PARIS – Kim Clijsters hopes to regain the head of the WTA tennis rankings this week and the Belgian needs to make the semi-finals of the Paris-Coubertin tournamemt to overtake Denmark’s incumbent Caroline Wozniacki.
“I won’t say this does not interest me, it would be great to manage it again during this my second career,” said Clijsters, who was top for 12 weeks in 2003 and seven in 2006 before her retirement and subsequent return to the game two years later.
“When I first took top spot, I was in the same position as Caroline Wozniacki because I had not yet won a Grand Slam,” said Clijsters who now has four – the US Open in 2005, 2009 and 2010 and the 2011 Australian Open. Wozniacki is yet to win a Grand Slam and Clijsters added fuel to the fire Tuesday adding that taking the World No1 spot “does not have the same impact as winning a big tournament, it doesnt change your life, so if it doesn’t happen this
week I won’t be too upset.” The 27-year-old won the tournament during her only other appearance here in 2004 and starts her current campaign against Germany’s Kristina Barrois. Nadal set to resume training: Spanish world number one Rafael Nadal said Tuesday he is ready to resume training following a leg injury that forced him out of the game for 10 days.
“I feel quite good, I am going home today (Tuesday) to Manacor (on the island of Majorca) to begin training on the courts,” he said at the presentation of a tournament in April in Barcelona. “I am going to start training slowly, following a plan, so that there are no setbacks.” The player would thus be able to take part in Spain’s Davis Cup match against Belgium on March 4-6.
Nadal crashed out of the Australian Open on January 26 after struggling with a thigh muscle tear in a quarter-final match against compatriot David Ferrer. His loss to Ferrer deprived him of a’ Rafa Slam’ – a fourth straight non-calendar year Grand Slam after winning the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open crowns last year. On Monday, the Spaniard was voted sportsman
of the year at the prestigious Laureus awards in Abu Dhabi.
