Kim Clijsters, who lifted the US Open singles title for the second time on September 14, 2009, became the first mother in 29 years to win a grand slam. The unseeded Belgian defeated Venus Williams in the third round and Serena Williams the semi-final, before beating Dane Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3 in the final.
Before this, the last person to win a Grand Slam singles title after having a child was Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who won Wimbledon in 1980, three years after having daughter Kelly. As she told The Associated Press after Clijsters' win on Monday, "Go moms!"
"It was funny, because as soon as I came off the court, the first thing the official said to me was 'Do you realise you are the first mother since Dorothea Douglass Chambers in 1914 to win here as a mom'?", Goolagong Cawley recalled of her Wimbledon win.
Clijsters has already won two high-profile tournaments since daughter Jada Ella's birth 18 months ago, and is also the first wildcard entrant to win the US Open.
She gave up tennis in 2007 to start a family with husband Brian Lynch, a basketball player. "I felt like an elephant just trying to move. Even two steps was terrible," Clijsters said about her first experience with a racquet following Jada's birth.
Do you think Kim Clijsters' success proves once again that women can be married, have children and still excel in their careers?
