Kim Clijsters

KIM CLIJSTERS

Tennis player Kim Clijsters built up an impressive honours list on court, but she also showed her superb class off court with her modesty, spontaneity, and joviality. For this book, Belgium’s greatest ever sports ambassadress has chosen thirty of the most important moments of her exceptional 15-year career: from her first steps in junior tennis, the final at Roland Garros, and her first grand slam title at the US Open, to her successful comeback, and her last match in New York in 2012. All these key moments are recorded by tennis journalist, Filip Dewulf, furnished with comments by Kim herself, and richly illustrated with some splendid pictures, many of which are published for the first time. This full career review makes an ideal book for everyone

who still wants to cherish Kim Clijsters as a sportswoman and a person, even after her retirement from tennis.

With quotations from top international players and an interview with Kim by the Dutch sports journalist, Wilfried de Jong.

cannibal publishing www.cannibalpublishing.com 9 789491 376580

First and only official career overview

KIM CLIJSTERS First and only official career overview

KIM CLIJSTERS First and only official career overview

First tennis racket, 1987

Last tennis racket, 2012

First tennis racket, 1987

Last tennis racket, 2012

01

06

11

16

21

26

Young filly emerges as a thoroughbred

Double pleasure

Disappointment Down Under after a top-class final

From friend to rival to teammate

Super mum conquers New York

Finally the real Aussie Kim

Kim loses the final of the Australian Open to Justine Henin, on 31 January 2004.

Kim plays together with Justine Henin in the quarter-final of the Federation Cup in Liege, on 22 and 23 April 2006.

Kim wins her second US Open title, on 13 September 2009.

Kim wins the Australian Open, on 29 January 2011

P. 52

P. 83

P. 104

P. 131

Kim wins the Small Champions (‘Les petits As’) in Tarbes, on 2 February 1997

Kim wins her first doubles title in Bratislava, on 24 October 1999.

P. 23

P. 12

02

07

12

17

22

27

Thoroughbred crosses the first hurdles

Paris on stilts

Goose bumps in Antwerp

A gripping farewell

Kim wins the Diamond Games, on 22 February 2004.

Kim says farewell to her Belgian fans at the final of the Diamond Games, on 18 February 2007.

Old Belgians renew rivalry

Number one mum

Kim plays in the final at Roland Garros, on 10 June 2001.

P. 24

P. 59

P. 92

Youngest ever Belgian champion in Brussels, on 1 August 1998 P. 15

Kim beats Justine Henin in Brisbane in a thrilling final, 9 January 2010.

Kim regains the number one ranking in Paris, on 13 February 2011.

P. 142

P. 111

03

08

13

18

23

28

In tandem with Justine

Team spirit

World record!

The body falters

Kim, together with Justine Henin, Els Callens, and Laurence Courtois, wins the Federation Cup in Madrid, on 11 November 2001.

Finger on the pulse in Hasselt

In sickness and in health

Kim reaches the quarter-finals at her first WTA tournament in Antwerp, on 14 May 1999.

Kim weds Brian, bears Jada, but loses her father Lei, on 4 January 2009.

Kim plays in front of the biggest tennis crowd ever at the King Baudouin Stadium, on 8 July 2010.

Kim incurs abdominal muscle injury in Toronto, on 9 August 2011.

P. 95

P. 114

P. 147

P. 18

Kim suffers serious injuries, but starts playing again a year later, on 2 October 2004.

P. 31

P. 62

04

09

14

19

24

29

Entry through the big gates of the All England Club

Skilfully towards a first major title

The conquest of America

Kim II exhibits

Just shy of the Olympic dream

Kim wins the Masters in Los Angeles, on 11 November 2002.

She plays against Steffi Graf during the inauguration of the roof at Wimbledon, on 17 May 2009.

New York, New York, New York

Kim plays Steffi Graf in the last sixteen at Wimbledon, on 30 June 1999.

Kim wins Indian Wells and Miami, on 3 April 2005

Kim wins her third US Open title, on 11 September 2010.

Kim loses in the quarter-final to Maria Sharapova, on 2 August 2012.2

P. 19

P. 35

P. 98

P. 119

P. 152

05

10

15

20

25

30

The Grand Duchy discovers a princess

The best in the world

Queen of queens

Never been away

Kim wins her first grand slam title at the US Open, on 10 September 2005.

