We’ll re-visit this list in 2028 or so to see what sport Jada Ellie Lynch (born Feb. 27, 2008) is dominating.
For now, Lynch’s mom, Kim Clijsters, will have to settle for No. 4 on the most athletic tennis family countdown.
Clijsters’ father Leo played professional soccer and was named Belgium’s Player of the Year in 1988. He was a prominent member of the Belgian national team, competing in the 1986 and 1990 World Cups. He also led KV Mechelen to the Belgian Cup in 1987, as well as the UEFA Cup Winnters’ Cup and the European Super Cup.
He went on to coach a number of sides, including Mechelen. His coaching career lasted from 1993 to 2008 before lung cancer forced him to stop, and ultimately claimed his life in 2009.
Clijsters’ mother, Els Vandecaetsbeek (say that three times fast), was responsible for her daughter’s impressive flexibility, having won the Belgian national artistic gymnastic championship in her youth. Cancer touched her life as well, but she beat it with a liver transplant and chemotherapy.
While older sister Kim is better known in tennis circles, younger sister Elke dominated the courts as well, winning the ITF Junior Doubles World Championship in 2002.
Chronic back injuries forced Elke to retire in 2004. A similar injury had ended Els’ gymnastics career years before.
Kim made her tennis debut in 1999 and won two Grand Slam doubles titles (French and Wimbledon) in 2003. She also announced an engagement to Australian star Lleyton Hewitt that year, which might have put them both at No. 1 on our list, but alas the relationship ended in 2004.
She notched her first singles’ Grand Slam title at the US Open singles crown in 2005, one of her nine titles on the year.
Midway through the 2007 season, she stunned the tennis world by abruptly retiring while ranked No. 4 in the world, citing injury concerns. Two months later, she married American basketball player Brian Lynch, who played collegiately at Villanova. Lynch played professionally in Europe from 2000-2009.
Less than a year later, the two welcomed their daughter to the world.
In March of 2009, Clijsters announced an immediate comeback to tennis and asked for a wild card to the US Open. It turned out to be a good idea, as she won the Open unseeded, shocking Venus Williams in the fourth round, then defending champion Serena Williams in the semifinals before mopping up Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3 in the final.
Just three stops left on our Top 10 Countdown! Come back Wednesday to check out the #3 most athletic tennis family!
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