Clijsters retires from professional tennis for third time

Former world No 1 Kim Clijsters has retired from professional tennis bringing the curtain down on her career for probably the last time.

Clijsters, a four-time Grand Slam winner who retired twice in her career in 2007 and 2012, returned to action in February 2020 but did not win a single match and also had to undergo knee surgery in October that year.

She last played at Indian Wells in October last year and was knocked out in the opening round.

"I want to share with you that I have decided to no longer play official tournaments. I can't wait to see what new adventures will cross my path," the Belgian wrote on Instagram.

In an interview with the official WTA website, Clijsters explained she had been busy settling down in New Jersey with her family.

"I still love to hit the ball. With my schedule three, four days was enough to keep my rhythm under control but definitely not good enough if I decided to play another tournament," she said.

"Say, if I picked Australia, it's three-four weeks. That's just not possible at this stage in our family life. Life just sort of takes over, right?"

Clijsters, who won the 2005, 2009 and 2010 US Open, as well as the Australian Open in 2011, ends her career with 41 singles titles and over $24 million in prize money.

"My passion for tennis will never leave no matter what I do," Clijsters added. "I feel a very big need to give back to tennis because I've gotten so much out of it. So, yeah, that will be the next phase, to see where can I go?"

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