Kim defeats Marion Bartoli in Cincinnati, on 10 August 2009

World champion in the desert

Farewell in her own way

Kim becomes Number One in singles and doubles, on 11 August 2003.

P. 41

P. 74

P. 103

Kim wins her first WTA title at the tournament of Luxembourg, on 26 September 1999.

P. 20

P. 67

Kim wins the Masters in Doha, on 31 October 2010

Kim loses in the second round of the US Open, on 29 August 2012.

P. 126

P. 157

01

06

11

16

21

26

Young filly emerges as a thoroughbred

Double pleasure

Disappointment Down Under after a top-class final

From friend to rival to teammate

Super mum conquers New York

Finally the real Aussie Kim

Kim loses the final of the Australian Open to Justine Henin, on 31 January 2004.

Kim plays together with Justine Henin in the quarter-final of the Federation Cup in Liege, on 22 and 23 April 2006.

Kim wins her second US Open title, on 13 September 2009.

Kim wins the Australian Open, on 29 January 2011

P. 52

P. 83

P. 104

P. 131

Kim wins the Small Champions (‘Les petits As’) in Tarbes, on 2 February 1997

Kim wins her first doubles title in Bratislava, on 24 October 1999.

P. 23

P. 12

02

07

12

17

22

27

Thoroughbred crosses the first hurdles

Paris on stilts

Goose bumps in Antwerp

A gripping farewell

Kim wins the Diamond Games, on 22 February 2004.

Kim says farewell to her Belgian fans at the final of the Diamond Games, on 18 February 2007.

Old Belgians renew rivalry

Number one mum

Kim plays in the final at Roland Garros, on 10 June 2001.

P. 24

P. 59

P. 92

Youngest ever Belgian champion in Brussels, on 1 August 1998 P. 15

Kim beats Justine Henin in Brisbane in a thrilling final, 9 January 2010.

Kim regains the number one ranking in Paris, on 13 February 2011.

P. 142

P. 111

03

08

13

18

23

28

In tandem with Justine

Team spirit

World record!

The body falters

Kim, together with Justine Henin, Els Callens, and Laurence Courtois, wins the Federation Cup in Madrid, on 11 November 2001.

Finger on the pulse in Hasselt

In sickness and in health

Kim reaches the quarter-finals at her first WTA tournament in Antwerp, on 14 May 1999.

Kim weds Brian, bears Jada, but loses her father Lei, on 4 January 2009.

Kim plays in front of the biggest tennis crowd ever at the King Baudouin Stadium, on 8 July 2010.

Kim incurs abdominal muscle injury in Toronto, on 9 August 2011.

P. 95

P. 114

P. 147

P. 18

Kim suffers serious injuries, but starts playing again a year later, on 2 October 2004.

P. 31

P. 62

04

09

14

19

24

29

Entry through the big gates of the All England Club

Skilfully towards a first major title

The conquest of America

Kim II exhibits

Just shy of the Olympic dream

Kim wins the Masters in Los Angeles, on 11 November 2002.

She plays against Steffi Graf during the inauguration of the roof at Wimbledon, on 17 May 2009.

New York, New York, New York

Kim plays Steffi Graf in the last sixteen at Wimbledon, on 30 June 1999.

Kim wins Indian Wells and Miami, on 3 April 2005

Kim wins her third US Open title, on 11 September 2010.

Kim loses in the quarter-final to Maria Sharapova, on 2 August 2012.2

P. 19

P. 35

P. 98

P. 119

P. 152

05

10

15

20

25

30

The Grand Duchy discovers a princess

The best in the world

Queen of queens

Never been away

Kim wins her first grand slam title at the US Open, on 10 September 2005.

Kim defeats Marion Bartoli in Cincinnati, on 10 August 2009

World champion in the desert

Farewell in her own way

Kim becomes Number One in singles and doubles, on 11 August 2003.

P. 41

P. 74

P. 103

Kim wins her first WTA title at the tournament of Luxembourg, on 26 September 1999.

P. 20

P. 67

Kim wins the Masters in Doha, on 31 October 2010

Kim loses in the second round of the US Open, on 29 August 2012.

P. 126

P. 157

01 Kim

“Tarbes was my first prestigious international youth tournament. People went there from all over the world.

It was a sort of Masters for the young. I still remember the final against Bovina. We were the top two promising talents at the time. And we set a certain standard because, after that, we played against each other several times as juniors and professionals..”

