Former world No.1 Kim Clijsters has said she needs to remain patient with her tennis after losing in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday.
The four-time grand slam champion was in impressive form on the court despite falling in straight sets to Spain’s Garbine Muguruza.Who reached the final of the Australian Open last month. The encounter was Clijsters’ first competitive match on the tour since the 2012 US Open, where Muguruza coincidentally made her grand slam debut.
Whilst it wasn’t a fairy-tale return to the tour for the 36-year-old, she insisted that she had a ‘good feeling’ whilst playing on the court. Hitting 15 winners to 23 unforced errors and winning a total of 67 points against Muguruza.
“I had a good feeling out there, I felt a pace I can handle. I felt like I was able to go toe-to-toe with her from the baseline,” Clijsters told reporters.
“I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t have that belief somehow. It might take 10 matches to get the way I played in the second set, might take me 10 matches to get that from start to finish.
“I have patience. I’m going to work my way into it and fight. We’ll see what happens.”
The return of the 36-year-old has earned her praise from many stars of the sport on social media. Serena Williams, who has played her on the tour nine times in the past, said she was ‘inspired’ by her rival. Meanwhile Conchita Martinez, who is the coach of Muguruza, said Clijsters were already playing at an ‘amazing level.’
Seriously so so so proud of Kim Clijsters. You inspire me. Wow. Just wow congrats you did amazing.
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) February 18, 2020
It was the support of her family that aided Clijsters’ decision to return to the tour after almost eight years away. She is married to Brian Lynch, who himself is a former professional basketball player and coach. Together they have three children called Jada, Jack and Blake.
“Jada is like, mum, do it. If you feel like doing it, just do it.” She commented on her family’s support.
“Jack, our middle child, he was like, mum, I hope you lose your first match, then you can come home quicker.’
“It’s just different feelings. My youngest is really too young to understand, but the support is there. They see me practice and they play some tennis at the academy as well.”
For the foreseeable future, the Belgian doesn’t have any goals when it comes to results in tournaments or trying to win a title yet. However, that doesn’t mean that she hasn’t set a high standard for herself to follow. Following their match, Muguruza was asked about Clijsters’ level. The Spaniard replied ‘a player who has played incredible can play incredible again.’
“I have expectations. They’re not result related or ranking related. They’re more individually for myself.” Clijsters recently stated.
“It’s getting a feeling of how I want to play out there. That’s the expectation or the goal I’m trying to get to.”
The next tournament for Clijsters will be the Monterrey Open in Mexico, which will get underway on March 2nd.
