Kim Clijsters will be back on the tennis court after spending 8 years in retirement. The 36-year-old retired after the US Open in 2012. She announced her comeback last year and had planned to play at the Australian Open last month. However, an elbow injury prevented her from playing in Australia. She will now play her first match of the season at the Dubai Championships this week.
Muguruza will be Clijsters first opponent this season
Clijsters will face this year’s Australian Open finalist Garbine Muguruza in the first round. The Spaniard will be a tough test for Clijsters. The mother of three will have to be her physical best to defeat Muguruza. She has expressed confidence that she can keep up with the two-time Grand Slam champion. “I’ve seen Muguruza play many matches in the last few years, so I have a little bit of an idea.” This will be the first match between the two players and Muguruza will be the favorite to win the match since her opponent could be a little rusty on the court.
Who is Kim’s husband and her 3 children
After she retired in 2012, Clijsters focused more on her personal life. She is married to Brian Lynch, a former professional basketball player. They have three children, a daughter Jada Elle who was born in 2008 and two sons, Jack born in 2013 and Blake, born in 2016. Clijsters has said that while she was happy taking care of her family, the desire to get back to the sport she loved did not go away. Her husband encouraged her to pursue her passion, telling her that nothing was impossible. “I talked to my husband. He was like, ‘stop worrying about why and ask yourself why not.’”
Having won 41 singles titles in her career, Clijsters doesn’t have much to prove on the court. However, the three-time Grand Slam champion says she has enjoyed the hard work she has put in. “It’s been an interesting but very challenging process that I’m really enjoying.” The 36-year-old is a wild card at the Dubai Championships which will be very competitive this year. In addition to Clijsters and Muguruza, Simona Halep, Belinda Bencic, Bianca Andreescu, and Karolina Pliskova will play at the tournament. Halep has been training with Clijsters ahead of the tournament and she says the Belgian player is ready to compete. After the Dubai Championships, Clijsters will compete at the Monterrey and Indian Wells tournaments.
Kim Clijsters’s ranking and performance in 2020
Now the world no., the Belgian played her last match on the 29th of August 2012 when she lost to Laura Robson 7-64 7-65 in the 2nd round of the U.S. Open.
Garbine Muguruza’s ranking and performance in 2020
Ranked no.16, Garbine played her last match on the 1st of February when she was overcome by Sofia Kenin 4-6 6-2 6-2 in the final of the Australian Open.
Garbine Muguruza’s best accomplishment of this season was reaching the final at the Australian Open.
Kim Clijsters and Garbine Muguruza have never played each other.
