31 Dec 2011

BRISBANE • KIM'S DRAW + 1ST ROUND INFO

(31 DEC.) It's D-1 in Brisbane before Kim gets back on a tennis court for some official match! And we now know her opponent in the 1st round of the Brisbane International Open. It will be the Romanian Simona HALEP. This will be the first encounter between Kim and the world No.47.

The match is scheduled third on Pat Rafter arena, sometime around 1.30pm, local time.


Kim could face Ana IVANOVIC in the next round, then Samantha STOSUR, Serena WILLIAMS and PETKOVIC/JANKOVIC/SCHIAVONE.

Kim's draw is not exactly what you could call 'easy', but if she manages to win a few matches, it should be some ideal preparation going into the Australian Open...

Have a look at the full draw here.

Last but definitely not least, let me wish you a very happy New Year! May 2012 bring you joy, happiness, a lot of love and success, and naturally... many great tennis memories!

And don't forget to check the blog tomorrow. There might very well be some layout changes coming with the New Year... ;-)



28 Dec 2011

KIM GETTING READY FOR THE NEW SEASON DOWN UNDER!

(28 DEC.) 2011 is quickly drawing to a close and the next tennis season is on its way down under! Kim is in Brisbane, where she'll play the Brisbane International Open, her first official tournament in months, and the first one in what should be her final season on the WTA Tour.

Kim's 1st round match may very well take place on 1st January (unless she draws a qualifier), but we'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, check what Kim has been up to over the last couple of hours...


A first training session in Brisbane...


Kim with Theresa, an 8 year old Koala, at the Lone Pine sanctuary in Brisbane.

And with Jada!

8 Dec 2011

DIAMOND GAMES • KIM DEFEATS CAROLINE

DEC. 8 • Today marked Kim's comeback to some kind of "official" tennis match as she took on Caroline Wozniacki in the Diamond Games exhibition in AntwerpAnd, after being out for months due to several injuries, Kim seemed to be back in full form today as she defeated the World No.1 6-2 7-6(5). There were some nice rallies, some mini-tennis, some grunting too, all for the crowd to enjoy as both players seemed to have fun on the court.



Later on, after some musical break, Kim and Caroline came back on court to play a doubles match, with Elke Clijsters and Yanina Wickmayer respectively. For the record, Kim and her little sister won the match 6-1, 6-2.


In about two weeks Kim will fly to Australia where she'll resume her preparation for what will be her last season on the WTA Tour.

7 Dec 2011

NEWS UPDATE • DIAMOND GAMES, AWARD & KIDS' DAY

DEC. 07 • It's D-1 in Antwerp as the Sportpaleis is getting ready for tomorrow's Diamond Games exhibition. Kim will take on Caroline Wozniacki and after a short musical break, Kim will team up with her sister Elke to face Caroline and Yanina Wickmayer. A very promising tennis evening in Belgium again... More info, results and pictures tomorrow!

In other news, Kim has been awarded the 'Tennis Performance of the Year' award by the Flemish Tennis Federation, thanks to her Australian Open title and her regaining the World No.1 ranking at the beginning of the season.

Kim has also recently taken part in the Chiquita Kids' Day, which was organised in her tennis club in Bree. A nice event for kids to get some advice from a player like Kim!


Let's end this short article with a nice video from Babolat and the winner of the 'Take a lesson with Kim' contest. Jacques won the web game and headed to Bree to take a lesson with Kim...

12 Oct 2011

NEWS UPDATE • EYEING 2012

OCT. 12 • Kim's revalidation process is going as well as it gets and she should be more than ready for the Diamond Games in Antwerp on 8 December. Kim has been training different parts of her physical condition (a.o. strength, speed), and has now resumed tennis practice too (3 to 4 times a week).

The physical condition training sessions will gradually turn into tennis practice sessions, as Kim's injuries seem to respond quite positively. If things keep going this way, Kim feels she will definitely be ready for the Diamond Games exhibition at the end of the year, and then for the start of her 2012 season in Brisbane on 1 January.

On a lighter note, Kim has spent most of the last weeks taking care of her family and trying new recipes. She now also works closely with a nutritionist in order to adapt the type and quantity of food she eats before training sessions.

