Few stories in contemporary sport can match the fairytale comeback of Kim Clijsters. When she announced her return to the tour in March 2009, her fans might have best hoped that she wouldn’t embarrass herself. After all, it had been two years since she had retired, the demands of top-flight tennis had increased, and she’d become a mother in the meantime.
Instead, what one saw was astonishing – at her first two tournaments she took down top players like Patty Schnyder, Marion Bartoli, the reigning French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and No.9 Victoria Azarenka. Then came the US Open, which she had won in 2005. Here she strung up seven victories on the trot — knocking off, among others, Bartoli, Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki. By the end of the year her ranking was 18. Her victory was immediately seized upon by commentators who saw it as an example that women need not sacrifice their playing careers at the highest level after motherhood.
“It seems so surreal,” Clijsters said immediately after the win. “Because it wasn’t in the plan. I wanted to come back here, get a feel for it, play a Grand Slam so I wouldn’t have to come back next year and learn the new experiences all over.”
Clijsters’ victory will do much to ease the anger Belgians felt when she refused to participate in the Athens Olympics because the team sponsor (Adidas) was a rival of her personal sponsor Fila. Despite the severe criticism at home, Clijsters stuck to her decision as she felt it was more ethical to stand by Fila. It is this commitment to her beliefs, regardless of how they may be perceived, that has enhanced Clijsters’ popularity.
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