Young filly emerges as a thoroughbred 2 February 1997 Kim wins the Small Champions (‘Les petits As’) in Tarbes

Free spirit, fireball, giggler, live wire. Kim Clijsters sped through her youth just as hard as through her tennis career. The film clip is now legendary in which her father Lei admits to a cute, giggling mop of curly hair that he had promised her a tennis court if he ever won the Golden Boot (‘Gouden Schoen’), something which he managed to achieve in 1988. Eventually, the court was to prove a source of frustration. Kim and her little sister Elke enjoyed themselves even more at the TC Tennisdel tennis club in Genk, where their first trainer, Bart Van Kerckhoven, wagered a barrel of beer that one of his charges, then not even eight years old, would one day reach the world’s top ten.

“Kim had it all,” Van Kerckhoven recalls. “She was physically so strong and determined. I had to keep her in check constantly.” He also noticed that Elke, her younger sister by eighteen months, actually had more natural ability (she had better hands), but she couldn’t match her elder sister for sheer power and determination, features which she had inherited from her father Lei. Wild horses couldn’t drag Kim and Elke away from a tennis court. Their mother, Els, a Belgian national gymnastics champion, was usually the one who drove them to their tennis club where they would start hitting balls around half an hour before their lesson was due to start. Then, when the session was over, they had to be sent away to stop them from playing until they dropped. Bart Van Kerckhoven recalls, “If the group before her did some sprints to finish off the

session, Kim would join in. Then she put her heart and soul into her own training session, after which she joined the next group for their warm-up exercises. When they did some running or played football, it was definitely time to say, ‘Hey, Kim, time to go home!’” No lack of energy there. “Always horsing around. Out there in the woods. Running around. Always on the go.”

Kim made huge strides. Very soon, she transferred to an older age group because she was simply too strong for her peers. “Kim won all the time,” said Van Kerckhoven, “She slammed the ball hard from the very beginning.” Apparently, you had to go to Wallonia to find another girl capable of thwarting Kim at the national level from time to time, namely a certain Justine Henin. Together, they won the doubles tournament at the Belgian Championships (the Borman Cup) for those under twelve. Kim had only just reached her tenth birthday, whilst Justine was eleven. At international level, too, they more than held their own. In 1996, they played as a team and, together with Leslie Butkiewicz, were crowned European champions in the under-fourteen age group.

Early in 1997, Kim made a big breakthrough at the annual ‘Small Champions’ (‘Les Petits As’) youth tournament in Tarbes. This unofficial Under-14 world championship has acquired such renown over the years that you can be sure

“I only wanted to play good tennis.” (At the Belgian Championship 1998). (© Reporters)

that the winners, however young, will be successful professionals within a few years. Previous winners included Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova when Kim took part. “The year before, when Justine Henin won it, Kim had also had a good tournament,” said Carl Maes, who was supervising her at the time. “In 1997, she started the tournament as top seed, so it was the first time for her to experience the pressure of being under the spotlight. She’d caught the eye in 1996 when she took part in the Under-14 tournament for the first time. However, she proved that she could cope with the pressure at international level.” In the final, the Russian Elena Bovina discovered as much after a tense struggle, which Kim won 7-5, 3-6, 6-2. “Kim won that tournament without playing her best tennis,” said Maes, “In the semi-final, she also beat Iveta Benesova. It was obviously a generation of good players, who all made an impression later. Kim’s tennis differed very little from her later style of play. As a professional, she had to play harder and with more precision, but her basic style of play was already engrained.” The Small Champions was the perfect run-up to the real thing. Maes continues, “That was a tournament in a multi-purpose hall, with a players’ lounge and a sponsor’s village, just like professional tournaments. That added an extra dimension. Kim also went to the players’ party for the first time, where she was carried on the shoulders of the tournament referee, whilst everyone was dancing.”

15

01 Kim

“Tarbes was my first prestigious international youth tournament. People went there from all over the world.

It was a sort of Masters for the young. I still remember the final against Bovina. We were the top two promising talents at the time. And we set a certain standard because, after that, we played against each other several times as juniors and professionals..”