23 Sept 2011

KIM & COACH WIM FISSETTE PART WAYS

SEP. 23 • Kim's sports marketing agency Golazo has announced today that Wim Fissette is no longer coaching Kim. The pair had been working together for long but Wim became Kim's full-time coach at the beginning of Kim's 'second career', in 2009.

Their collaboration proved to be rather successful, with Kim winning three majors and regaining the No.1 spot. However, Wim Fissette had not felt quite at ease recently and found it a bit difficult to find his place since the arrival of Carl Maes (Kim's former coach) in the team earlier this year.

Kim reacted, saying that 'it is a real pity that Wim leaves. I would like to thank him for the wonderful years we have worked together and wish him all the best. I feel pretty good and am very motivated to get ready for the new season.'

16 Sept 2011

NEWS UPDATE • KIM AT 'SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES'


SEP. 16 Kim was in Bande today to visit the SOS Children's Villages, of which she is the ambassador. She first visited the facilities and spent time with the kids.
Then during the press conference, Kim announced that she would give (in agreement with her sponsor Kia Motors) a car ― the brand new Kia Rio ― to the organisation as to make it easier for the kids to go to their activities.
Kim also announced the launch of a Facebook campaign on Kia's official Facebook page. Indeed, for each new 'like' on Kia's page, the sponsor will give 1 euro to SOS Children's Villages. Don't hesitate to like this page and this one too!


'As you all know, I'm a tennis player but above all I'm a mother', said Kim. Jada, Brian and I are a happy family and it's great to see one's daughter evolve in a warm environment. Sadly, not all kids have the opportunity to live in such a sphere so we have to take action and do something about it, so that all children get the chance to grow up in a place where they feel at home.
This is why I'm really proud to be part of this beautiful project since March 2010, as its ambassador, and that my sponsors join in on the effort.'

As far as tennis is concerned, Kim's into the last stage of her revalidation process and should resume tennis training in October, with the Diamond Games (December) as her first real comeback to some kind of competition.
Her first official tournament will be Brisbane in January, leading up to the Australian Open.

For more info on SOS Children's Villages, visit the organisation's official site.

19 Aug 2011

KIM OUT OF US OPEN, SEASON OVER

AUG. 19 • Kim will not be defending her title at the US Open at the end of this month. Exercises and additional tests have indicated that Kim's torn abdominal muscle is not healing fast enough. She will now focus on 2012.

Kim is back in Belgium since Thursday. She felt her abdominal injury was not getting better and wanted to have some additional tests done and asked for for her osteopath, Sam Verslegers' opinion.

His verdict is clear.
'In theory we would only need three weeks to work towards a full recovery', Verslegers explains. 'Kim would then be able to compete in the US Open. A few examinations and tests have shown that three weeks will not be enough. It is inadvisable for her to play tennis in this situation. A torn muscle that doesn't get the chance to heal can only get worse and that would entail months of inactivity. We will continue treatment and once everything has healed completely we will slowly start upping the exercises.'

After already two injuries this year, this is yet another disappointment for Kim:
'I definitely don't want to make the injury worse! Pulling out of the US Open is yet another disappointment after training really hard this summer in order to be able to defend my title in the fourth grand slam of the year.'
'I am now focussing on 2012, on the Olympics. Who knows? This time I might make it trough without injuries and feel up for a last US Open. The most important thing right now is that I should make a full recovery, so I will also drop the rest of the season. I'll pick up training slowly and carefully and prepare for 2012, but without a specific time frame or pressure. I had two tournaments to go this autumn, but they are not worth the risk. I would not be able to get enough points to compete in the WTA Championship anyway.'

Kim is determined to be back in full swing in 2012. 'If later this year I manage to train like I have been training these last few weeks in the US, I know that shouldn't be a problem. I will definitely give it my all this autumn. My first test will be the Diamond Games in the Sportpaleis in Antwerp on December 8th. By the time I get to Australia in January, I want to be at my best again.'

(adapted from kimclijsters.com)

10 Aug 2011

TORONTO • KIM WITHDRAWS


AUG. 10 • Bad luck for Kim again... At night in Toronto, Kim was leading Chinese qualifier Zheng Jie 6-3 1-2, when she had to retire from the match due to an abdominal injury.


