“I had tears in my eyes!” Kim Clijsters gets very emotional recalling Serena Williams’ illustrious career ahead of her farewell tournament
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Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams
Serena Williams, undoubtedly one of the greatest female athletes in the world, is all set to play the final matches of her glorious career at the 2022 US Open. She has inspired millions of people around the world and she will play the final match of her career at the place where she won her first singles Grand Slam title in the year 1999. She has proved her dominance over the years and is a 23-time singles Grand Slam champion, the most by any player in the Open era.
The 40-year-old American is fresh from her loss at the Western & Southern Open to the young Brit Emma Raducanu in the first round. She had managed to cruise into the second round at the Canadian Open but faced defeat to Belinda Bencic in straight sets. She had returned to the court after a hiatus of one year at the grass-court tournament but faced an early exit at Wimbledon. She will be hoping to start her final Grand Slam journey with a win hopefully over Danka Kovinic of Montenegro in the first round.
Also Read: Serena Williams honoured at New York Stock Exchange, rings the bell to start the day
“There was nobody who was as explosive as her” Kim Clijsters on Serena Williams’ dominance over the years
Kim Clijsters, the former Belgian player who is also a three-time US Open champion, during an interview got very emotional while expressing her feelings about being a part of Serena Williams‘s era. She said “I was already crying when she announced it earlier this month; I had tears in my eyes when she said goodbye after her loss. I was watching her on-court interview and you can just see all the emotions that came up. It’s a very impactful change in your life; being a part of the tennis generation that almost came up at the same time as Serena did, it’s incredible to see how long she’s managed to stay on, and her sister Venus as well.“
She also recalled the first time she played against the American legend. She added “To see Serena now closing that chapter in her life, this is a huge, huge moment and it makes you reflect on the years and the moments shared with her; like the first time I played her, the first time I remember seeing her, some things that you remember from all the years on tour and seeing a young girl growing into this icon, not just in tennis, but in sport. It’s really fun to have been part of that generation for the last 20-plus years.”
She even appreciated the veteran American’s incredible playing style and how fierce competition has she been over the years. She further added “There was nobody who was as explosive as Serena, who could do the movement with the power. And over time she developed an overall game, where she has to touch, she has the slice, she has the serve-and-volley, she has the volleys; the confidence in her overall game grew over the years and I could feel that definitely standing across the net from her.“
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Prateek Pradhan
(601 Articles Published)