"Not where I need to be": Kim Clijsters rules out Miami and Charleston

After being extended wild card invitations, former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters will not compete at upcoming events in Miami or Charleston.

Having resumed training following a bout with COVID-19, Clijsters announced on social media that her progress isn’t far enough along to resume her third WTA stint.

“Unfortunately, I am not where I need to be especially if I want to compete with the best,” the four-time major singles winner tweeted. “It’s disappointing and frustrating.”

Clijsters came out of retirement for the second time just over a year ago, losing a competitive match to Garbine Muguruza in Dubai last February. She would fall to Johanna Konta in Monterrey two weeks later, also in straight sets. She was on the cusp of taking out No. 21 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova at the US Open in her first major match in eight years before the Russian rallied to win, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.

That was the last time Clijsters appeared on tour. The 37-year-old underwent right-knee surgery in October, and contracted the coronavirus in January. Clijsters shared she will take the next three to six weeks to prioritize pain management treatment and assured fans this is not the end of her comeback.

“I knew this was going to be hard when I started this journey. There have been challenges that are out of my control. I’m not ready to quit,” she declared.

“I’m going to keep pushing and see what’s possible.”