Throw in motherhood, marriage and a likeable subject, and it gets even better. Kim Clijsters fit the bill, giving the women's tour a real boost when she returned to the circuit last summer accompanied by American hubby Brian Lynch and daughter Jada, who's nearing 2 years old. After all, Dinara Safina wasn't playing like a No. 1, the Serbs were in flux, Maria Sharapova continued to work her way back from a shoulder injury and Elena Dementieva was being, well, Elena Dementieva.
Clijsters beat both Williams sisters en route to claiming a second U.S. Open and is one of the favorites at the Australian Open, which, would you believe, starts in a month. Old foe and fellow Belgian Justine Henin will be waiting.
In a phone interview with ESPN.com during last week's exhibition Thomas Cook Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium, Clijsters revealed one of her priorities in 2010 is to regain the No. 1 ranking. The 26-year-old can't wait to return to Australia and hopes to stay away from another major injury.
Source: ESPN via wta womens tennis blogESPN.com: Kim, what are your thoughts when you look back on Jada gleefully running around Center Court moments after you won at Flushing Meadows?
Kim Clijsters: I get so emotional, because obviously it was such a unique experience for me as well. I've won a lot of tournaments in the past, but this one it was so nice to be able to share with her, too. I was more intrigued by her reactions. She was just running on the court like she runs around the backyard at home.
ESPN.com: How does having a husband and child affect your mindset when it comes to wins and losses? Are the losses easier to digest?
Clijsters: They are. But you want to win, and the time I put into my tennis now, the quality is a lot higher than in the past. When I wasn't married and didn't have a daughter, well, I realize how much time I had to do everything I was supposed to during the day to be the best tennis player possible. Now I'm a wife and mother. I had to learn how to plan things a lot better, and I think that's something that's really helped me now when I'm on the court. I really feel like I'm a little more disciplined than I used to be because the quality of what I'm doing is so much higher than a few years ago.
ESPN.com: Why do you think you sometimes struggled to win big matches in your first stint on tour?
Clijsters: I was a little bit overwhelmed by the whole situation of being in a Grand Slam final. I think sometimes it can have a good effect on you and make you play better, and other times it can have a negative effect. I realize now that in a few of the finals I lost I wasn't playing the best tennis I could, and I think that's something through experience you learn. It's nice to know that about me, because at the time I felt I was nervous and this and that, but didn't know how to adjust and change those feelings and try to turn them into good things. As I'm older and have a new group of people working with me, it's just nice to have family and friends to keep my mind off tennis when I need to but also to keep me really focused on tennis when I have to. I think that's a good balance.
ESPN.com: This fall you were listed as the sixth-most-searched female athlete on Yahoo, behind only Americans or American-based athletes. What did that mean to you?
Clijsters: I remember when they told me. I was like, "Really?" because I won the U.S. Open before, and I was never in situations like this where there's so much more media attention. It's something that is flattering but something I also take very seriously. As a mother and athlete and being famous, especially here in Belgium, I want to give something back to the people who aren't so lucky. I've gotten so many letters from mothers who say they're really proud of me and my decision to come back has pushed them to go back into the office, for example, or to work harder. Those are really nice things to read and hear.
ESPN.com: How much are you looking forward to going back to Australia?
Clijsters: I'm so excited to go back. My husband has never been there, and I kind of explained to him how special it is to me because I've never won the Australian Open, but that doesn't even matter. The fans are so great. It's a different culture. They're so laid-back, but they're so into their sports and they embraced me as one of their own because I was engaged to [Australian Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt] and together with him for such a long time. But even now, in the last few years I was there, they were still so supportive and that was a very nice feeling to have. I'm married to an American now, but I can't wait to share that experience with Brian and Jada because it's a beautiful country. The people have such an impact on you. You feel like when you walk around there everybody's in a good mood and nothing is a struggle, and that's nice to have, to be surrounded by people that are happy. I think that rubs off.
ESPN.com: What are your targets for 2010?
Clijsters: No. 1 is something that would be a great achievement, but that's not my main goal. The Australian summer is obviously an important one and I'm training to try to be in the best shape possible. If you do well and focus on one tournament at a time or one quarter of a year at a time, I think your results will come automatically. If you have good results, then you get closer and closer to the No. 1 spot. It's not like I'm focused on No. 1, but I think in the long run that would be something that would be a dream come true because although I've been No. 1 before, to be there again after having a baby and everything, I think it would be very special.
ESPN.com: Your coach says you're fitter and less injury-prone than in your first stint. How long do you now see yourself playing?
Clijsters: I don't really think about that -- that's something I learned from my first career. Especially for me, so many things can change. I love to play tennis, and I'm at a stage where everything is going well. But it can also change very quickly. That doesn't mean that I'll give up when things don't go the way I'd like them to, but I'm not willing to risk my marriage or my family for tennis because my first priority is still being a wife and mother. For now Brian looks forward to seeing me play tennis because he was never in that position before because he was playing [basketball]. That's something I would like to keep going for a few years, and Brian, he knows that. But anything can happen. I've had injuries and surgery on my wrist, and if anything like that happened again, I don't know if I'd be able to come back the way I did a few years ago when I was a lot younger. As for now, I'm very driven to keep things going and I think what's helped me a lot is setting short-term goals. I also don't have a full schedule, which makes it easier.
ESPN.com: You bought drinks for about 7,000 well-wishers in your hometown of Bree shortly after winning the Open. Will you buy everyone in the stadium free drinks if you win the Australian Open?
Clijsters: That would be nice [laughs]. That actually might be a very good idea. I never thought about that. Maybe I'll do it.
Hell yes!. I'm all for Kim becoming the new WTA #1 because I think unlike everybody else she'll actually be able to keep it for more then a few weeks.
I say go for it Kim!. The Aussie Open is one of my favourite grand slams to watch, I can't wait to see Kim out on court there, where she has so much support.
I have no doubt she'll be welcomed back with open arms.
If Kim actually wins the Australian Open (and I think she has a shot) I'll have a drink in her honor myself!.
Damn I miss tennis. Is it January yet?!.
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