'During my warm-up today I felt my left stomach muscle really, really tight', Kim said. 'Before the match I got taped to try and protect the muscle as much as possible, but it just went worse and worse. I already had an ultrasound here on-site, and I have a partial tear in my left stomach muscle. There are a few weeks left before the US Open. I'll do everything to be ready.'

This is what her coach Wim Fisette had to say: 'We won't make it for Cincinnati and hope she'll be able to take part in the US Open. Kim will remain in Toronto a few days to be treated. This is a real pity as we had been training really hard in the last couple of weeks.'

9 Aug 2011

TORONTO • 2ND ROUND INFO


AUG. 9 Kim's 2nd round match against Jie Zheng will be played tonight (Tuesday); it will be the second evening match in Toronto, probably not before 8pm, local time.

6 Aug 2011

TORONTO • KIM'S DRAW


AUG. 6  After almost two months, Kim is back on tennis courts as she is playing the Rogers Cup in Toronto next week. It will be her first of two preparation tournaments leading up to the US Open at the very end of the month.

The draw has been revealed in Toronto and here is what it looks like:
Kim gets a bye in the 1st round and will play a Jie Zheng in the 2nd round.
Things could get a lot trickier with a possible 3rd-round clash with Serena Williams (or Jelena Jankovic). Then comes a possible quarterfinal against Francesca Schiavone, before a semifinal against Sharapova/Azarenka/Bartoli.
Wozniacki, Li, Zvonareva & Kvitova are all in the top half of the draw.

You can check the whole draw here.

23 Jul 2011

KIM IS BACK TRAINING!

JULY 23 • It had been long since you last heard from us but we're back with rather cheerful news! Indeed, Kim is back hitting!

Kim joined TV station Fox 9 yesterday to discuss the upcoming summer harcourt season. It is thus now official that Kim is back training and has been for a week. There is still no official statement as to what tournament will see her come back though. She was normally supposed to play at Carlsbad (San Diego) but it is now very unlikely. Kim should normally return for the Rogers Cup in Toronto (8 August).

EDIT: It's now been officially confirmed that Kim's first tournament will be Toronto, followed by Cincinnati.

You can watch the whole of Kim's interview with Fox 9 over here.

15 Jun 2011

KIM TO MISS WIMBLEDON

JUNE 15 • It has now been officially confirmed: Kim will miss this year's Wimbledon after injuring her ankle again in her 2nd round match of the Unicef Open in Rosmalen/'s Hertogenbosch. Kim will now have to rest for a few weeks and will probably start training again in a month. It goes without saying that Kim is disappointed and would have liked to be able to compete at the All England Club, one of her favourite tournaments and certainly one of her main goals since coming back to tennis.

We will keep you posted if we have got any news.

ROSMALEN • KIM OUT, ANKLE INJURED AGAIN


JUNE 14 • Kim hasn't managed to get past Romina Oprandi in the 2nd round of the Unicef Open in Rosmalen/'s Hertogenbosch. Kim also hurt her ankle again and will undergo some tests tomorrow, to assess the seriousness of the injury...

Romina Oprandi's greatest career win in terms of ranking had been over then No.18 Kaia Kanepi in the first round of Rome in May. The Italian surpassed that significantly with a stunning 7-6(5) 6-3 upset of No.2-ranked and No.1-seeded Kim Clijsters in the second round of theUNICEF Open on Tuesday.

Kim was two points away from taking the first set at 5-4, 30-30 on Oprandi's serve but Oprandi held on and eventually took the set in a tie-break. In the second set she jumped out to a 3-0 lead that she would never relinquish. She said this was the biggest triumph of her career by far.

'I kept fighting and I made some good drop shots and I served pretty well, so that was the key', Oprandi said. 'It's amazing. I can't really believe it because I always looked up to Kim and I still do because she's an amazing player and a really nice person, a real champion.'


Kim appeared to slip and possibly injure her right ankle early in the first set but was able to continue. She originally injured that ankle dancing at a wedding and had to miss most of the clay court season.

