An emotional moment, says Kim Clijsters

Bengaluru, July 23: Kim Clijsters, The 33-year-old former World No.1, who won 41 WTA singles titles over a career that spanned 15 years, has been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame along with Andy Roddick, Monique Kalkman-van den Bosch, a 4-time Paralympic medalist in wheelchair tennis, tennis journalist Steve Flink, and tennis coach Vic Braden.

"I've been taking it all in and it's been a little bit emotional at times," Clijsters told WTA website. "It feels like a completely different life that I have. I've been retired for five years now. You kind of move on. I'm a mother, I have kids, supporting Brian in his career. You kind of forget about your past life and these tennis things. So to be in this position and to be honored is very special and kind of overwhelming," she said.

Clijsters became the 12th woman and first from Belgium to ever hold the No 1 ranking in 2003, holding the ranking for 19 weeks. Her consistency at the top of the game was the hallmark of her career. During an era that included Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, and Justine Henin, Clijsters was ranked in the Top 5 for 250 weeks. She is one of only six women in tennis history to simultaneously hold the No 1 ranking in both singles and doubles as well.

"I loved playing doubles," Clijsters said. "It was so important that I had fun playing tennis. I played most of my doubles tournaments with Ai Sugiyama and playing and practicing with her, I really loved it. I had so much fun doing it. It showed in our results, we won Wimbledon and the French Open."

Three of Clijsters four Slam titles came after she came out of retirement in 2009 after stepping away from the game to get married and start a family.

"I just hope that my passion for the sport comes through," Clijsters said, reflecting on her lasting impact on the game. "I came in contact with tennis when I was five years old and to this day I'm still very involved in tennis. I still love playing tennis but now it's my role to give back to the kids and bring that passion across and make them see how unique this sport is.

"We're very lucky that we still get to play this sport that is very well liked all over the globe, it's run by great people. We still have our past champions involved. We want to share that passion with the younger generation, whether it's kids playing juniors or someone like Jelena Ostapenko who just won the French Open. To make them realize how far our sport has come from back in the day to where we are now. When you're a teenager and you first come on tour it's a bit too much to value, but now that you're older you really, really appreciate it."

OneIndia News