Former world number one Kim Clijsters announced on Tuesday she is to retire after the US Open in September. The 28-year-old Belgian told a news conference that she wanted to sign out in New York where she enjoyed the biggest success of her career winning the the women’s singles title at Flushing Meadow three times in 2005, 2009 and 2010.
“As it stands I will end my career at the US Open, That is where I enjoyed my greatest triumphs and it is a very special place for me,” she said.
“The stadium is only about 45 minutes away from our house in the United States and my parents-in-law will be able to be present.”
Clijsters is married to former US basketball player Brian Lynch and the couple have a daughter Jada. She retired for a first time in May, 2007 and gave birth to her daughter before staging a remarkable comeback in 2009 which ended in her triumph at the US Open which she successfully defended the following year.
Clijsters also won the Australian Open in 2011, the same year she topped the world rankings for the first time in five years.
But she has increasingly been dogged by injuries which caused her to draw down the curtain on the claycourt season and concentrate instead on the London Olympics and the US Open.
Nishikori out of French Open
Japan’s Kei Nishikori pulled out of the French Open on Tuesday having failed to recover from a stomach injury, the world number 18 revealed on his Facebook page.
The 22-year-old made history earlier this year when he became the first Japanese man to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals, but his preparations for Paris were hit by the stomach injury he suffered in Barcelona in April.
He was subsequently forced to skip the Madrid and Rome Masters.
“I am very disappointed that I won’t be able to play in Paris this year,” said Nishikori.
“Following the last Grand Slam, I was looking forward to playing in the second Grand Slam of the year. I will continue my rehab and plan to be back on the Tour as early as I can.”
Nishikori is the second top 20 player to pull out of the French Open after American number 10 Mardy Fish opted not to play because of fatigue.
Two-time runner-up Robin Soderling is another absentee as the Swede battles mononucleosis which has kept him off tour since July last year.
The French Open gets underway at Roland Garros on Sunday.
