competitive match since she was 29. Over her career, the former world No. 1 has won 41 singles titles and is a six-time Grand Slam champion — four in singles, and two in doubles. When she won the US Open after her first comeback, Clijsters became the third mother to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era.
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