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To the statement - “Working after becoming a mom? Believe me, it isn’t an easy thing to do!” - in about a 100 people refuting such a view, you can be assured that at least 85 of them would refer to ‘Kim Clijsters‘ as an illustration to prove their point. Such has been the dream second coming of the Belgian, earning her the nickname ‘Super-Mom’. As dramatic as her comeback at Flushing Meadows in 2009 was, her defeat at the hands of the Olympic doubles silver medalist Laura Robson couldn’t have been an expected result either! But it has happened and a wonderful story in women’s tennis comes to a close, that is, unless the Super Mom gets inspired for a third coming (unlikely! That was just for the effect).
In the modern era of athletic power tennis, the two main components to become a successful pro should be strong, willful legs and an agility to move freely on court.
Born to a footballer father and a gymnast mother, Kim never had to worry about these two as the X and Y chromosomes fed into her at birth would have had these. She used that to perfection in her ascendancy to the pinnacle of the sport in a quick time. The first signs of a Grand Slam champion residing inside the Belgian came on the French clay at the Roland Garros final in 2001 when she fought a lost battle in an epic clash against Jennifer Capriati, losing 10-12 in the decider! It took some time before she could get her hands on Grand Slam silverware, but the determination of Clijsters saw her achieve the World No.1 ranking in 2003 even before she could win a Slam. Kim and her compatriot Justine Henin were contenders for the top spot time and again over this period and they were responsible for breaking the duopoly of the Williams sisters. During this period, she ran her much popular love affair with the flamboyant Aussie Lleyton Hewitt: no wonder Kim was celebrated like a local girl at the Grand Slam of the Asia/Pacific.
Personally and professionally, with a break-up with Lleyton and injuries to deal with, the toughest period for Kim, arguably, were the years 2004-05. After coming back, the story was entirely different though. She waltzed her way through the American hard-court swing, tasting Grand Slam success at that year’s U.S. Open. Eventually, she got back the World No.1 rank after the Australian Open the following year. In the process, she set an unbelievable rankings jump of 133 ranks within a 10-month period: even Andre Agassi would have envied that! But as fate would have it, again the vicious cycle of injuries, lay-offs and drop in form led her to a shocking premature retirement in 2007.
Mom and Kid: An inspiring sight to behold!
The decision to have a roof over the Wimbledon Centre Court was the prologue to the sequel to ‘The Kim Story’, which premiered in 2009. While practicing for the exhibition she was scheduled to play during the inauguration of the roof, she rediscovered the hunger to return to the court and pelt forehands at her opponents! People brushed her off with the “Hmm..we have heard of many unsuccessful comeback attempts before”. Proving them wrong was not in her priority-list. Celebrating an ethereal success at Flushing Meadows with her kid was! In winning her second Slam in just the third tournament of her comeback, she set records: becoming the first wild card, unranked female player to win a Slam; becoming the third mother to win a Slam, since 1980 were among such humongous records. The sight of her little kid clapping for her in the hands of her husband, a professional basketball player, and later enjoying the crowd’s attention on the big screen was so delightful that even the loser Wozniacki appeared all smiles!
To me, an even bigger accomplishment was her defense of the title in 2010 (defeating the Williams sisters on her way), which was followed by her winning the Australian Open in 2011, thus finally satisfying her second-home fans. The thirst that she had to fight through the toll that her mind and body must have taken to raise a kid and to be as successful as she was in the 18-month period puts her among the most inspiring sports stories ever seen. I was not alone. The Time Magazine thought so as well, putting Kim at No.16 in the ‘Top 100 Influential persons, 2011′ list!
Clijsters may have had success only at the hardcourt Slams, but she was an all-court player, winning 41 titles in her glittering career. More proof on why she is an even better player than what her Slam record would suggest would be the fact that she has a winning head-to-head against competitors such as Justine Henin, Amelie Mauresmo, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams. Among the biggies, she failed to solve only the Serena power puzzle. Without the injuries she had to face, who knows, she might have!
When all is said and done, Kim’s career is not yet completely over. It can extend for 10 more days. She reminds us after her final singles match: “I’m out of singles, but I’m still entered in doubles and mixed!”. You never know what this determined super mom can do; You cannot be blamed if you expect this former No.1 in doubles to sign off stylishly with some doubles success! In this modern era where the glass ceiling for women is fast becoming a myth, Kim Clijster’s momma story finds a prominent place and will be remembered for a long time.
