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| Kim Clijsters (BEL) |
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Official Site
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www.sport.be/kimclijsters/eng/
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| Birthdate |
June 8, 1983 |
Age |
27 |
| Birthplace |
Bilzen, Belgium |
Residence |
Bree, Belgium |
| Height |
5'9'' (174 cm) |
Weight |
150 lbs (68 kg) |
| Turned Pro |
1997 (14 yrs on tour) |
Plays |
Right-handed |
| | Wins | Losses | Titles |
| Singles | | 30 | 6 | 3 |
| Doubles | | 1 | 2 | 0 |
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Two-time major champion and former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters won the 2009 U.S. Open title in just her third tournament back from retirement. The exceptionally athletic Belgian, reknowned for her speed and flexibility, defeated Venus Williams in the fourth round, Serena Williams in the semifinals and Caroline Wozniacki in the final en route to becoming the first wild card in the history of women’s tennis to win a Grand Slam title, and the first mother to claim a major since Evonne Goolagong won Wimbledon in 1980. The daughter of a former gymnast (her mother) and a former pro soccer player (her father), Clijsters won her first tour title in 1999. She broke into the Top 5 in 2001, during which time she had a high-profile relationship with two-time major singles champion Lleyton Hewitt, to whom she was at one point engaged. Known earlier in her career for a tendency to choke in big moments, Clijsters went 0-4 in her first four Grand Slam finals (losing to Jennifer Capriati at the 2001 French Open and to Justine Henin at the 2003 French Open, 2003 U.S. Open and 2004 Australian Open). In her fifth career major final, at the 2005 U.S. Open, Clijsters defeated Mary Pierce for her first Grand Slam title. But Clijsters struggled with a wrist injury the next season, and in May 2007 she abruptly retired from tennis. In February 2008, Clijsters gave birth to daughter Jada, her first child with husband Brian Lynch, an American and former pro basketball player. Clijsters’ father Leo died of lung cancer in early 2009. In March of that year, Clijsters announced she would be coming out of retirement later that summer. She returned to the tour in early August; a month later, she had won a second U.S. Open title. (as of November 10, 2009)
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