4 x Grand Slam Champion Kim Clijsters Opens Up on Her Special Bond With Pickleball as It Came to Her Rescue During Testing Times

Published 11/12/2023, 5:23 AM EST

Pickleball is the next big thing in the world of sports. It has seen a massive rise in its popularity in America recently. Several legends of the racket sport are now involved with paddle sport. Recently, Kim Clijsters sat down to discuss her journey with pickleball. Let us see what she said about this booming sport and its impact on her life.

Pickleball is basically a mix-up of tennis, ping-pong, and badminton. It can be played both indoors and outdoors. In singles or pairs. It is not identical to tennis, but it provides similar feelings. Many prominent tennis players have tried their hand at pickleball, and they have enjoyed it a lot. However, the story of Kim Clijsters and pickleball is slightly different and extremely touching.

Kim Clijsters shares her journey with pickleball

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The former world number one in women’s singles, Kim Clijsters recently shared how she had smoothly switched between tennis and her new passion, pickleball. The Belgian former pro tennis player had first retired from tennis at the age of 23. Then she returned to the sport two years later to play till 2012. After such returns and departures, she’s now slowly and steadily establishing herself in a new sport. Here’s what she says about how she got into pickleball and how it contributed to her life.

Emphasizing the effect of pickleball during the COVID period, Kim Clijsters said, “It was basically for me, moving from Europe to New Jersey during COVID. Pickleball became my social life. You know, I know people in the area, but they were basically family or people that were related to my husband’s side of the family.”

In a pursuit of finding new connections, Clijsters struck golf. She said, “I always felt like I needed to build my own group of women, like the friendships that I’ve built in Belgium, and start meeting new women in the area. And so that’s what pickleball did for me, that’s the foundation of how I started playing. Like, to get out during COVID and to play some sports but to also meet people in the area. And it grew from there.”

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Tennis legends have played a major role in the rapid rise of this game in the US. Great players, big payout, and increased broadcast have added to the skyrocketing popularity of the paddle sport. As many significant tennis players have already done, Clijsters looks to surround herself with the world of pickleball.

Kim Clijsters follows the footsteps of the legends of the racket sport

The former number one became the first Belgian to attain the top spot in women’s ranking. Kim Clijsters did it in both singles and doubles in 2003. That itself is a huge achievement for the 4 time Grand Slam champion. The 40-year-old has already written her name on the pages of the history of one sport. Now she looks to write on another.

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The popularity of pickleball has increased rapidly after the inclusion of Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Steffi Graf, Michael Chang, Maria Sharapova, and many more. Now with the involvement of Kim Clijsters, it shows that the tennis players are not just participating but embracing the paddle sport. Clijsters even bought a franchise in Major League Pickleball. What are your takes on this new trend of pickleball among tennis stars?

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Written by:

Tennis has been my passion since my childhood. My sheer love and enthusiasm for the racket sport has been a major influence in me wanting to build a career in sports journalism. Additionally, being a die-hard Real Madrid fan makes me more connected to my tennis idol-Rafael Nadal, who himself is a huge Los Blancos fan and a contender to become its next President.

Edited by:

Shudh.mukherjee

4 x Grand Slam Champion Kim Clijsters Opens Up on Her Special Bond With Pickleball as It Came to Her Rescue During Testing Times

Kim Clijsters shares her journey with pickleball

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Kim Clijsters follows the footsteps of the legends of the racket sport