Kim Clijsters: che sia un altro ritiro a tempo? (The New York Times)

02-09-2012

Kim Clijsters walked onto the Court 17 at the United States Open on Saturday night with her signature smile, waved to the crowd and to her family in the stands and wielded her tennis racket for what was very likely the last time as a professional.

Clijsters and her teammate in mixed doubles, Bob Bryan of the United States, were defeated in the second round by Ekaterina Makarova of Russia and Bruno Soares of Brazil, 6-2, 3-6, 12-10. In a tight match that kept a rapturous night crowd roaring, the defeat concluded one of the most accomplished careers in the sport.

“It’s been an honor for me to be a part of this lifestyle and play a sport I started playing when I was 4 years old,” Clijsters, 29, told the crowd after the match.

She added, “Life goes on.”

Clijsters, a former world No. 1 from Belgium, announced recently that her professional tennis career would end after this year’s Open.

“I just wanted to go for it,” said Clijsters, who has won three Open singles titles.

Clijsters announced her first retirement in 2007 and stayed away from the game for roughly two years. She gave birth to a daughter, Jada, in 2008.

She returned in 2009 with a vengeance. Entered in the Open as a wild card, she went on to defeat Caroline Wozniacki in the final. It was her third tournament since ending her retirement. She won the tournament again the next year.

During her career, Clijsters won 41 singles and 11 doubles titles, and earned more than $24 million in prize money.

Clijsters has said that a second comeback is unlikely. While she has battled a variety of injuries, she said she entered this year’s Open in top shape.

Still, her results were disappointing. Clijsters was knocked out of the singles on Wednesday, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), by Laura Robson of Britain. On Thursday, she and her women’s doubles partner, Kirsten Flipkens, lost to Chia-Jung Chuang of Taiwan and Shuai Zhang of China, 6-3, 6-4.

On Friday, Clijsters and Bryan defeated the Americans Irina Falconi and Steve Johnson, 6-2, 6-2. But a day later they failed to maintain that momentum against Makarova and Soares, dropping the first set, 6-2, in 22 minutes, before rallying to win the second.

“It was a lot more relaxed obviously than my singles,” Clijsters said. “I was still really so focused, and even afterward I knew that my singles career was over, but I was still focused on trying to do well in doubles and mixed, so there was no partying yet or anything. I stayed really in my same routine as usual.”

During Saturday’s match, Clijsters and Bryan smiled and joked with one another while sitting on their chairs between sets, Bryan eating a banana and Clijsters sneaking in waves to her daughter in the stands. Dressed in a blue top with white stars, she maintained her expressive disposition, smiling and even cringing after sequences when her elasticity and speed on the court were not good enough.

The match went to a tiebreaker, and the crowd roared as the scoreboard showed 9-9, 10-10 and, finally, 12-10 for Makarova and Soares. The match over, Clijsters and Bryan embraced. She greeted her opponents, smiling, then placed her racket in her bag.

“We were very lucky to play her,” Soares said.

Bryan said: “She’s a legend. Fans out there, you could see how much love they have for her.”

Clijsters said she was not sure what she wanted her legacy to be in the sport.

“I always try to give my best in everything I do,” she said. “Maybe that’s something I would like to be remembered for.”

In the days and weeks before the match, Clijsters said she tried to talk to her daughter about her retirement, telling her that she was going to be home a lot more.

“I don’t think she understands the meaning of the word retirement,” Clijsters said.

She made her way into a quiet locker room. She said she did not feel exhausted or crushed by the defeat. Instead she said she was happy. “I was able to take it all in,” she said.

“It feels right,” she added. “I can’t describe it in any other way. It feels right and it’s surprising that I’ve kept it dry and I haven’t been crying or anything. And that’s another sign that it’s the right choice.”