Belgium’s former world number one Kim Clijsters announced yesterday her return to competitive tennis in 2020, seven years after retiring to become a stay-at-home mum of three children. The 36-year-old four-time singles Grand Slam champion said she loved being a mum but missed the adrenalin of the tennis world tour.
“These last seven years I’ve been a full-time mum. And I love it, I really do. But I also loved being a professional tennis player. And honestly I miss that feeling,” she said on Twitter. Clijsters won the US Open in 2005, 2009 and 2010, and the Australian Open in 2011.
She initially retired in 2007 aged 23, making a return two years later after having her first child to win her second US Open, then hanging up her racquet again after the 2012 US Open. In a 51-second video on social media she asks: “Could I be a loving mum to three kids, and the best tennis player I can possibly be? “Let’s do this. Let’s come back one more time. See you in 2020.”
Her return was warmly welcomed by WTA chairman Steve Simon. “Kim Clijsters ranks among the greats of the game and her return to the Tour is exciting news for the WTA family and tennis fans around the world,” he said.
Clijsters made her WTA debut aged 15 at Antwerp in 1999. She has 41 singles titles, and is the only mother to top the WTA charts since computer rankings began in 1975. Despite her lengthy time out she still ranks third among active players in terms of tournament success behind the Williams sisters — Serena with 72 titles and Venus with 49.
As well as her singles Grand Slam titles she won two more in doubles at the French Open and Wimbledon with Ai Sugiyama in 2003. She told the WTA’s official website that her motivation to come out of retirement wasn’t that she felt she still had something to prove but rather for “the challenge”.
“I have friends who would say, I want to run the New York Marathon before I turn 50. For me, I still love to play tennis,” she said. As a former world number one she can expect unlimited wildcards next season.

Murray encouraged by progress after hip surgery
Andy Murray insists he is encouraged by his recovery from career-saving hip surgery as the former world number one prepares to play next month’s Shanghai Masters. Murray is aiming to rebuild his singles ranking following the operation in January. The 32-year-old Scot made a tentative return to singles action in Cincinnati last month. He was last seen on court at a Challenger event in Majorca — his first time playing at that lower level for 14 years — and his next tournament will be the Zhuhai Championships later in September.
Although Murray lost in the third round in Majorca against the unheralded Matteo Viola, the two-time Wimbledon champion was pleased he came through three matches in four days without any complications.
“The last tournament was at Challenger level which was good for me. We had good crowds there and it was different. I haven’t played at that level for 14 or 15 years but I enjoyed it,” Murray said.
“I am just happy to be healthy again. I would like to be playing at a higher level but it was fun for me out there. Recovering from matches because I don’t have pain, the preparation is fun. Hopefully it keeps going that way.”
Murray has committed to playing for four weeks in a row as the China Open in Beijing is sandwiched in between his outings in Zhuhai and Shanghai before returning to Europe to compete in the European Open in Antwerp.
While he is now able to play pain-free, Murray is still short of speed around the court, something he is banking on returning over the next few months. “Now I don’t have any limitations on what I can’t do,” Murray added at an event at Queen’s Club to promote a daily liquid supplement developed specifically for the Scot.
“I am certainly still a little bit slow in terms of where I would like to get to. I’m thinking that in the next four or five months that is going to get better. Each week I have felt better but performances haven’t necessarily shown that, in terms of results. But I have been feeling physically better.”

Rain washes out last-16 matches at Zhengzhou Open
Rain forced the cancellation of all the scheduled last-16 matches at the inaugural Zhengzhou Open yesterday. Despite the organisers’ best efforts to dry the court for play to resume, all matches were postponed today with the quarter-finals also scheduled for later in the day.
Top seed Karolina Pliskova, whose match against Slovenia’s Polona Hercog was suspended late on Wednesday, will kick off today’s matches with the score at 6-3, 2-5 in her favour while third seed Kiki Bertens faces Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic.
Jelena Ostapenko plays fourth seed Aryna Sabalenka while second seed Elina Svitolina plays Yulia Putintseva. American Alison Riske, who knocked out Angelique Kerber in the first round, takes on home favourite Zheng Saisai.