'I'm going to have some more tests tonight or tomorrow morning and then I'll be able to give a more specific answer about the situation with my ankle', Kim said. 'I feel like I was hitting the ball very well in practice. I was moving well. I wasn't really worried too much. It's frustrating because something like this with my ankle has to happen, and it kind of puts me back to where I was a few weeks ago. But that's what an athlete has to deal with sometimes.'

13 Jun 2011

ROSMALEN • KIM EDGES INTO 2ND ROUND


JUNE 13 It was not exactly an easy win for Kim, but the No.1 seed managed to get past tricky Romanian player Monica Niculescu in a seesaw 1st round match at the Unicef Open in Rosmalen/'s Hertogenbosch.


Despite winning in straight sets (7-5 7-5), Kim had to work for it, as the Romanian proved to be an expectedly though 1st round opponent. None of both players really managed to take a decisive lead at any stage of the match; however, Kim used her experience to focus a bit more at the very end of each set, allowing herself to make a difference when truly needed.

There were a total of 10 service breaks over the 24 games of the match and Kim finished the victory on her fifth match point.

In the 2nd round, Kim will face the Italian Romina Oprandi. It will be the first meeting between both players. The match will be played tomorrow (Tuesday) around 2.30pm, local time.

11 Jun 2011

ROSMALEN • KIM'S DRAW


JUNE 11 • Kim's grass court season starts next week as she is playing the Unicef Open in Rosmalen/'s Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.

The draw has just been revealed and here is what it looks like for Kim:

In the 1st round, Kim will face Romania's Monica NICULESCU.
In the 2nd round, she would play the winner of a match between two qualifiers.
Kim could then meet Maria KIRILENKO or Kimiko DATE-KRUMM in quarters.
Should she go further, Kim could then face Flavia PENNETTA in semis, and WIKCMAYER, CIBULKOVA or KUZNETSOVA in the final.

You can check out the whole draw here.

26 May 2011

ROLAND GARROS • KIM CRASHES OUT IN 2ND ROUND


May 26 • Kim has crashed out in the 2nd round of the French Open on Thursday, squandering a 6-3 5-2 lead and match points in a messy 6-3 5-7 1-6 loss to unheralded 20-year-old Arantxa Rus.

In just her second clay court match of the year, the No.2-ranked Kim was looking very sharp early on, but after missing those 2 match points ― one at 5-2, one at 5-4 ― the momentum started shifting even more quickly, and after two hours and 65 unforced errors, Kim's hopes for a first French Open were over.


'I'm still trying to figure it out', Kim said. 'I felt like she was missing quite a lot in the beginning of the rallies, and I felt I was moving her around well from side to side. Then I started doubting a little bit. That's definitely the wrong attitude to have, especially for me on clay. She obviously started building up more confidence, playing a lot better and putting me on my back foot all the time. I couldn't really play my aggressive tennis anymore in that third set.'

With shoulder, wrist and ankle injuries keeping her out since March, Kim's preparation may not have been the best she has ever had going into a major.

'My ankle feels fine, that had absolutely nothing to do with it. If I felt like I wasn't as ready as I would have liked to be, I wouldn't have come here', Kim said. 'Physically everything was fine. If I wasn't feeling I was able to play tough matches, I wouldn't have made the decision to come to Roland Garros. I'm not going to sit here and say maybe I shouldn't have come here. That's the attitude of a real loser, I think. I gave it the best I had with the abilities I had.'


Kim had been 31-0 in Grand Slams against players ranked outside the Top 100, a stat the No.114-ranked Rus put to rest. 'This is for sure my biggest win', Rus said. 'In the beginning I was a little nervous, then I started playing better and better. And it was really nice to play against Kim. She's a real hero.'

ROLAND GARROS • 2ND ROUND INFO


MAY 25 • Kim will play her 2nd round match against Arantxa Rus at 11am, local time in Paris, on Court Philippe Chatrier. It will be the first meeting between both players.

24 May 2011

ROLAND GARROS • KIM WINS ON RETURN TO PARIS


May 24 • After a five-year absence Kim has made a winning return to the French Open as she defeated Anastasiya Yakimova 6-2 6-3 earlier today.