Young filly emerges as a thoroughbred 2 February 1997 Kim wins the Small Champions (‘Les petits As’) in Tarbes

Free spirit, fireball, giggler, live wire. Kim Clijsters sped through her youth just as hard as through her tennis career. The film clip is now legendary in which her father Lei admits to a cute, giggling mop of curly hair that he had promised her a tennis court if he ever won the Golden Boot (‘Gouden Schoen’), something which he managed to achieve in 1988. Eventually, the court was to prove a source of frustration. Kim and her little sister Elke enjoyed themselves even more at the TC Tennisdel tennis club in Genk, where their first trainer, Bart Van Kerckhoven, wagered a barrel of beer that one of his charges, then not even eight years old, would one day reach the world’s top ten.

“Kim had it all,” Van Kerckhoven recalls. “She was physically so strong and determined. I had to keep her in check constantly.” He also noticed that Elke, her younger sister by eighteen months, actually had more natural ability (she had better hands), but she couldn’t match her elder sister for sheer power and determination, features which she had inherited from her father Lei. Wild horses couldn’t drag Kim and Elke away from a tennis court. Their mother, Els, a Belgian national gymnastics champion, was usually the one who drove them to their tennis club where they would start hitting balls around half an hour before their lesson was due to start. Then, when the session was over, they had to be sent away to stop them from playing until they dropped. Bart Van Kerckhoven recalls, “If the group before her did some sprints to finish off the

session, Kim would join in. Then she put her heart and soul into her own training session, after which she joined the next group for their warm-up exercises. When they did some running or played football, it was definitely time to say, ‘Hey, Kim, time to go home!’” No lack of energy there. “Always horsing around. Out there in the woods. Running around. Always on the go.”

Kim made huge strides. Very soon, she transferred to an older age group because she was simply too strong for her peers. “Kim won all the time,” said Van Kerckhoven, “She slammed the ball hard from the very beginning.” Apparently, you had to go to Wallonia to find another girl capable of thwarting Kim at the national level from time to time, namely a certain Justine Henin. Together, they won the doubles tournament at the Belgian Championships (the Borman Cup) for those under twelve. Kim had only just reached her tenth birthday, whilst Justine was eleven. At international level, too, they more than held their own. In 1996, they played as a team and, together with Leslie Butkiewicz, were crowned European champions in the under-fourteen age group.

Early in 1997, Kim made a big breakthrough at the annual ‘Small Champions’ (‘Les Petits As’) youth tournament in Tarbes. This unofficial Under-14 world championship has acquired such renown over the years that you can be sure

“I only wanted to play good tennis.” (At the Belgian Championship 1998). (© Reporters)

that the winners, however young, will be successful professionals within a few years. Previous winners included Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova when Kim took part. “The year before, when Justine Henin won it, Kim had also had a good tournament,” said Carl Maes, who was supervising her at the time. “In 1997, she started the tournament as top seed, so it was the first time for her to experience the pressure of being under the spotlight. She’d caught the eye in 1996 when she took part in the Under-14 tournament for the first time. However, she proved that she could cope with the pressure at international level.” In the final, the Russian Elena Bovina discovered as much after a tense struggle, which Kim won 7-5, 3-6, 6-2. “Kim won that tournament without playing her best tennis,” said Maes, “In the semi-final, she also beat Iveta Benesova. It was obviously a generation of good players, who all made an impression later. Kim’s tennis differed very little from her later style of play. As a professional, she had to play harder and with more precision, but her basic style of play was already engrained.” The Small Champions was the perfect run-up to the real thing. Maes continues, “That was a tournament in a multi-purpose hall, with a players’ lounge and a sponsor’s village, just like professional tournaments. That added an extra dimension. Kim also went to the players’ party for the first time, where she was carried on the shoulders of the tournament referee, whilst everyone was dancing.”

15

“She gave the sport a powerful injection at a time when it badly needed it.”

— John McEnroe

Kim’s impressive splits become a feature on the circuit. (© Imageglobe)

“She gave the sport a powerful injection at a time when it badly needed it.”

— John McEnroe

Kim’s impressive splits become a feature on the circuit. (© Imageglobe)

29 Kim

Just shy of the Olympic dream 2 August 2012

“After my tournament, I stayed for three more days to enjoy the atmosphere. It was unique. You could just sit down in the restaurant next to someone who had just won a gold medal or have a chat in the gymnasium with someone who had suffered a big disappointment. It was then that I realised just what the Olympic Games can mean.”

