Kim Clijsters has been the talk of the Australian Open on the women’s side for many reasons. She entered the tournament playing excellent tennis, having won the 2010 U.S. Open and the year-end WTA Tour Championship. The three-seed double-bageled Dinara Safina in the first round, becoming the first player to ever do that to a former number one player. Then she made headlines with her boobilicious interview with Todd Woodbridge, and she followed it up by advancing to the semifinals without dropping a set. But an astonishing statistic regarding Kim’s career tells an important story: since returning from giving birth to her daughter, Clijsters is 62-11 including a 25-2 mark in majors.
Between 2001-2004, Clijsters made it to four major finals but lost all of them. It was in 2005 that she broke through with her first of three U.S. Open titles. The Belgian star retired in 2007 and returned in 2009, coming back to win the U.S. Open immediately. Such a return to prominence after taking so much time off would be nearly improbable in the highly competitive game of men’s tennis. In the weakened women’s game, it was a reality.
While players like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, and Robin Soderling, all seem to be playing at a high level, you just don’t get the same feeling with the women. Serena Williams has been out the last two majors because of injury, Justine Henin retired and is making an unsuccessful comeback, Elena Dementieva retired, Maria Sharapova has not been the same since shoulder injury, and Ana Ivanovic has fallen into a two-year funk. In addition to Serena being out because of injury, older sister Venus went out in the third round and hasn’t made the finals of a major since 2009.
Though Clijsters’ game has improved since she’s returned, and playing a lighter schedule may keep her in optimal shape for the Grand Slams, it feels like women’s tennis is down. The good news is the emergence and disappearance of strong players goes in cycles, so hopefully the game will be stronger in the future. I just don’t see it happening any time too soon.