Kim, who had been out for two months after a series of injuries including an ankle problem sustained while dancing at her cousin's wedding, proved her fitness by dismissing the world No. 100 in 80 minutes.

Although her build-up to the clay court Grand Slam tournament was hampered by the dance incident, Kim was delighted to be back at Roland Garros and would not have missed it.

'That's one of the reasons why after Miami I took a little bit of a break, but (thought) always in mind, okay, I'm going to go and prepare myself', she told reporters. 'I'll take a couple of weeks off, 10 days off. I'll work out still and everything, kind of already with my mindset on the clay court season.'

'I felt that I was moving aggressively but didn't always, you know, go to the lines as much as I would like to', she added.

'I was trying, but I was kind of just not on target as much as I would like to be.'

In the 2nd round, Kim will face Arantxa Rus from the Netherlands. It will be the first meeting between both girls.

23 May 2011

ROLAND GARROS • 1ST ROUND INFO


May 23 Roland Garros is now really starting for Kim as comes in action on this Tuesday. Her 1st round match against Anastasiya Yakimova will be the fourth match on Court Suzanne Lenglen and should not be played before 3:30pm, local time. Both players have met before, earlier this year in Miami, where Kim prevailed in two sets (6-1 6-1).

20 May 2011

ROLAND GARROS • KIM'S DRAW


May 20 • It's time to put on your trainers and get ready for the second Grand Slam tournament of the year in Paris! This year's French Open draw was revealed earlier today and here is what it looks like for Kim:

She will face Anastasiya Yakimova in the 1st round

And here are some opponents she might face later in the tournament: 
   2nd • Arantxa Rus 
   3rd • Maria Kirilenko
   4th • Andrea Petkovic
   1/4 • Sharapova/Radwanska/Wickmayer
   1/2 • Li/Kvitova/Azarenka
   F • Wozniacki/Zvonareva/Schiavone/Stosur

You can check the whole draw here.


16 May 2011

ROLAND GARROS • KIM 'READY' FOR FRENCH OPEN


MAY. 16 • It's now been officially confirmed by Kim herself, she will play Roland Garros. In her latest blog entry, Kim mentions that she made the decision this morning, together with her coach Wim and her physio Sam. She's been playing tennis again for about two weeks and says that things are progressively getting better, although she can still feel some pain when moving around the court.

Kim will travel to Paris on Wednesday and seems to be looking forward to playing matches again, although she knows she'll have to take it one match at a time...

11 Apr 2011

KIM'S ANKLE INJURED, FRENCH OPEN IN JEOPARDY

MAR. 10 • After the shoulder and the elbow, it is now the ankle that is causing Kim trouble. At the wedding party of her cousin Tim, Kim injured severely twisted her ankle, with rather heavy consequences, a severe strain of both the medial and lateral ligaments of the right ankle and a torn ligaments, a torn capsule of the ankle joint, a hematoma and torn tendon sheath.

Kim's ankle is now completely immobilised and she can not use her foot for a few days. Kim faces a recovery of at least 4 to 6 weeks. Since the French Open starts in literally six weeks, Kim's presence in Paris is very uncertain...

6 Apr 2011

KIM OUT FOR 4 WEEKS...

MAR. 6 • It was slightly expected but it is now official: Kim has to rest for 4 weeks and will thus not play the Fed Cup semifinal match against Estonia, nor the tournament of Madrid. The medical staff advises 4 to 6 weeks of relative rest and intensive functional physiotherapy. If the rehabilitation is prosperous, Kim hopes to be back in form for the tournament of Rome (from 9 May, two weeks before the start of Roland Garros).

'I think this is a great pity', said Kim on her official website. 'The Fed Cup is something I was really looking forward to, but I felt that something was out of the ordinary. There were too many minor ailments, one after the other, which did not seem to disappear. Something like that gets into your head. I don't want to force anything, because I want to prevent it from becoming chronic by any means. I really want to be there at this year's Roland Garros. Now there is no other option than to rest and I certainly can't use a tennis racket for the first few weeks. We will continue with lots of physiotherapy and exercises to strengthen the surrounding muscles.'