Kim loses in the quarter-final to Maria Sharapova

Kim started her last season on tour in the same way that she had finished her previous one: injured.

In spite of an injured hip, a sprained ankle, and a blocked neck, she progressed to the semi-finals of the Australian Open, thanks to her will power. A minor miracle. She beat Na Li in the fourth round by only four points in an exciting match, reminiscent of the final of the previous year. The Rod Laver Arena was alive with the excitement and the Australian fans showed their admiration for Kim with great enthusiasm. Aussie Kim was still alive and kicking, playing fantastic tennis, but had a run-in against an unknown Victoria Azarenka in the last four. With a narrow defeat in the three sets, she said farewell to Melbourne Park. Kim would always be in the hearts of her Australian fans.

Kim’s main objective that year was undoubtedly the Olympic Games in London. Due to injury, she had had to abandon Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, so this was an apotheosis for her. She changed nothing in her routine and ignored the athlete’s village. As always, she moved into the same house near to the All England Club in Wimbledon. Kim wanted to perform and was aiming for a medal. Focused and motivated, she started the tournament. Roberta Vinci, one of the few grass specialists on the circuit, was dismissed from the tournament decisively. There were no noticeable

168

after-effects from Kim’s heavy defeat in the fourth round of Wimbledon against Angelique Kerber.

Even her abdominal injury, which she had sustained in Rosmalen(again a small tear in more or less the same place as the previous year in Toronto) seemed under control. Kim played with consistent pressure, efficient and careful tennis.

Three quarters of the ladies on the tour were unable to match that. Carla Suarez Navarro discovered this in the second round. Hope blazed.

In this form and without any visible discomfort, Kim could perhaps produce a surprise.

The first test against Ana Ivanovic in the third round went flawlessly. The young Serb didn’t have a chance and had to acknowledge the superiority of a focused Kim. Half an hour after her quarterfinal qualification, Kim was standing in the kitchen of her rented house making risotto for her team.

Mums do all sorts of work. Then there was work on the tennis court as Maria Sharapova was blocking her path to the medals. The stylish but loud Russian had won several months earlier and had therefore arrived in London full of confidence.

The ninth match between them promised to be a cracker. The centre court at Wimbledon was full.

Belgian flags covered the stands and even the neutral spectators wanted the departing mum to produce a surprise. However, it was not to be for

Kim says farewell to the All England Club after losing in the Olympic Games. (© Presse Sports)

Kim. The massive tennis sledgehammer known as Sharapova defeated her, and in particular the Siberian siren’s service smashed Kim’s defence. It was also clear that the explosiveness of yesteryear was slightly truncated, and that made it difficult to escape from Sharapova’s pressure game. Kim dragged, laboured, pulled, and pushed. She tried to wring everything out of her exhausted body in order to disrupt the Russian model.

Sharapova proved too strong in the end and finally won 6-2, 7-5. The Olympic fire was prematurely extinguished. There was to be no medal for Kim in her penultimate tournament. The disappointment was palpable, but Kim reined in the feeling with her infinite sporting grace. Her words were, “Sharapova was much too strong.” Her last ball on the legendary centre court at Wimbledon was a forehand into the net. Kim didn’t take it to heart and even went to the Belgium House that evening. Later in the week, she cheered up her friend Tia Hellebaut during her last shot at a medal.

With raised head and disbelief in her eyes, she has learned a lot from other sports. “Too bad that I can’t be at the next Olympic Games. After my loss, I even thought: ‘I want to try for a medal again’.”

That will be a medal in everyday life. Kim set off for the USA to prepare for her last tournament, the US Open in New Jersey, with her in-laws.

next page: She gives it her all, but Maria Sharapova is too strong. (© Corbis)

29 Kim

Just shy of the Olympic dream 2 August 2012

“After my tournament, I stayed for three more days to enjoy the atmosphere. It was unique. You could just sit down in the restaurant next to someone who had just won a gold medal or have a chat in the gymnasium with someone who had suffered a big disappointment. It was then that I realised just what the Olympic Games can mean.”

Kim loses in the quarter-final to Maria Sharapova

Kim started her last season on tour in the same way that she had finished her previous one: injured.

