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LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Kim Clijsters of Belgium smiles during the mixed doubles match between John McEnroe of the United States and his partner Kim Clijsters of Belgium and Martina Navratilova of the United States and Jamie Murray of Great Britain during the Wimbledon No. 1 Court Celebration in support of the Wimbledon Foundation at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on May 19, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Kim Clijsters of Belgium smiles during the mixed doubles match between John McEnroe of the United States and his partner Kim Clijsters of Belgium and Martina Navratilova of the United States and Jamie Murray of Great Britain during the Wimbledon No. 1 Court Celebration in support of the Wimbledon Foundation at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on May 19, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Over the years, women’s tennis has been dominated by the likes of the William sisters, Maria Sharapova, and so forth. However, there’s one name that has cemented itself in the history books, Kim Clijsters. The Belgian dominated the women’s circuit right from the early 2000s.
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Clijsters has retired and made a comeback into the game on 2 different occasions. After more than 7 years of retirement, she returned to professional tennis in February at the Dubai Championships.
She entered as a wildcard. Clijsters lost to former Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza in the opening round. Kim later played at the US Open, where she lost in her first-round match.
Kim Clijsters Could Resume 2021 Season From March Onwards
There was some hope of seeing the Belgian at the Australian Open 2021. However, Clijsters has declined the invitation to receive a wildcard.
Her 4 grand slam wins offer her the luxury to acquire the wildcard entry. Kim has also been the Australian Open champion in 2011. Although, there are talks of her returning on tour this coming season from March onwards.
The Australian Open 2021 will begin from the 8th of February onwards. After a few rounds of meetings with the governing authorities and sports bodies, they came to a conclusion of going forward with the ‘happy slam’ from the second month of the new year.
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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 17: Kim Clijster of Belguim plays a backhand against Garbine Muguruza of Spain during her Women’s Singles match on Day One of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium on February 17, 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Fans would gladly accept a delay over a cancelation, considering how the last 12 months have gone by for each individual. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, every individual witnessed changes in their day-to-day lives.
Another effect of the pandemic is that the women’s qualifying rounds will be held in Dubai and not at the home venue of the first major of 2021.
Subsequently, players qualifying for the main draw will board the flight to Melbourne. They will have to undergo a minimum of a 14-day quarantine period. With the number of efforts being put in by organizers, we hope the 2021 Australian Open can be conducted smoothly.
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