Four-Time Grand Slam Champion Kim Clijsters Retires for Third Time

The 38-year-old, who ended her second retirement in 2019 after a seven-year hiatus, announced the decision Tuesday.

LONDON (AP) — Four-time Grand Slam singles champion Kim Clijsters has retired from professional tennis again.

The 38-year-old Clijsters, who ended her second retirement in 2019 after a seven-year hiatus, announced Tuesday that she will “no longer play official tournaments.”

“I can’t wait to see what new adventures will cross my path,” the former No. 1 player wrote on Instagram.

Clijsters, who already is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, won the U.S. Open for the first time in 2005 and walked away from tennis two years later at age 23 shortly before getting married.

The Belgian player then took about two years off while having a daughter but returned and won the 2009 U.S. Open. She won another championship at Flushing Meadows in 2010, then added an Australian Open title the following season and moved back atop the rankings.

Clijsters, who has three children with her husband, Brian Lynch, left the tour again in 2012. They live in suburban New Jersey.

“It’s been on my mind for a while,” Clijsters told WTA media. “I still love to hit the ball. With my schedule three, four days was enough to keep my rhythm under control but definitely not good enough if I decided to play another tournament. Say, if I picked Australia, it’s three, four weeks. That’s just not possible at this stage in our family life. Life just sort of takes over, right?”

Her last official match was in October when she lost in three sets to Katerina Siniakova in the first round at Indian Wells.