Clijsters' Comeback... Complete?
In her third tournament back on Tour last summer, Kim Clijsters capped a magical run of impressive match wins with her second U.S. Open title. It was a fairytale comeback for Clijsters after over two years away from the Tour to give birth to her daughter, Jada, and
get married. Clijsters was recently awarded the Laureus Comeback of the Year award. (Serena Williams was also named Laureus Sportswoman of the Year while Roger Federer “lost” the Sportsman of the Year award to sprinter, Usain Bolt, which was kind of surprising given Federer’s incredible “career year” in which he won the French Open title and broke the Grand Slam title record…)
So is Clijsters’ comeback “complete”? Can she, and will she, achieve much more during her ongoing “second career”? No one knows how long Clijsters will continue to compete on Tour, but given her more limited tournament schedule than in the past, the return of Justine Henin, as well as the rest of the top women on Tour, it’s unclear whether Clijsters will be able to repeat the magic in 2010 and beyond. Clearly, only time will answer that question. However, Kim’s performance in Brisbane, where she won the title in three tight sets over Henin, coupled with her early round, and lopsided, loss to Nadia Petrova at the 2010 Australian Open illustrate that Clijsters can play very well, but also have some off days. Although all top players hope to peak for the Grand Slams and other major events, few players manage to achieve that form without playing sufficient smaller tournaments to become “match tough.” That will be one of Clijsters’ primary challenges, as well as staying healthy.
Clijsters will be competing at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California followed by the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida. Those two “Baby Slams”, which both feature strong draws, should provide a glimpse of Clijsters’ form, as well as how much of a threat she should be considered to be during the 2010 Grand Slam season when the Tour hits the red clay at the French Open followed by the grass lawns at Wimbledon.
So is Clijsters’ comeback “complete”? Can she, and will she, achieve much more during her ongoing “second career”? No one knows how long Clijsters will continue to compete on Tour, but given her more limited tournament schedule than in the past, the return of Justine Henin, as well as the rest of the top women on Tour, it’s unclear whether Clijsters will be able to repeat the magic in 2010 and beyond. Clearly, only time will answer that question. However, Kim’s performance in Brisbane, where she won the title in three tight sets over Henin, coupled with her early round, and lopsided, loss to Nadia Petrova at the 2010 Australian Open illustrate that Clijsters can play very well, but also have some off days. Although all top players hope to peak for the Grand Slams and other major events, few players manage to achieve that form without playing sufficient smaller tournaments to become “match tough.” That will be one of Clijsters’ primary challenges, as well as staying healthy.
Clijsters will be competing at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California followed by the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida. Those two “Baby Slams”, which both feature strong draws, should provide a glimpse of Clijsters’ form, as well as how much of a threat she should be considered to be during the 2010 Grand Slam season when the Tour hits the red clay at the French Open followed by the grass lawns at Wimbledon.
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