Kim Clijsters - Belgium 
| Birth Date:
| 7/8/1983 |
Age:
| 29 |
| Birth Place:
| Bilzen, Belgium |
Residence:
| Bree, Belgium |
| Height:
| 5'8 1/2'"(1.74 m) |
Weight:
| 150 lbs. (68 kg) |
| Year Turned Pro:
| 1997 (15 years on tour) |
Plays:
| Right-handed |
| Official Website:
| http://www.kimclijsters.be/ |
Twitter:
| @Clijsterskim |
|
On the Court
Belgium’s Kim Clijsters is a former No. 1 in both singles and doubles on the WTA tour.
She enjoyed her first Top 100 singles season in 1999, finishing at No. 47 and won her first Tour singles title at Luxembourg. She made the fourth round at Wimbledon and the third round at the US Open.
She jumped into the top 20 in 2000, finishing 18th after making her top 20 debut on Nov. 6. In 2001, she finished fifth in the year-end standings and was the runner-up at the French Open.
Clijsters finished No. 4 in 2002 and No. 2 in 2003, then fell back to No. 22 in an injury-marred 2004. She missed time with a left wrist injury, then underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon and remove a cyst from the wrist.
In 2005 she made a remarkable return, winning nine singles titles including her first Grand Slam, winning the US Open and $2.2 million, the biggest winner’s cheque in women’s sports history.
She finished No. 5 in 2006, then shocked the tennis world midway through the 2007 season, starting 14-3 and reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open before announcing her immediate retirement while ranked No. 4 in the world.
Clijsters married American basketball player Brian Lynch in 2007, and gave birth to her first child, Jada Ellie Lynch in February of 2008. After nearly two years off, Clijsters returned to the tour in the spring of 2009, playing three summer hardcourt events before winning the US Open as an unranked wildcard.
Clijsters called winning the
open, “a fairy tale comeback to share with my family forever.” She returned to the rankings at No. 19, and became the first mother to win a Grand Slam singles title in 29 years.
Clijsters missed much of the first half of the 2010 season, then reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. She returned in force during the US Open Series, and defended her title at the US Open,. She went on to win the year-end championships.
She continued her hot play to start the 2011 season,winning the Australian Open title match for her fourth career singles Grand Slam title.
Year-End Singles Rankings: 1998 - 409th; 1999 - 47th; 2000 - 18th; 2001 - 5th; 2002 -4th; 2003 - 2nd; 2004 - 22nd; 2005 - 2nd; 2006 - 5th; 2009 - 17th; 2010 - 3rd.
Career Grand Slam Titles
Singles (4): US Open (2005, 2009, 2010); Australian Open (2011)
Doubles (2): Roland Garros (2003); Wimbledon (2003)
Personal
Is coached by Wim Fissette. Her father, Leo, was a soccer coach and former player who was Belgium’s 1988 Player of the Year. Her mother, Els, was a top gymnast in Belgium, and younger sister Elke is a former ITF Junior Doubles World Champion. Was briefly engaged to Australian former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in 2003 and earned the nickname "Aussie Kim", which she repeated to the crowd after winning the 2011 Australian Open title. Married Brian Lynch on July 13, 2007 at Bree city hall by the mayor. Gave birth to daughter Jada Ellie on February 27, 2008, in Belgium. Her mother died of skin cancer in January of 2009. Is sponsored by Fila, Babolat and Adecco among others.
Get Social
Official site: http://www.kimclijsters.be/
Twitter: @Clijsterskim
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