In spite of an injured hip, a sprained ankle, and a blocked neck, she progressed to the semi-finals of the Australian Open, thanks to her will power. A minor miracle. She beat Na Li in the fourth round by only four points in an exciting match, reminiscent of the final of the previous year. The Rod Laver Arena was alive with the excitement and the Australian fans showed their admiration for Kim with great enthusiasm. Aussie Kim was still alive and kicking, playing fantastic tennis, but had a run-in against an unknown Victoria Azarenka in the last four. With a narrow defeat in the three sets, she said farewell to Melbourne Park. Kim would always be in the hearts of her Australian fans.

Kim’s main objective that year was undoubtedly the Olympic Games in London. Due to injury, she had had to abandon Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, so this was an apotheosis for her. She changed nothing in her routine and ignored the athlete’s village. As always, she moved into the same house near to the All England Club in Wimbledon. Kim wanted to perform and was aiming for a medal. Focused and motivated, she started the tournament. Roberta Vinci, one of the few grass specialists on the circuit, was dismissed from the tournament decisively. There were no noticeable

168

after-effects from Kim’s heavy defeat in the fourth round of Wimbledon against Angelique Kerber.

Even her abdominal injury, which she had sustained in Rosmalen(again a small tear in more or less the same place as the previous year in Toronto) seemed under control. Kim played with consistent pressure, efficient and careful tennis.

Three quarters of the ladies on the tour were unable to match that. Carla Suarez Navarro discovered this in the second round. Hope blazed.

In this form and without any visible discomfort, Kim could perhaps produce a surprise.

The first test against Ana Ivanovic in the third round went flawlessly. The young Serb didn’t have a chance and had to acknowledge the superiority of a focused Kim. Half an hour after her quarterfinal qualification, Kim was standing in the kitchen of her rented house making risotto for her team.

Mums do all sorts of work. Then there was work on the tennis court as Maria Sharapova was blocking her path to the medals. The stylish but loud Russian had won several months earlier and had therefore arrived in London full of confidence.

The ninth match between them promised to be a cracker. The centre court at Wimbledon was full.

Belgian flags covered the stands and even the neutral spectators wanted the departing mum to produce a surprise. However, it was not to be for

Kim says farewell to the All England Club after losing in the Olympic Games. (© Presse Sports)

Kim. The massive tennis sledgehammer known as Sharapova defeated her, and in particular the Siberian siren’s service smashed Kim’s defence. It was also clear that the explosiveness of yesteryear was slightly truncated, and that made it difficult to escape from Sharapova’s pressure game. Kim dragged, laboured, pulled, and pushed. She tried to wring everything out of her exhausted body in order to disrupt the Russian model.

Sharapova proved too strong in the end and finally won 6-2, 7-5. The Olympic fire was prematurely extinguished. There was to be no medal for Kim in her penultimate tournament. The disappointment was palpable, but Kim reined in the feeling with her infinite sporting grace. Her words were, “Sharapova was much too strong.” Her last ball on the legendary centre court at Wimbledon was a forehand into the net. Kim didn’t take it to heart and even went to the Belgium House that evening. Later in the week, she cheered up her friend Tia Hellebaut during her last shot at a medal.

With raised head and disbelief in her eyes, she has learned a lot from other sports. “Too bad that I can’t be at the next Olympic Games. After my loss, I even thought: ‘I want to try for a medal again’.”

That will be a medal in everyday life. Kim set off for the USA to prepare for her last tournament, the US Open in New Jersey, with her in-laws.

next page: She gives it her all, but Maria Sharapova is too strong. (© Corbis)

KIM CLIJSTERS

Tennis player Kim Clijsters built up an impressive honours list on court, but she also showed her superb class off court with her modesty, spontaneity, and joviality. For this book, Belgium’s greatest ever sports ambassadress has chosen thirty of the most important moments of her exceptional 15-year career: from her first steps in junior tennis, the final at Roland Garros, and her first grand slam title at the US Open, to her successful comeback, and her last match in New York in 2012. All these key moments are recorded by tennis journalist, Filip Dewulf, furnished with comments by Kim herself, and richly illustrated with some splendid pictures, many of which are published for the first time. This full career review makes an ideal book for everyone

who still wants to cherish Kim Clijsters as a sportswoman and a person, even after her retirement from tennis.

With quotations from top international players and an interview with Kim by the Dutch sports journalist, Wilfried de Jong.

cannibal publishing www.cannibalpublishing.com 9 789491 376580

First and only official career overview

KIM CLIJSTERS First and only official career overview

KIM CLIJSTERS First and only official career overview