Nickname : Killing Kim , Kim
Kong Birthdate : June 8, 1983 Birthplace
: Bilzen, Belgium Height : 5'
8 Weight : 155 lbs. Nationality
: Belgium Plays : Right-handed,
two-handed backhand Status : Turned pro in
1998
Father : Lei Clijsters
Mother : Els Vandecaetsbeek Sister
: Elke Clijsters (° 1985) Racquet
: Babolat Pure Drive Clothing : Fila
Heritage Collection Shoes : Fila Reformation
International
Kim Clijsters Detailed Biography
Sanex WTA Tour
Singles Titles: 7 Sanex WTA Tour Doubles Titles: 2 ITF
Women's Circuit Single : 3 Career Prize Money : $2,263,628
Career Win/Loss Record : 120-48
She was born on the 8th of June 1983 in Bilzen,
Belgium. Her father Lei was a professional soccer player. He was the first
Clijsters to win sports trophies. Her mother Els is a cancer survivor. Clijsters
also has a sister named Elke. Clijsters first picked up a racket when she was 5.
That was when she realized she wanted to play tennis. At first, Clijsters
thought it would be fun to pursue tennis as a hobby, but she was so good at just
a hobby. It was obvious that a young Clijsters should be in juniors. With Lei
Clijsters’ incredible soccer career, the young Belgian never had trouble finding
the money for coaching, traveling, and whatnot. She apparently didn’t have
trouble in juniors either as she breezed through it. A couple of those trophies
include a 1998 French Open Juniors doubles title, and a runner-up title at the
1998 Juniors Wimbledon. It was very clear at this point to Clijsters and her
coach Carl Maes that she was ready for the WTA Tour.
When Clijsters was not very known to anyone on the
WTA Tour (now know as the Sanex WTA Tour); she had won 3 satellite titles even.
But she began to be some word of mouth on her premiere year of 1999, at Antwerp.
After competing in the tournament as a “lucky loser,” Clijsters reached the
quarterfinals. At her first Grand Slam which was Wimbledon, Clijsters reached
the 4th round after upsetting the 10th seed Amanda Coetzer in the 3rd. Although
she lost in the 4th, at least she fell to her idol Steffi Graf. Her final
phenomenal show at a Grand Slam was at the U.S. Open. She reached the 3rd round
and faced the eventual champion Serena Williams. The loss looks as if it would
be Clijsters' biggest regret. The U.S. Open and Wimbledon were just the
beginning for Clijsters.
Directly after the U.S. Open, Clijsters was at the
Seat Open in Luxembourg as a qualifier. At the all Belgian semifinal, Clijsters
beat World No. 2 Belgian Sabine Appelmans, and in the unexpected final, she
pounded World No. 1 Belgian Dominique Van Roost. Her ranking benefited too, and
reached No. 47 as a result of winning her first WTA Tour title. She followed
that tournament with a final showing at Bratislava. She lost to Amelie Mauresmo,
but finished the year in the Top 50. Kim is now in the Top 10 after two years of
rising to the top.
Formerly engaged to WTA tennis player Lleyton Hewitt
Photos