Kim Clijsters is going to retire from tennis. Don't worry though, because this isn't going to happen very soon. At least for another year, we will be seeing quite a lot of her on the tennis court.


The Belgian player will most likely retire in 2007. The main cause for the decision seems to be her physical situation. As the current number 2 in WTA standings said: "I don't think I have played one week last year being 100% fit for tennis".

The permanent injuries - left wrist and has endured assorted ankle, knee and back problems - have made Clijsters give it another thought in terms of her staying. Still, considering the fact that she may end this year in the top position overall, she has a great chance of making that happen now, even throughout this French tournament, since her main rival - Amelie Mauresmo - is still far from her great form earlier this year, the Belgian seems determined to say "good bye".

"It's frustrating that I'm not able to do it like I wanted to do it. My main decision is just that I want to still be able to be healthy when I'm older. I don't want to be having injuries that cause me to not be able to do all the things that I want to do when I stop playing tennis. That's why I felt that in the last year and a half, my injuries have been restricting me from the game of tennis that I want to play and the level that I used to play", admitted Clijsters.

She wanted to state, though, that her decision is a final one, and will not change her mind, even if she continues in a great form this year. After winning her 31st tournament of her career in Warsaw, she concluded: "When I was 15, 16, I played singles, doubles every tournament. If I had to do that now, you could take me to the hospital. As you get older, you have to make decisions. And tennis, women's tennis, has become a lot more physically demanding, I think, than what it used to be".